Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between service desk associates and service specialists 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 service specialist. Additionally, a service specialist has an average salary of $44,150, which is higher than the $40,699 average annual salary of a service desk associate.
The top three skills for a service desk associate include service desk, customer service and sales floor. The most important skills for a service specialist are patients, social work, and criminal justice.
| Service Desk Associate | Service Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $40,699 | $44,150 |
| Hourly rate | $19.57 | $21.23 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 99,676 | 207,020 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A service specialist is responsible for assisting customers with their inquiries and concerns about the services offered by the organization. Service specialists' duties include responding to customers' requests, updating customers of promotional offers and new services, escalating high-level concerns to the appropriate department, and keeping accurate records of clients' issues and resolutions. Service specialists are also in charge of preparing customer surveys to rate their satisfaction and identifying opportunities for service improvement. A service specialist must display excellent customer service and communication skills to address clients' concerns efficiently and accurately.
Service desk associates and service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Desk Associate | Service Specialist | |
| Average salary | $40,699 | $44,150 |
| Salary range | Between $15,000 And $105,000 | Between $27,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a service desk associate and a service specialist in terms of educational background:
| Service Desk Associate | Service Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service desk associates' and service specialists' demographics:
| Service Desk Associate | Service Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4% | Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |