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The differences between help desk specialists and help desk coordinators 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 help desk coordinator. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $40,262 average annual salary of a help desk coordinator.
The top three skills for a help desk specialist include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a help desk coordinator are technical support, phone calls, and troubleshoot.
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $40,262 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $19.36 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 89,791 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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.
Help desk coordinators are in charge of supervising help desk staff members who are responsible for helping customers privately either by phone, email, or in person. Generally, they are tasked to hire, schedule, and provide feedback and evaluations to employees. Also, they regularly examine the hardware and software to make sure that they are in good condition. Other tasks include initiating customer contact, resolving complaints, and responding to technical problems when they occur. Help desk coordinators are expected to be able to multi-task, work well under pressure, and advanced technical knowledge.
Help desk specialists and help desk coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $40,262 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $28,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | Ecs Federal |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and a help desk coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk specialists' and help desk coordinators' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Coordinator | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |