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The differences between hospitality associates and service specialists 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 service specialist. Additionally, a service specialist has an average salary of $44,150, 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 service specialist are patients, social work, and criminal justice.
| Hospitality Associate | Service Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $33,909 | $44,150 |
| Hourly rate | $16.30 | $21.23 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 18,928 | 207,020 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A service specialist is responsible for assisting customers with their inquiries and concerns about the services offered by the organization. Service specialists' duties include responding to customers' requests, updating customers of promotional offers and new services, escalating high-level concerns to the appropriate department, and keeping accurate records of clients' issues and resolutions. Service specialists are also in charge of preparing customer surveys to rate their satisfaction and identifying opportunities for service improvement. A service specialist must display excellent customer service and communication skills to address clients' concerns efficiently and accurately.
Hospitality associates and service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hospitality Associate | Service Specialist | |
| Average salary | $33,909 | $44,150 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $46,000 | Between $27,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Salesforce | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a hospitality associate and a service specialist in terms of educational background:
| Hospitality Associate | Service Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between hospitality associates' and service specialists' demographics:
| Hospitality Associate | Service Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8% | Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9% |
| 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, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |