Service department manager vs service desk manager

The differences between service department managers and service desk managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a service department manager, becoming a service desk manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a service desk manager has an average salary of $101,229, which is higher than the $41,773 average annual salary of a service department manager.

The top three skills for a service department manager include food safety, food quality and direct reports. The most important skills for a service desk manager are customer service, ITIL, and ITSM.

Service department manager vs service desk manager overview

	Service Department Manager	Service Desk Manager
Yearly salary	$41,773	$101,229
Hourly rate	$20.08	$48.67
Growth rate	6%	16%
Number of jobs	114,922	69,990
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	8

What does a service department manager do?

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.

What does a service desk manager do?

In the information technology industry, a service desk manager resolves technical issues and concerns, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. They typically focus on addressing systems and application errors, troubleshooting problems, providing step-by-step solutions, or referring clients to other services. They may also provide administrative support to offices by managing schedules, preparing and processing documents, and providing technical support. Moreover, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Service department manager vs service desk manager salary

Service department managers and service desk managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Service Department Manager	Service Desk Manager
Average salary	$41,773	$101,229
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $60,000	Between $72,000 And $141,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Carson City, NV
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	HNTB	CLEAResult
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between service department manager and service desk manager education

There are a few differences between a service department manager and a service desk manager in terms of educational background:

	Service Department Manager	Service Desk Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Carnegie Mellon University

Service department manager vs service desk manager demographics

Here are the differences between service department managers' and service desk managers' demographics:

	Service Department Manager	Service Desk Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7%	Male, 64.2% Female, 35.8%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.6% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	8%	11%

Differences between service department manager and service desk manager duties and responsibilities

Service department manager example responsibilities.

Manage service plumbers & HVAC technicians in daily operations, interview & hire new employees.
Manage parts and service department operations while consistently meeting or exceeding industry standards for profitability and CSI.
Process inventory through store computer system, POS register system and completion of all require paperwork.
Enter schedule edits into KRONOS.
Operate POS system and perform cashier duties.
Enter schedule edits for entire store into KRONOS time clock system.

Service desk manager example responsibilities.

Manage key financial relationships, working with VIP reps in various institutions.
Ensure efficient allocation of resources and skills to achieve contractual KPIs within financial constraints.
Deploy and manage environmental controls, backup strategies, ITSM software, and monitoring systems.
Manage staff and activities necessary to effectively coordinate the service request fulfillment life-cycle of base on ITSM best practices.
Manage all incident and service requests and oversee all change management, configuration management, and release management ITIL processes.
Manage LAN software/hardware installation and upgrade efforts.

Service department manager vs service desk manager skills

Common service department manager skills

Food Safety, 49%
Food Quality, 43%
Direct Reports, 1%
Customer Satisfaction, 1%
Payroll, 1%
Warranty Claims, 1%

Common service desk manager skills

Customer Service, 15%
ITIL, 8%
ITSM, 5%
Infrastructure, 4%
Technical Support, 4%
Service Delivery, 4%

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Service Department Manager vs Service Desk Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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