Dispatcher vs dispatch assistant

The differences between dispatchers and dispatch assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a dispatcher and a dispatch assistant. Additionally, a dispatch assistant has an average salary of $35,800, which is higher than the $35,328 average annual salary of a dispatcher.

The top three skills for a dispatcher include customer service, data entry and computer aided dispatch. The most important skills for a dispatch assistant are data entry, customer service, and emergency calls.

Dispatcher vs dispatch assistant overview

	Dispatcher	Dispatch Assistant
Yearly salary	$35,328	$35,800
Hourly rate	$16.98	$17.21
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	5,818	3,581
Job satisfaction	4.25	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Dispatcher vs dispatch assistant salary

Dispatchers and dispatch assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dispatcher	Dispatch Assistant
Average salary	$35,328	$35,800
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $44,000	Between $26,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Mt. San Antonio College	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between dispatcher and dispatch assistant education

There are a few differences between a dispatcher and a dispatch assistant in terms of educational background:

	Dispatcher	Dispatch Assistant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Dispatcher vs dispatch assistant demographics

Here are the differences between dispatchers' and dispatch assistants' demographics:

	Dispatcher	Dispatch Assistant
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 38.1% Female, 61.9%	Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.8% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.8% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between dispatcher and dispatch assistant duties and responsibilities

Dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage accounts payable (A/P) and accounts receivable (A/R) using QuickBooks.
Manage dot hrs for drivers as far as what tasks can be done in a certain amount of time.
Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Dispatch police fire and ems.
Dispatch district security patrol officers to assist district employees, students and residents with emergency situations.
Earn CDL with passenger endorsement.

Dispatch assistant example responsibilities.

Manage delivery confirmations, travel expenses and mileage ensuring accurate payroll reporting.
Monitor daily operations of all drivers; GPS tracking.
Track drivers on GPS and dispatch drivers to pick up shipments.
Cost, eta, pricing, type of vehicle need etc) by way of Inbound/Outbound calls.
Assist the dispatcher with paperwork, directing phone calls to designate drivers, sorting /verifying call/service logs for each drivers payroll
Work with customers to generate on-line registration of warranties associate with HVAC equipment installation orders.

Dispatcher vs dispatch assistant skills

Common dispatcher skills

Customer Service, 34%
Data Entry, 8%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 4%
Non-Emergency Calls, 4%
Emergency Situations, 3%
EMS, 3%

Common dispatch assistant skills

Data Entry, 23%
Customer Service, 18%
Emergency Calls, 10%
Payroll, 6%
LTL, 5%
CAD, 3%