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The differences between sales support specialists and sales associate and customer services can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sales support specialist, becoming a sales associate and customer service takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a sales support specialist has an average salary of $50,782, which is higher than the $28,654 average annual salary of a sales associate and customer service.
The top three skills for a sales support specialist include customer service, sales support and powerpoint. The most important skills for a sales associate and customer service are customer service, plumbing, and sales associates.
| Sales Support Specialist | Sales Associate And Customer Service | |
| Yearly salary | $50,782 | $28,654 |
| Hourly rate | $24.41 | $13.78 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 238,995 | 298,588 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A sales support specialist is primarily responsible for performing clerical tasks to support a sales team. Typically, they gather sales leads and data, produce progress reports and presentations, maintain records of all transactions, and liaise with different accounting personnel. A sales support specialist may respond to calls and inquiries, resolving customers' complaints and concerns promptly and professionally. Furthermore, one may arrange meetings and appointments with clients, develop sales strategies for profit growth, and process orders, all while ensuring customer satisfaction.
Sales and customer service associates are employees who are responsible for closing out sales deals and attending to customer needs. They are in charge of selling company goods and services to potential clients, often citing the common needs of prospective clients to ensure sales. They also handle customer inquiries and complaints and try their best to mitigate any problems that would arise. They are expected to be experts on company products to ensure that they can provide the best service to customers. Sales and customer service associates should have strong interpersonal skills, customer service skills, and communication skills.
Sales support specialists and sales associate and customer services have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Support Specialist | Sales Associate And Customer Service | |
| Average salary | $50,782 | $28,654 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $82,000 | Between $21,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Bellevue, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | GEICO |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a sales support specialist and a sales associate and customer service in terms of educational background:
| Sales Support Specialist | Sales Associate And Customer Service | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | - |
Here are the differences between sales support specialists' and sales associate and customer services' demographics:
| Sales Support Specialist | Sales Associate And Customer Service | |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |