Phone agent vs customer service representative

The differences between phone agents and customer service representatives 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 customer service representative. Additionally, a customer service representative has an average salary of $32,260, 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 customer service representative are cleanliness, POS, and data entry.

Phone agent vs customer service representative overview

	Phone Agent	Customer Service Representative
Yearly salary	$27,170	$32,260
Hourly rate	$13.06	$15.51
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	103,271	209,515
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	12	12

Phone agent vs customer service representative salary

Phone agents and customer service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Phone Agent	Customer Service Representative
Average salary	$27,170	$32,260
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $33,000	Between $25,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	Des Moines, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Oracle
Best paying industry	-	Insurance

Differences between phone agent and customer service representative education

There are a few differences between a phone agent and a customer service representative in terms of educational background:

	Phone Agent	Customer Service Representative
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Phone agent vs customer service representative demographics

Here are the differences between phone agents' and customer service representatives' demographics:

	Phone Agent	Customer Service Representative
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1%	Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5%
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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between phone agent and customer service representative 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.

Customer service representative example responsibilities.

Manage and plan escalations; assure HIPPA guidelines are followed for confidentially and privacy.
Maintain cleanliness and safety and assist patients as necessary.
Operate POS system and maintain exceptional and consistent customer service.
Exercise proofreading and basic math skills to maintain quality control over documents process
Work in customer service department entering information into customer relationship management (CRM).
Develop highly empathetic client relationships and earn reputation for exceeding good customer service rep goals.

Phone agent vs customer service representative skills

Common phone agent skills

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

Common customer service representative skills

Cleanliness, 10%
POS, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Sales Floor, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Home Health, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Phone Agent
Phone Agent vs Customer Service Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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