Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between product support representatives and 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 support representative takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a product support representative has an average salary of $36,865, which is higher than the $33,372 average annual salary of a 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 support representative are patients, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Product Support Representative | Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $36,865 | $33,372 |
| Hourly rate | $17.72 | $16.04 |
| Growth rate | 10% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 125,112 | 246,710 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
The primary job of technical support representatives is to answer incoming calls and resolve customer problems or complaints related to computer hardware and software. They typically work in team environments and report directly to the technical department manager. Aside from answering phone calls, they also maintain the solutions database and respond to online chat requests and technical support emails. A successful technical support representative should have an in-depth knowledge of diagnosing and fixing computer problems, customer service skills, and problem-solving skills.
Product support representatives and support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Support Representative | Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $36,865 | $33,372 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $56,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Trenton, NJ | Santa Barbara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Kronos Incorporated | Accenture |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product support representative and a support representative in terms of educational background:
| Product Support Representative | Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between product support representatives' and support representatives' demographics:
| Product Support Representative | Support Representative | |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.0% Female, 35.0% | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |