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The differences between help desk specialists 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 specialist and a desktop support consultant. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $46,733 average annual salary of a desktop support consultant.
The top three skills for a help desk specialist 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 Specialist | Desktop Support Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $46,733 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $22.47 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 100,650 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
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 specialists and desktop support consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Desktop Support Consultant | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $46,733 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $33,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and a desktop support consultant in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Desktop Support Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between help desk specialists' and desktop support consultants' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Desktop Support Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0% |
| 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, 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% |