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The differences between order entry specialists and customer support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an order entry specialist, becoming a customer support specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a customer support specialist has an average salary of $39,470, which is higher than the $34,625 average annual salary of an order entry specialist.
The top three skills for an order entry specialist include data entry, customer service and purchase orders. The most important skills for a customer support specialist are customer support, phone calls, and compassion.
| Order Entry Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $34,625 | $39,470 |
| Hourly rate | $16.65 | $18.98 |
| Growth rate | - | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 65,085 | 259,592 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
An order entry specialist is an individual who performs high-volume data entry to deliver precise and timely work orders to the production staff. Order entry specialists must provide customers with worldwide logistics services through the domestic and international movement of their goods. They provide outstanding customer service by maintaining pricing, stock transfer, and backorder reports from manufacturers to dealers. Order entry specialists must also resolve complaints and handle troubleshooting issues more accurately and professionally while handling multiple tasks effectively.
A customer support specialist is responsible for assisting a customer's inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services the organization offers. Customer support specialists handle customer issues and resolve them promptly, escalating high-level complaints to the immediate supervisors. A support specialist will also replace products or process payment refunds as needed. Their goal is to maintain the highest customer satisfaction and keep a good reputation for the company while driving revenues and increasing profitability. A customer support specialist must have outstanding communication skills, as well as the ability to multi-task to record customer complaint cases while providing resolution.
Order entry specialists and customer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Order Entry Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $34,625 | $39,470 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $42,000 | Between $28,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Zynex Medical | Micron Technology |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an order entry specialist and a customer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Order Entry Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between order entry specialists' and customer support specialists' demographics:
| Order Entry Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0% | Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.9% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |