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The differences between product support managers and support leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a product support manager and a support lead. Additionally, a product support manager has an average salary of $96,155, which is higher than the $86,816 average annual salary of a support lead.
The top three skills for a product support manager include customer service, customer support and customer inquiries. The most important skills for a support lead are customer service, cash management, and POS.
| Product Support Manager | Support Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $96,155 | $86,816 |
| Hourly rate | $46.23 | $41.74 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 147,410 | 98,872 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Product support managers are management professionals who are responsible for managing the activities related to product support for an organization. These managers must lead a team of professionals to meet all the objectives of the organization by ensuring product quality control and rectifying any potential issues. They are required to attend and participate in business meetings so that they can suggest innovative support strategies to increase the recognition of their products. Product support managers must also assist in resolving customer complaints by facilitating the communications between their clients and the organization.
A support lead is typically in charge of overseeing the performance of a technical support team, ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around assessing the performance of the workforce, resolving complex issues, identifying customer needs and sales opportunities, and training new team members. They may also perform calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries, and resolve issues promptly. Furthermore, as a support lead, it is essential to perform clerical tasks such as preparing progress reports, managing schedules, and maintaining records of transactions.
Product support managers and support leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Support Manager | Support Lead | |
| Average salary | $96,155 | $86,816 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $134,000 | Between $63,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a product support manager and a support lead in terms of educational background:
| Product Support Manager | Support Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between product support managers' and support leads' demographics:
| Product Support Manager | Support Lead | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8% | Male, 52.3% Female, 47.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.3% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 14.6% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |