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The differences between service leads and customer service managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a service lead and a customer service manager. Additionally, a service lead has an average salary of $83,844, which is higher than the $61,487 average annual salary of a customer service manager.
The top three skills for a service lead include food service, food safety and exceptional client. The most important skills for a customer service manager are strong customer service, payroll, and customer satisfaction.
| Service Lead | Customer Service Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $83,844 | $61,487 |
| Hourly rate | $40.31 | $29.56 |
| Growth rate | -4% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 52,336 | 313,110 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A service lead is an individual who manages a team of customer service staff members to support a company's customer service activities. Service leads help staff members respond directly to customers who need assistance through phone calls or emails and provide a quick resolution to the issues and concerns. In case a team member is unable to resolve customer issues, service leads are required to identify a solution to the customer query or direct them to another department. Service leads must also conduct periodic evaluations of team members to discuss performance and note their improvement areas.
Customer service managers are in charge of overseeing a group of customer service associates. They ensure that key metrics are met by the employees. These metrics usually include average handling time and customer satisfaction ratings. They also give coaching to employees who might need additional guidance in reaching team goals. Customer service managers are expected to have had experience on the operations floor to balance their role as a strategic leader and a people manager. They should have customer service skills, decision-making skills, and communication skills.
Service leads and customer service managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Lead | Customer Service Manager | |
| Average salary | $83,844 | $61,487 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $142,000 | Between $35,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | KLA |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a service lead and a customer service manager in terms of educational background:
| Service Lead | Customer Service Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between service leads' and customer service managers' demographics:
| Service Lead | Customer Service Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.1% Female, 51.9% | Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 5.8% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 10% |