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The differences between service desk specialists and services desk technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a service desk specialist and a services desk technician. Additionally, a service desk specialist has an average salary of $48,332, which is higher than the $42,123 average annual salary of a services desk technician.
The top three skills for a service desk specialist include service desk, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a services desk technician are service desk, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Service Desk Specialist | Services Desk Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,332 | $42,123 |
| Hourly rate | $23.24 | $20.25 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,806 | 145,853 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 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 Technicians are technicians who specialize in providing support to clients. They are usually in fields related to information technology, and they provide technical support to the employees of the organization. They usually help clients in installing, updating, repairing, or maintaining technical components. They are technology-savvy and should be able to communicate well. Most of the time, Service Desk Technicians are contacted through phone calls and thus should be able to guide callers over the phone. They are also expected to be patient and to be customer service-oriented.
Service desk specialists and services desk technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Desk Specialist | Services Desk Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,332 | $42,123 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $65,000 | Between $31,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | Forum Energy Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a service desk specialist and a services desk technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Desk Specialist | Services Desk Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Information Technology |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between service desk specialists' and services desk technicians' demographics:
| Service Desk Specialist | Services Desk Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 79.0% Female, 21.0% |
| 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, 11.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.9% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |