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Operations support representative vs specialist

The differences between operations support representatives and 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 operations support representative and a specialist. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $39,977 average annual salary of an operations support representative.

The top three skills for an operations support representative include operations support, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.

Operations support representative vs specialist overview

Operations Support RepresentativeSpecialist
Yearly salary$39,977$58,013
Hourly rate$19.22$27.89
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs132,697358,433
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

What does an operations support representative do?

An operations support specialist is an administrative support role within operations and may cover roles like customer representatives or operations research analysts. You will be responsible for ensuring effective and efficient operations by reviewing and tracking processes and identifying problems. Within the larger operations team, operations support specialist assist in finding ways to improve processes. Operations support specialists work to optimize operations to better meet the needs of customers by assisting in information gathering and analysis.

What does a specialist do?

Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.

Operations support representative vs specialist salary

Operations support representatives and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Operations Support RepresentativeSpecialist
Average salary$39,977$58,013
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $69,000Between $32,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City-Jersey City, NJ
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-The Citadel
Best paying industry--

Differences between operations support representative and specialist education

There are a few differences between an operations support representative and a specialist in terms of educational background:

Operations Support RepresentativeSpecialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Operations support representative vs specialist demographics

Here are the differences between operations support representatives' and specialists' demographics:

Operations Support RepresentativeSpecialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 37.2% Female, 62.8%Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between operations support representative and specialist duties and responsibilities

Operations support representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage mental health portion of health insurance policies including Medicaid and Medicare and other commercial insurance plans nationwide.
  • Identify, troubleshoot and deliver need results as a customer liaison between the regulated and non- regulate side of energy.
  • Respond and troubleshoot sales representative inquiries regarding all open orders, including expect date of delivery and/or invoicing.
  • Maintain input/output of information essential to sales communication regarding commission, quotas, sales activity, compensation appeals and incentive payouts.
  • Conduct CONUS sensor setup, deployment, and aircraft sensor integration.
  • Support lab activities and CONUS travel to various equipment contractors for equipment testing and integration when not deploy OCONUS.
  • Show more

Specialist example responsibilities.

  • Create, manage, and assist users with SharePoint sites.
  • Manage an on-site IRB and company good clinical practice (GCP) inspection.
  • Manage SharePoint sites by creating, editing, and customizing company sites, libraries and security.
  • Manage the building of accounts, assigning of static IP's, and scheduling of business class installations.
  • Convert servers from UNIX to Linux, all hardware diagnostics and repair including printers/plotters/desktops etc.
  • Follow safety procedures such as maintenance of all equipment (Telxon scanners, terminals and ladders).
  • Show more

Operations support representative vs specialist skills

Common operations support representative skills
  • Operations Support, 17%
  • Data Entry, 12%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Computer Programs, 8%
  • Service Orders, 6%
  • Inbound Calls, 5%
Common specialist skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Work Ethic, 5%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Exceptional Client, 4%
  • Troubleshoot, 4%

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