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The differences between help desk specialists and help desk representatives 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 representative. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $37,449 average annual salary of a help desk representative.
The top three skills for a help desk specialist include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a help desk representative are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $37,449 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $18.00 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 51,501 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 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.
Help desk specialists and help desk representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Representative | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $37,449 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $29,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Stow, OH |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | City of Jacksonville |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and a help desk representative in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 representatives' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Representative | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |