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The differences between help desk specialists and client support specialists 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 specialist and a client support specialist. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $39,585 average annual salary of a client support specialist.
The top three skills for a help desk specialist include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a client support specialist are customer service, client support, and client service.
| Help Desk Specialist | Client Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $39,585 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $19.03 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 136,163 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The primary role of help desk specialists is to maintain relationships between the company and its customers. Their duties and responsibilities include responding to guests' queries, providing technical computer support, and maintaining computer systems' performance. Help desk specialists are also responsible for following up with customers to resolve issues and train computer users. There are several requirements to be qualified for this position, which include having relevant customer service experience, problem-solving and analytical skills, and the ability to prioritize vital tasks.
A client support specialist is responsible for assisting the clients' inquiries and concerns, resolving complaints, and processing requests regarding the goods and services offered by the company. Client support specialists manage the accuracy of client information on the database, maintaining client accounts, and ensuring the proper posting of payments. They also provide strategic techniques to sell products effectively by analyzing market trends and identify business opportunities that would generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability.
Help desk specialists and client support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Client Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $39,585 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $29,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and a client support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Client Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk specialists' and client support specialists' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Client Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |