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The differences between customer support specialists and service support specialists 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 specialist, becoming a service support specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a service support specialist has an average salary of $43,538, which is higher than the $39,470 average annual salary of a customer support specialist.
The top three skills for a customer support specialist include customer support, phone calls and compassion. The most important skills for a service support specialist are customer service, support services, and social work.
| Customer Support Specialist | Service Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,470 | $43,538 |
| Hourly rate | $18.98 | $20.93 |
| Growth rate | -4% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 259,592 | 125,209 |
| Job satisfaction | 1 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
A customer support specialist is responsible for assisting a customer's inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services the organization offers. Customer support specialists handle customer issues and resolve them promptly, escalating high-level complaints to the immediate supervisors. A support specialist will also replace products or process payment refunds as needed. Their goal is to maintain the highest customer satisfaction and keep a good reputation for the company while driving revenues and increasing profitability. A customer support specialist must have outstanding communication skills, as well as the ability to multi-task to record customer complaint cases while providing resolution.
A service support specialist's role is to assist clients by addressing and resolving their inquiries, concerns, and complaints. Their responsibilities typically revolve around responding to calls and correspondence, troubleshooting, analyzing customer needs, identifying the root of issues, and providing the necessary corrective measures, all to ensure efficiency and client satisfaction. There are also instances when they must perform follow-up calls, offer products and services, process payments, and even manage accounts. Furthermore, as a service support analyst, it is essential to engage with clients in a friendly yet professional approach, in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Customer support specialists and service support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Support Specialist | Service Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $39,470 | $43,538 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $55,000 | Between $26,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a customer support specialist and a service support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Customer Support Specialist | Service Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between customer support specialists' and service support specialists' demographics:
| Customer Support Specialist | Service Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6% | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 11% |