Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between remote support specialists and technical support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a remote support specialist and a technical support engineer. Additionally, a technical support engineer has an average salary of $85,716, which is higher than the $43,180 average annual salary of a remote support specialist.
The top three skills for a remote support specialist include customer service, PC and technical support. The most important skills for a technical support engineer are technical support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Remote Support Specialist | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $43,180 | $85,716 |
| Hourly rate | $20.76 | $41.21 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 129,512 | 184,542 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A remote support specialist is responsible for assisting customers and end-users on their network and system issues through electronic communications. These support specialists diagnose technical problems by analyzing customers' statements and conduct immediate troubleshooting procedures, advising clients the instructions to prevent the reoccurrence of system failures. They also recommend system upgrades and installation to boost the system's optimization and operational efficiency. A remote support specialist must have excellent technical and communication skills, especially in writing resolution reports and collaborating with the technical team for process improvement techniques.
A technical support engineer is responsible for responding to customer issues, providing immediate resolutions to their system issues through remote assistance. Technical support engineers must have strong knowledge of software and hardware applications to diagnose system defects and process troubleshooting. They also assist customers with the installation of programs and updates to improve system performance, escalating high-level concerns to appropriate internal technology teams. A technical support engineer must have strong command with technical systems, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills to understand clients' issues while documenting procedures.
Remote support specialists and technical support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Remote Support Specialist | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $43,180 | $85,716 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $61,000 | Between $61,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | CDM Smith | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a remote support specialist and a technical support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Remote Support Specialist | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between remote support specialists' and technical support engineers' demographics:
| Remote Support Specialist | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.9% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |