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The differences between office support specialists and technical support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office support specialist and a technical support specialist. Additionally, a technical support specialist has an average salary of $48,667, which is higher than the $36,549 average annual salary of an office support specialist.
The top three skills for an office support specialist include customer service, data entry and phone calls. The most important skills for a technical support specialist are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Office Support Specialist | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,549 | $48,667 |
| Hourly rate | $17.57 | $23.40 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 130,301 | 157,425 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.6 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An office support specialist is in charge of performing clerical tasks to help offices maintain a smooth workflow. Among their responsibilities include preparing and processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, disseminating and organizing files, monitoring the inventory of office supplies, and processing procurement requests should there be any. They may also assist staff with projects and programs, greet visitors, and coordinate with different company departments. Furthermore, an office support specialist must enforce the company's policies and regulations.
A technical support specialist is responsible for assisting customer's and businesses' concerns and system issues by performing troubleshooting and remote solutions. These specialists must have extensive knowledge of system applications, including software and hardware database to handle complex processes that might affect the end user's experience or the business' daily operations. Technical support specialists should maintain excellent communication skills to guide the client and business on solving network problems. They must also document concerns and progress promptly for reference and quality checks.
Office support specialists and technical support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Support Specialist | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,549 | $48,667 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $45,000 | Between $30,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Billerica, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Anne Arundel County Public Schools | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an office support specialist and a technical support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Office Support Specialist | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between office support specialists' and technical support specialists' demographics:
| Office Support Specialist | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2% | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.8% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 11% |