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The differences between customer support associates and customer support representatives 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 support representative. Additionally, a customer support representative has an average salary of $37,404, 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 support representative are technical support, windows, and customer inquiries.
| Customer Support Associate | Customer Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $34,878 | $37,404 |
| Hourly rate | $16.77 | $17.98 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 242,521 | 243,140 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| 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 support representative is responsible for answering calls and correspondence, providing customer assistance in various technical issues, concerns, or difficulties. There are also instances when they must make calls to follow-up on the issues, or even sell products and services. Most of the time, a customer support representative has a certain quota to reach and works under a manager's supervision. Furthermore, it is essential to keep accurate records and report to managers or supervisors should there be any problems.
Customer support associates and customer support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Support Associate | Customer Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $34,878 | $37,404 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $48,000 | Between $29,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Adobe | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a customer support associate and a customer support representative in terms of educational background:
| Customer Support Associate | Customer Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between customer support associates' and customer support representatives' demographics:
| Customer Support Associate | Customer Support Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% | Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0% |
| 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, 10.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |