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The differences between customer support associates and support associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a customer support associate, becoming a support associate takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a support associate has an average salary of $47,039, 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 support associate are sales floor, computer system, and POS.
| Customer Support Associate | Support Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $34,878 | $47,039 |
| Hourly rate | $16.77 | $22.61 |
| Growth rate | -4% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 242,521 | 100,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
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.
The primary role of sales support associates is to help sales staff and customers during the sales process. A sales support associate also performs other tasks that include maintaining positive customer relations, responding to customers' requests for quotes, information, and specifications, and, initiating contact with prospective customers. They are also responsible for coordinating proposals, sales literature production, and presentations. Requirements for this position include a high school diploma or general education development, administrative and communication skills, and organizational skills.
Customer support associates and support associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Support Associate | Support Associate | |
| Average salary | $34,878 | $47,039 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $48,000 | Between $26,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Adobe | Apollo Global Management |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a customer support associate and a support associate in terms of educational background:
| Customer Support Associate | Support Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between customer support associates' and support associates' demographics:
| Customer Support Associate | Support Associate | |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% | Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3% |
| 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, 15.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 11% |