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The differences between customer support associates and customer relations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a customer support associate and a customer relations specialist. Additionally, a customer relations specialist has an average salary of $37,827, which is higher than the $34,878 average annual salary of a customer support associate.
The top three skills for a customer support associate include data entry, strong customer service and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a customer relations specialist are customer relations, data entry, and work ethic.
| Customer Support Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $34,878 | $37,827 |
| Hourly rate | $16.77 | $18.19 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 242,521 | 215,862 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A customer support associate's responsibilities revolve around assisting walk-in customers by answering inquiries, offering recommendations, issuing refunds, addressing complaints, and resolving it promptly and professionally. They may also provide support to clients through calls and correspondence, offering them products or services when necessary. There are also instances when they must perform follow-up calls, troubleshoot problems, and arrange appointments. Furthermore, as a customer support associate, it is essential to interact with clients in a friendly and efficient manner, ensuring customer satisfaction and quality service.
A customer relations specialist is responsible for providing high-quality services for customers by responding to their inquiries and concerns and resolving complaints about the company's goods and services. Customer relations specialists update customer accounts on the database, recording their transactions accurately, and posting their payments timely. They may also sell new products and services to the clients, demonstrating features and usability, processing orders, and confirming delivery details. A customer relations specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills to ensure customer satisfaction and maintain healthy business relationships with the customers.
Customer support associates and customer relations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Support Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $34,878 | $37,827 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $48,000 | Between $27,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Columbia, MD |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Adobe | Deloitte |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a customer support associate and a customer relations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Support Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer support associates' and customer relations specialists' demographics:
| Customer Support Associate | Customer Relations Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% | Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |