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The differences between product support representatives and technical support representatives 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 representative and a technical support representative. Additionally, a product support representative has an average salary of $36,865, which is higher than the $34,758 average annual salary of a technical 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 technical support representative are customer calls, smartphones, and technical support calls.
| Product Support Representative | Technical Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $36,865 | $34,758 |
| Hourly rate | $17.72 | $16.71 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 125,112 | 212,082 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Technical Support Representatives specialize in customer support through calls or correspondence. Among the primary responsibilities of a Technical Support Representative involves receiving and making calls, address and troubleshoot issues raised by the client, assist when navigating through complicated applications, provide suggestions or recommendations, or elevate the problem to personnel with higher expertise when necessary. Furthermore, a Technical Support Representative must coordinate with supervisors at all times, remain patient and proactive, and as well as maintain and organize records of each handled calls.
Product support representatives and technical support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Support Representative | Technical Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $36,865 | $34,758 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $56,000 | Between $27,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Trenton, NJ | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Kronos Incorporated | HP |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product support representative and a technical support representative in terms of educational background:
| Product Support Representative | Technical Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between product support representatives' and technical support representatives' demographics:
| Product Support Representative | Technical Support Representative | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.0% Female, 35.0% | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |