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The differences between order 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 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 $35,107 average annual salary of an order specialist.
The top three skills for an order specialist include order entry, purchase orders and data entry. The most important skills for a customer support specialist are customer support, phone calls, and compassion.
| Order Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,107 | $39,470 |
| Hourly rate | $16.88 | $18.98 |
| Growth rate | - | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 193,329 | 259,592 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
The job of an order specialist is to fulfill all special orders and installation projects on time. You will proactively contact customers to inform them about the status of the installation and the preparation for the installment. Other duties that you will likely perform include handling inquiries and concerns from customers, communicating with service providers and vendors to establish shipment and date of installation, and working closely with cross-functional teams, such as logistics and direct imports.
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 specialists and customer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Order Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,107 | $39,470 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $46,000 | Between $28,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cranston, RI | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Chemonics | Micron Technology |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between an order specialist and a customer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Order Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between order specialists' and customer support specialists' demographics:
| Order Specialist | Customer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2% | 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% |