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The differences between network operation technicians and customer 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 network operation technician and a customer support technician. Additionally, a network operation technician has an average salary of $64,272, which is higher than the $36,361 average annual salary of a customer support technician.
The top three skills for a network operation technician include troubleshoot, network operations and customer service. The most important skills for a customer support technician are customer service, customer support, and SQL.
| Network Operation Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $64,272 | $36,361 |
| Hourly rate | $30.90 | $17.48 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 68,874 | 117,102 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A network operation technician is responsible for providing technical assistance with computer network issues. Network operation technicians repair and troubleshoot networks and routers, identifying the source of defects by listening to the customers and determining step-by-step guidelines for resolution. They also configure servers to optimize the network's performance and recommend strategies to improve the system's infrastructure. A network operation technician must have excellent organizational and technical skills, especially in explaining the network problems to the customers and addressing preventive maintenance.
A customer support technician is responsible for resolving customer complaints with their network issues through remote communication, providing the customers with a step-by-step procedure to fix their systems. Customer support technicians assist the customers in setting up their programs and applications, guiding them with the instructional manuals, and responding to the inquiries and concerns they have. They also escalate high-level complaints to the immediate supervisor as needed while monitoring system solutions and creating technical tickets.
Network operation technicians and customer support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Operation Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $64,272 | $36,361 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $99,000 | Between $23,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | Adobe |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a network operation technician and a customer support technician in terms of educational background:
| Network Operation Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between network operation technicians' and customer support technicians' demographics:
| Network Operation Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |