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Service desk associate vs customer service advisor

The differences between service desk associates and customer service advisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a service desk associate and a customer service advisor. Additionally, a service desk associate has an average salary of $40,699, which is higher than the $32,029 average annual salary of a customer service advisor.

The top three skills for a service desk associate include service desk, customer service and sales floor. The most important skills for a customer service advisor are taking care, strong customer service, and standard operating procedure.

Service desk associate vs customer service advisor overview

Service Desk AssociateCustomer Service Advisor
Yearly salary$40,699$32,029
Hourly rate$19.57$15.40
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs99,676235,256
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 33%Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age4040
Years of experience1212

What does a service desk associate do?

A service desk associate will answer and respond to the inquiries and requests from both employees and customers, either through telephone calls, emails, or in person. Your duties as a service desk associate will vary depending on the sector you work in. These duties may include capturing and validating queries and issues for processing, communicating with users via different channels, and advising users on the appropriate action to address their concerns. You will also be responsible for escalating unresolved issues to a much higher support level and providing security support and advice.

What does a customer service advisor do?

A customer service advisor is responsible for providing the best customer service by responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the goods and services offered by the organization. Customer service advisors assist customers with their needs by recommending product selection, offering new products and services, and informing the customers of promotional offers to generate revenues and increase profitability. They also resolve customers' issues, escalating high-level complaints to a customer service lead or supervisor for immediate resolution.

Service desk associate vs customer service advisor salary

Service desk associates and customer service advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Service Desk AssociateCustomer Service Advisor
Average salary$40,699$32,029
Salary rangeBetween $15,000 And $105,000Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City-Boston, MA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Teledyne Technologies Incorporated
Best paying industry-Insurance

Differences between service desk associate and customer service advisor education

There are a few differences between a service desk associate and a customer service advisor in terms of educational background:

Service Desk AssociateCustomer Service Advisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 33%Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Service desk associate vs customer service advisor demographics

Here are the differences between service desk associates' and customer service advisors' demographics:

Service Desk AssociateCustomer Service Advisor
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 23.6% Female, 76.4%Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.2% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 6.7% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between service desk associate and customer service advisor duties and responsibilities

Service desk associate example responsibilities.

  • Manage cash balances and inventory stock accurately; ensure cleanliness of all work stations and guarantee excellent customer service.
  • Realign the service desk to ITIL framework with emphasis on incident and problem management.
  • Develop SLA's for improve customer satisfaction and implement customer satisfaction surveys.
  • Count, balance and reconcile daily business transaction totals and record information into POS system.
  • Operate a POS system with a high volume of purchases, or return product to the store.
  • Define, implement and monitor KPI's and target to drive efficiency improvements within the local I.T.
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Customer service advisor example responsibilities.

  • Manage the largest client pool in all of Finland, and update the CRM accordingly.
  • Manage bi-weekly payroll duties and employment documentation.
  • Provide excellent customer service and maintain cleanliness of work area
  • Used all CRM systems to provide exceptional service to customers for the entire order process cycle
  • Process all pick tickets and assign carriers, handle all shipping issues and RA's support other CSR's when need.
  • Maintain stores organization, appearance, and cleanliness through corporate guidelines for visual merchandising inventory updates and standards.
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Service desk associate vs customer service advisor skills

Common service desk associate skills
  • Service Desk, 19%
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Sales Floor, 10%
  • Front End, 10%
  • Customer Calls, 9%
  • Customer Care, 9%
Common customer service advisor skills
  • Taking Care, 17%
  • Strong Customer Service, 13%
  • Standard Operating Procedure, 10%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Customer Care, 7%
  • Sales Floor, 7%

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