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Senior desktop support technician vs senior support specialist

The differences between senior desktop support technicians and senior support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior desktop support technician and a senior support specialist. Additionally, a senior support specialist has an average salary of $106,515, which is higher than the $58,384 average annual salary of a senior desktop support technician.

The top three skills for a senior desktop support technician include desktop support, troubleshoot and PC. The most important skills for a senior support specialist are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.

Senior desktop support technician vs senior support specialist overview

Senior Desktop Support TechnicianSenior Support Specialist
Yearly salary$58,384$106,515
Hourly rate$28.07$51.21
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs107,160103,203
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

What does a senior desktop support technician do?

A senior desktop support technician must look after customer projects and guide desktop technicians on their team. Customers often come to companies for troubleshooting issues with their computers. A senior desktop support technician maintains customer relationships, maintains hardware and software standards, and manages computer activities. This position requires a bachelor's degree.

What does a senior support specialist do?

A senior support specialist is in charge of providing technical support to clients, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. They typically communicate with clients through calls or correspondence where they address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. They may also assist clients in troubleshooting, provide step by step instructions, or recommend solutions. Furthermore, as a senior support specialist, it is essential to lead and serve as a role model for other support specialists while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.

Senior desktop support technician vs senior support specialist salary

Senior desktop support technicians and senior support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Desktop Support TechnicianSenior Support Specialist
Average salary$58,384$106,515
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $85,000Between $71,000 And $159,000
Highest paying City-Piscataway, NJ
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Eclaro
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between senior desktop support technician and senior support specialist education

There are a few differences between a senior desktop support technician and a senior support specialist in terms of educational background:

Senior Desktop Support TechnicianSenior Support Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorComputer ScienceBusiness
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyStanford University

Senior desktop support technician vs senior support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between senior desktop support technicians' and senior support specialists' demographics:

Senior Desktop Support TechnicianSenior Support Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 92.5% Female, 7.5%Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 11.4% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 10.8% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between senior desktop support technician and senior support specialist duties and responsibilities

Senior desktop support technician example responsibilities.

  • Use call tracking system to manage support tickets place in queue and meet require SLA's.
  • Manage incoming tasks and incidents in remedy and troubleshooting.
  • Manage and assume primary responsibility for distributing VPN user laptops.
  • Format and partition hard drive and install windows OS.
  • Contribute to special projects including hardware roll-outs and OS upgrades.
  • Assist with creation of software packages for deployment via Microsoft SCCM.
  • Show more

Senior support specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage UNIX OS technical documentation and marketing materials.
  • Maintain desktop encryption keys for all company laptops.
  • Implement desktop and laptop encryption applications in NY area offices.
  • Oversee the backing up of company data and creation of PC images for each type of machine.
  • Perform moves, adds, and changes of PC equipment such as desktops, laptops, monitors.
  • Perform DB2 data loads on a UNIX platform, verify and update test data, utilizing execution of SQL queries.
  • Show more

Senior desktop support technician vs senior support specialist skills

Common senior desktop support technician skills
  • Desktop Support, 9%
  • Troubleshoot, 7%
  • PC, 7%
  • Technical Support, 6%
  • Remote Desktop, 5%
  • Network Printers, 4%
Common senior support specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Technical Support, 8%
  • Troubleshoot, 7%
  • Phone Calls, 5%
  • Data Entry, 5%
  • Computer System, 3%

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