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The differences between product support representatives and customer support representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a product support representative, becoming a customer support representative takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a customer support representative has an average salary of $37,404, which is higher than the $36,865 average annual salary of a product support representative.
The top three skills for a product support representative include customer service, technical support and product knowledge. The most important skills for a customer support representative are technical support, windows, and customer inquiries.
| Product Support Representative | Customer Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $36,865 | $37,404 |
| Hourly rate | $17.72 | $17.98 |
| Growth rate | 10% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 125,112 | 243,140 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Product support representatives are skilled employees who are responsible for performing tasks related to product support services. These representatives must provide excellent customer service as well as technical and product support by responding to phone calls and emails of their customers. They must advise their customers on preventative maintenance and configurations that may negatively affect product performance. Product support representatives are also required to document all activities and communications about problems related to product support services and report them with the development team for solutions.
A customer support representative is responsible for answering calls and correspondence, providing customer assistance in various technical issues, concerns, or difficulties. There are also instances when they must make calls to follow-up on the issues, or even sell products and services. Most of the time, a customer support representative has a certain quota to reach and works under a manager's supervision. Furthermore, it is essential to keep accurate records and report to managers or supervisors should there be any problems.
Product support representatives and customer support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Support Representative | Customer Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $36,865 | $37,404 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $56,000 | Between $29,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Trenton, NJ | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Kronos Incorporated | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a product support representative and a customer support representative in terms of educational background:
| Product Support Representative | Customer Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between product support representatives' and customer support representatives' demographics:
| Product Support Representative | Customer Support Representative | |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.0% Female, 35.0% | Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.0% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |