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The differences between service desk analysts and technical support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a technical support specialist has an average salary of $48,667, which is higher than the $45,397 average annual salary of a service desk analyst.
The top three skills for a service desk analyst include service desk, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a technical support specialist are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Service Desk Analyst | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $45,397 | $48,667 |
| Hourly rate | $21.83 | $23.40 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 55,828 | 157,425 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.6 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
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.
A technical support specialist is responsible for assisting customer's and businesses' concerns and system issues by performing troubleshooting and remote solutions. These specialists must have extensive knowledge of system applications, including software and hardware database to handle complex processes that might affect the end user's experience or the business' daily operations. Technical support specialists should maintain excellent communication skills to guide the client and business on solving network problems. They must also document concerns and progress promptly for reference and quality checks.
Service desk analysts and technical support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Desk Analyst | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $45,397 | $48,667 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $67,000 | Between $30,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a service desk analyst and a technical support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Service Desk Analyst | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Information Technology | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between service desk analysts' and technical support specialists' demographics:
| Service Desk Analyst | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.4% Female, 25.6% | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 11% |