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The differences between service department managers and customer service leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a service department manager and a customer service leader. Additionally, a service department manager has an average salary of $41,773, which is higher than the $33,791 average annual salary of a customer service leader.
The top three skills for a service department manager include food safety, food quality and direct reports. The most important skills for a customer service leader are POS, sales floor, and store management.
| Service Department Manager | Customer Service Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $41,773 | $33,791 |
| Hourly rate | $20.08 | $16.25 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 114,922 | 301,338 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A service department manager is responsible for leading the service department operations by assisting the staff in customer interaction, providing the highest customer service, and negotiating contracts and partnerships with clients. Service department managers coordinate with the sales and marketing team for brand promotions and advising the staff in selling new products to potential customers. They also handle and resolve high-level complaints, process replacements, and issue refunds as needed. A service department manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in encouraging and supporting the team members to meet the department's goals and objectives.
A customer service leader is responsible for managing a group of customer service staff to provide the best customer service for the company's clients, ensuring immediate action and resolution for all their inquiries and concerns. Customer service leaders regularly offer coaching opportunities for the team, identify their challenges, and provide strategic procedures to improve their interaction with the customers. They also help senior management search for business opportunities that would drive more revenue for the company and achieve profitability goals.
Service department managers and customer service leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Department Manager | Customer Service Leader | |
| Average salary | $41,773 | $33,791 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $60,000 | Between $27,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Tacoma, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | HNTB | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Government | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a service department manager and a customer service leader in terms of educational background:
| Service Department Manager | Customer Service Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between service department managers' and customer service leaders' demographics:
| Service Department Manager | Customer Service Leader | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% | Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |