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The differences between help desk supervisors and desk support technicians 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 supervisor and a desk support technician. Additionally, a help desk supervisor has an average salary of $64,297, which is higher than the $40,715 average annual salary of a desk support technician.
The top three skills for a help desk supervisor include customer service, technical support and operational procedures. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Help Desk Supervisor | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $64,297 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $30.91 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 72,240 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Help Desk Supervisor oversees and evaluates the daily operations of help desk teams to ensure that customers receive optimal services. They have the authority to set short and long-term goals, establish guidelines and employee schedules, liaise with external business partners, delegate tasks among staff, and monitor operations' progress, resolving complicated issues and concerns. They also review documents and reports that employees regularly submit to ensure that all operations run smoothly and efficiently. Moreover, a Help Desk Supervisor leads and encourages teams to reach goals while implementing its policies and regulations.
A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.
Help desk supervisors and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Supervisor | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $64,297 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $94,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a help desk supervisor and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Supervisor | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk supervisors' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Help Desk Supervisor | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.4% Female, 33.6% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |