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The differences between service desk specialists and service desk analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a service desk specialist has an average salary of $48,332, which is higher than the $45,397 average annual salary of a service desk analyst.
The top three skills for a service desk specialist include service desk, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a service desk analyst are service desk, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Service Desk Specialist | Service Desk Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $48,332 | $45,397 |
| Hourly rate | $23.24 | $21.83 |
| Growth rate | 10% | - |
| Number of jobs | 100,806 | 55,828 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A service desk specialist is responsible for assisting the end-users' technical issues, resolving concerns usually through remote communication. Service desk specialists should have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, including system and server navigation, to identify the problem source and write resolutions for reference to avoid reoccurrence. They assist in developing strategic techniques to improve the system's performance by upgrading and updating its features. A service desk specialist records the observations of the database and develops other alternative resources to assess troubleshooting processes.
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.
Service desk specialists and service desk analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Desk Specialist | Service Desk Analyst | |
| Average salary | $48,332 | $45,397 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $65,000 | Between $30,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a service desk specialist and a service desk analyst in terms of educational background:
| Service Desk Specialist | Service Desk Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Information Technology |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between service desk specialists' and service desk analysts' demographics:
| Service Desk Specialist | Service Desk Analyst | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 74.4% Female, 25.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.4% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 13% |