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The differences between desktop support technicians and customer 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 technician and a customer support technician. Additionally, a desktop support technician has an average salary of $41,792, which is higher than the $36,361 average annual salary of a customer support technician.
The top three skills for a desktop support technician include customer service, desktop support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a customer support technician are customer service, customer support, and SQL.
| Desktop Support Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,792 | $36,361 |
| Hourly rate | $20.09 | $17.48 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 108,944 | 117,102 |
| Job satisfaction | 1 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A desktop support technician is responsible for troubleshooting defective computer systems, affecting its performance and efficiency. Desktop support technicians must be highly familiar with the technology systems and programming codes to navigate system applications and locate the discrepancy of the system. They keep documentation of the ticket issue and the resolution for reference and quality improvement. A desktop support technician also configures and updates computer systems and networks for better optimization, as well as conducting regular inspections and monitoring the efficiency of installed programs and patches.
A customer support technician is responsible for resolving customer complaints with their network issues through remote communication, providing the customers with a step-by-step procedure to fix their systems. Customer support technicians assist the customers in setting up their programs and applications, guiding them with the instructional manuals, and responding to the inquiries and concerns they have. They also escalate high-level complaints to the immediate supervisor as needed while monitoring system solutions and creating technical tickets.
Desktop support technicians and customer support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desktop Support Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,792 | $36,361 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $54,000 | Between $23,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | Philadelphia, PA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | NTT Data International L.L.C. | Adobe |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a desktop support technician and a customer support technician in terms of educational background:
| Desktop Support Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between desktop support technicians' and customer support technicians' demographics:
| Desktop Support Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% | Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |