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The differences between desktop support consultants and software support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a desktop support consultant and a software support technician. Additionally, a software support technician has an average salary of $79,670, which is higher than the $46,733 average annual salary of a desktop support consultant.
The top three skills for a desktop support consultant include desktop support, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| Desktop Support Consultant | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $46,733 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $22.47 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,650 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The duties of a desk support consultant vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Most of their responsibilities are likely to revolve around reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence, answering inquiries, troubleshooting, and providing corrective measures, all to attain customer satisfaction. Moreover, a desk support consultant may devise strategies to better communicate with clients, produce progress reports, and maintain accurate records of all transactions. Furthermore, it is essential to adhere to all policies and regulations at all times.
A software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays. They also assist the system engineers in the configuration and optimization of networks, including the installment of upgrades and patch updates. A software support technician must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in navigating computer tools and applications to create support tickets and fix the customers' issues efficiently.
Desktop support consultants and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desktop Support Consultant | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $46,733 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $64,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | NTT Data International L.L.C. | RSM US |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a desktop support consultant and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Desktop Support Consultant | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between desktop support consultants' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Desktop Support Consultant | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 13.5% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |