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The differences between operations agents and operations specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operations specialist has an average salary of $54,752, which is higher than the $40,735 average annual salary of an operations agent.
The top three skills for an operations agent include logistics, data entry and FAA. The most important skills for an operations specialist are customer service, logistics, and basic math.
| Operations Agent | Operations Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $40,735 | $54,752 |
| Hourly rate | $19.58 | $26.32 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 90,038 | 109,181 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Airline operations agents are in charge of organizing airline operations, arranging boarding and descending tasks, and maintaining schedules and passengers. They must also provide excellent customer service most of the time, assist in unexpected conditions, and answer inquiries. Also, they are responsible for communicating routinely with transmittal to organize arrivals and departures and must abide by all protocols for boarding and check the precision of documentation. Additionally, they control ground security, interface with radio equipment, evaluate weather conditions, and delay or cancel flights if needed. Candidates for the job must have strong interpersonal skills to work well with clients and staff as well as able to multitask since they work in fast-paced surroundings and on distinct projects at the same time.
An operations specialist is responsible for optimizing the business' daily operations, ensuring smooth process flow to provide the best services to clients. Operations specialists' duties include analyzing business procedures, identifying opportunities for business improvement, tracking the department's metrics and activities, providing assistance to colleagues, suggesting strategies for operations efficiency, and managing customer's inquiries and complaints. An operations specialist must be an excellent team player and detail-oriented, as well as proven time-management and decision-making skills to meet clients' needs and support the business' objectives.
Operations agents and operations specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Agent | Operations Specialist | |
| Average salary | $40,735 | $54,752 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $54,000 | Between $35,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Elanco | Coatue Management |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between an operations agent and an operations specialist in terms of educational background:
| Operations Agent | Operations Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between operations agents' and operations specialists' demographics:
| Operations Agent | Operations Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7% | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |