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The differences between service dispatchers and customer service advisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a service dispatcher, becoming a customer service advisor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a service dispatcher has an average salary of $33,663, which is higher than the $32,029 average annual salary of a customer service advisor.
The top three skills for a service dispatcher include HVAC, data entry and phone calls. The most important skills for a customer service advisor are taking care, strong customer service, and standard operating procedure.
| Service Dispatcher | Customer Service Advisor | |
| Yearly salary | $33,663 | $32,029 |
| Hourly rate | $16.18 | $15.40 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 74,936 | 235,256 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Service dispatchers are professionals who are responsible for answering the calls of customers while creating dispatch tickets for each service call. These dispatchers must gather detailed address information from their customers and acquire a basic overview of their service issues. They must dispatch service crews to their scheduled appointments and emergency situations while using maps and GPS programs to plan routes for their destination. Service dispatchers must also use digital filing systems to add customer information and log into their files when scheduling service calls.
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 dispatchers and customer service advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Dispatcher | Customer Service Advisor | |
| Average salary | $33,663 | $32,029 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $26,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Kent, WA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Basin Electric Power Cooperative | Teledyne Technologies Incorporated |
| Best paying industry | Government | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a service dispatcher and a customer service advisor in terms of educational background:
| Service Dispatcher | Customer Service Advisor | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service dispatchers' and customer service advisors' demographics:
| Service Dispatcher | Customer Service Advisor | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% | Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.8% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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 Percentage | 7% | 7% |