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The differences between help desk representatives and desktop support consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a help desk representative and a desktop support consultant. Additionally, a desktop support consultant has an average salary of $46,733, which is higher than the $37,449 average annual salary of a help desk representative.
The top three skills for a help desk representative include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a desktop support consultant are desktop support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Help Desk Representative | Desktop Support Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,449 | $46,733 |
| Hourly rate | $18.00 | $22.47 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 51,501 | 100,650 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A help desk representative mainly provides client support services through face-to-face interactions, aiming to resolve issues and concerns to ensure client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include answering inquiries, assisting clients in filling up forms, identifying their needs, providing detailed solutions, and referring them to other services as needed. Aside from face-to-face interactions, there are also instances where a help desk representative may provide services through calls and correspondence, troubleshoot problems, and provide step-by-step instructions according to the clients' needs.
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.
Help desk representatives and desktop support consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Representative | Desktop Support Consultant | |
| Average salary | $37,449 | $46,733 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $48,000 | Between $33,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stow, OH | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | City of Jacksonville | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a help desk representative and a desktop support consultant in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Representative | Desktop Support Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between help desk representatives' and desktop support consultants' demographics:
| Help Desk Representative | Desktop Support Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0% | Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |