Phone agent vs call center agent

The differences between phone agents and call center agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a phone agent and a call center agent. Additionally, a call center agent has an average salary of $31,180, which is higher than the $27,170 average annual salary of a phone agent.

The top three skills for a phone agent include customer service, troubleshoot and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a call center agent are customer service, strong customer service, and data entry.

Phone agent vs call center agent overview

	Phone Agent	Call Center Agent
Yearly salary	$27,170	$31,180
Hourly rate	$13.06	$14.99
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	103,271	131,722
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	12	12

Phone agent vs call center agent salary

Phone agents and call center agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Phone Agent	Call Center Agent
Average salary	$27,170	$31,180
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $33,000	Between $23,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	Minnesota
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between phone agent and call center agent education

There are a few differences between a phone agent and a call center agent in terms of educational background:

	Phone Agent	Call Center Agent
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Phone agent vs call center agent demographics

Here are the differences between phone agents' and call center agents' demographics:

	Phone Agent	Call Center Agent
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 6.2% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between phone agent and call center agent duties and responsibilities

Phone agent example responsibilities.

Assist customers with DSL troubleshoot and minor pc issues preventing pc from connecting to internet.
Perform a variety of tasks including preparing PowerPoint presentations and spreadsheets, drafting e-mails or letters, organizing meeting/business luncheons.
Operate FedEx shipping system efficiently and accurately.

Call center agent example responsibilities.

Submit bills for reimbursement to private insurers Medicaid and Medicare.
Provide excellent customer service by helping customer troubleshoot technical needs for Internet services.
Assist customers with any technical issues experience with website and escalate any issues to management appropriately.
Maintain personal computer and troubleshoot computer software problems.
Familiarize and provide information on general Medicare eligibility and information.
Verify information and input information concerning the conversation and escalate if need.

Phone agent vs call center agent skills

Common phone agent skills

Customer Service, 21%
Troubleshoot, 15%
Customer Satisfaction, 13%
Inbound Phone Calls, 8%
Customer Care, 8%
Outbound Calls, 7%

Common call center agent skills

Customer Service, 20%
Strong Customer Service, 15%
Data Entry, 9%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Inbound Phone Calls, 5%
Customer Care, 5%