Hospitality associate vs customer sales associate

The differences between hospitality associates and customer sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a hospitality associate and a customer sales associate. Additionally, a customer sales associate has an average salary of $37,024, which is higher than the $33,909 average annual salary of a hospitality associate.

The top three skills for a hospitality associate include patients, patient care and customer service. The most important skills for a customer sales associate are sales floor, customer satisfaction, and customer service.

Hospitality associate vs customer sales associate overview

	Hospitality Associate	Customer Sales Associate
Yearly salary	$33,909	$37,024
Hourly rate	$16.30	$17.80
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	18,928	415,981
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	12	12

What does a hospitality associate do?

A hospitality associate works to ensure that clients get to receive optimal services. They can work in various places such as hotels, restaurants, resorts, and even hospitals. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their industry of employment, it typically includes understanding the clients' needs, planning services, researching the ideal practices, liaising with external parties such as suppliers and vendors, and developing strategies to optimize operations. Moreover, they may directly communicate with clients to assist them with their needs, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction.

What does a customer sales associate do?

A customer sales associate specializes in handling and communicating with customers to secure sales in a retail store. Their primary responsibilities revolve around greeting clients, responding to inquiries, providing assistance, and even offering suggestions when necessary. Aside from ensuring customer satisfaction, it is also their responsibility to maintain the cleanliness and order on the sales floor by re-stocking shelves and arranging them to look presentable. Furthermore, a customer sales associate must coordinate with other sales floor members and report to a manager or supervisor.

Hospitality associate vs customer sales associate salary

Hospitality associates and customer sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hospitality Associate	Customer Sales Associate
Average salary	$33,909	$37,024
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $46,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	Odenton, MD
Highest paying state	California	Maryland
Best paying company	Salesforce	Johnson Controls
Best paying industry	Health Care	Real Estate

Differences between hospitality associate and customer sales associate education

There are a few differences between a hospitality associate and a customer sales associate in terms of educational background:

	Hospitality Associate	Customer Sales Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Hospitality associate vs customer sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between hospitality associates' and customer sales associates' demographics:

	Hospitality Associate	Customer Sales Associate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.2% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between hospitality associate and customer sales associate duties and responsibilities

Hospitality associate example responsibilities.

Manage POS system while opening up drawer and entering data within system to remain compliant with owner's expectations.
Explain room service program to patients while utilizing effective written/oral communication skills.
Research all deny Medicaid cases.
Handle purchases using POS system that includes operating cash register and accounting of daily sales.
Coordinate hospital infection control program and HIPAA readiness taskforce.
Ensure high quality presentation of public spaces by testing exhibits for functionality and monitoring cleanliness of area and corridors.

Customer sales associate example responsibilities.

Manage cash balances and inventory stock accurately; ensure cleanliness of all work stations and guarantee excellent customer service.
Process merchandise information through store computer system, POS register system, and complete all require paperwork according to policy.
Used mobile POS systems to streamline the customer experience in order to drive full engagement throughout entire interaction with customer.
Provide above average service to customers by bagging groceries appropriately and assist with carryout and loading merchandise into customer's vehicle.
Recognize opportunities to up-sell and often take the opportunity to do so to create a better Marriott experience and event.

Hospitality associate vs customer sales associate skills

Common hospitality associate skills

Patients, 31%
Patient Care, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
HIPAA, 6%
Food Service, 5%
Cleanliness, 4%

Common customer sales associate skills

Sales Floor, 12%
Customer Satisfaction, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Product Knowledge, 8%
Outbound Calls, 8%
Customer Sales, 8%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Hospitality Associate
Hospitality Associate vs Customer Sales Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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