Department assistant vs customer service representative

The differences between department assistants and customer service representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a department assistant, becoming a customer service representative takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a department assistant has an average salary of $40,698, which is higher than the $32,260 average annual salary of a customer service representative.

The top three skills for a department assistant include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a customer service representative are cleanliness, POS, and data entry.

Department assistant vs customer service representative overview

	Department Assistant	Customer Service Representative
Yearly salary	$40,698	$32,260
Hourly rate	$19.57	$15.51
Growth rate	-8%	-4%
Number of jobs	88,268	209,515
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	50	40
Years of experience	2	12

What does a department assistant do?

A department assistant is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support and ensure the smooth operations of an entire department. Department assistants manage meeting calendars, book travel appointments, assist with company events, respond to clients' inquiries and requests through phone calls or personal visits, update customer records, organize electronic files, create business proposals, and monitor supplies. A department assistant must have excellent organizational and communication skills, as well as the ability to multitask under minimal supervision.

What does a customer service representative do?

Customer service representatives are the first point of contact of the customers, acting as the frontiers of the company and help in driving customer loyalty and retention by leaving a great impression and resolving all of their concerns. They accommodate customer queries by providing useful and comprehensive information about any products or services. Some would use that as an opportunity to market and promote more sales. The most challenging issues they use to handle are customer complaints and processing of refunds and returns. They also assist in basic troubleshooting or accounts and payment setup with the use of specific guidelines or step by step procedures. At most, they help and solve customer issues on their own, but sometimes they would need support from supervisors or other departments.

Department assistant vs customer service representative salary

Department assistants and customer service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Assistant	Customer Service Representative
Average salary	$40,698	$32,260
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $67,000	Between $25,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Des Moines, WA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Washington
Best paying company	Dorsey & Whitney	Oracle
Best paying industry	-	Insurance

Differences between department assistant and customer service representative education

There are a few differences between a department assistant and a customer service representative in terms of educational background:

	Department Assistant	Customer Service Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	-

Department assistant vs customer service representative demographics

Here are the differences between department assistants' and customer service representatives' demographics:

	Department Assistant	Customer Service Representative
Average age	50	40
Gender ratio	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%	Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	7%

Differences between department assistant and customer service representative duties and responsibilities

Department assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
Team player/adaptable HIPPA compliant, CPR certify.
Maintain and process Kronos time and attendance records for department employees.
Perform CPR and assist in critical care room with traumas and arrests.
Clean windows, glass partitions, or mirrors, using soapy water or other cleaners.
Prepare and submit time to Kronos system biweekly and Lawson swift maker schedule for staff.

Customer service representative example responsibilities.

Manage and plan escalations; assure HIPPA guidelines are followed for confidentially and privacy.
Maintain cleanliness and safety and assist patients as necessary.
Operate POS system and maintain exceptional and consistent customer service.
Exercise proofreading and basic math skills to maintain quality control over documents process
Work in customer service department entering information into customer relationship management (CRM).
Develop highly empathetic client relationships and earn reputation for exceeding good customer service rep goals.

Department assistant vs customer service representative skills

Common department assistant skills

Patients, 15%
Customer Service, 15%
Data Entry, 8%
Word Processing, 6%
Purchase Orders, 5%
Payroll, 4%

Common customer service representative skills

Cleanliness, 10%
POS, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Sales Floor, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Home Health, 5%

Department Assistant vs. similar jobs

Department Assistant related careers

Department Assistant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Department Assistant
Department Assistant vs Customer Service Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs