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Service desk analyst vs help desk representative

The differences between service desk analysts and help desk representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a service desk analyst has an average salary of $45,397, which is higher than the $37,449 average annual salary of a help desk representative.

The top three skills for a service desk analyst include service desk, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a help desk representative are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.

Service desk analyst vs help desk representative overview

Service Desk AnalystHelp Desk Representative
Yearly salary$45,397$37,449
Hourly rate$21.83$18.00
Growth rate-10%
Number of jobs55,82851,501
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age3742
Years of experience-2

What does a service desk analyst do?

Service Desk Analysts are information technology (IT) employees who usually oversee the helpdesk hotline of the IT department. They address the technical concerns of other employees or even clients of the company. They also help in installing, repairing, and maintaining the different IT systems in the company. Service Desk Analysts resolve issues related to software, hardware, and other related systems. They also manage information related to these concerns and analyze these concerns. They identify trends or patterns and anticipate concerns that might come in the future. Service Desk Analysts may recommend steps to ensure that these concerns will not come up again.

What does a help desk representative do?

A help desk representative mainly provides client support services through face-to-face interactions, aiming to resolve issues and concerns to ensure client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include answering inquiries, assisting clients in filling up forms, identifying their needs, providing detailed solutions, and referring them to other services as needed. Aside from face-to-face interactions, there are also instances where a help desk representative may provide services through calls and correspondence, troubleshoot problems, and provide step-by-step instructions according to the clients' needs.

Service desk analyst vs help desk representative salary

Service desk analysts and help desk representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

Service Desk AnalystHelp Desk Representative
Average salary$45,397$37,449
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $67,000Between $29,000 And $48,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYStow, OH
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew York
Best paying companyThe CitadelCity of Jacksonville
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between service desk analyst and help desk representative education

There are a few differences between a service desk analyst and a help desk representative in terms of educational background:

Service Desk AnalystHelp Desk Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common majorInformation TechnologyBusiness
Most common college-Stanford University

Service desk analyst vs help desk representative demographics

Here are the differences between service desk analysts' and help desk representatives' demographics:

Service Desk AnalystHelp Desk Representative
Average age3742
Gender ratioMale, 74.4% Female, 25.6%Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 12.3% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage13%11%

Differences between service desk analyst and help desk representative duties and responsibilities

Service desk analyst example responsibilities.

  • Used SharePoint to manage and enter in help desk ticket information for health information exchange and electronic health record vendor issues.
  • Design and manage company wide imaging infrastructure.
  • Best-Inform administrator managing application from UNIX server.
  • Manage OS re-imaging and data recovery for rent equipment.
  • Manage security, reliability, and configurations for data backup and recovery for client workstations.
  • Diagnose, investigate and report operational systems errors using Citrix and ITSM.
  • Show more

Help desk representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage and troubleshooting of VOIP systems, setup of new IP phones and configuring PBX.
  • Collaborate with appropriate technology/policy department to troubleshoot end user problems.
  • Assist showrooms as part of support team with conversion from old POS PC system and registers to new ones.
  • Inspect kiosk software to investigate and troubleshoot machine that includes motor, sensors, controller boards, and moving parts.
  • Support technical POS terminals remotely.
  • Administer Production/Testing mainframe environments and run operational tasks.
  • Show more

Service desk analyst vs help desk representative skills

Common service desk analyst skills
  • Service Desk, 15%
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Troubleshoot, 6%
  • Technical Support, 6%
  • Phone Calls, 3%
  • ITIL, 3%
Common help desk representative skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Troubleshoot, 8%
  • Technical Support, 7%
  • Phone Calls, 4%
  • Patients, 4%
  • Help Desk, 3%

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