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The differences between service operators and central communications specialists 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 operator and a central communications specialist. Additionally, a central communications specialist has an average salary of $41,083, which is higher than the $36,971 average annual salary of a service operator.
The top three skills for a service operator include customer service, food handling and emergency calls. The most important skills for a central communications specialist are customer service, data entry, and traffic flow.
| Service Operator | Central Communications Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,971 | $41,083 |
| Hourly rate | $17.77 | $19.75 |
| Growth rate | -4% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 87,078 | 63,117 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 53 | 53 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A service operator is responsible for providing the best customer service by responding to the callers' inquiries and concerns, depending on which business they are employed. Service operators process callers' requests by directing them to specific resources or coordinate with the appropriate person to resolve callers' issues. They also keep an organized record of resolutions for the business reference, as well as for immediate callbacks as needed. A service operator must have excellent knowledge of the industry they are working for, as well as impeccable communication skills to verify and address the callers' needs.
A central communications specialist is in charge of overseeing the public and media relations of an organization. Although their duties may vary upon their company or industry of employment, it usually involves handling media requests and press releases, developing newsletters and press kits, facilitating communication lines with clients, and coordinating with media partners and advertising agencies. Moreover, in some companies, a central communications specialist may also participate in utilizing social media and other web platform strategies to raise brand awareness and public interest.
Service operators and central communications specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Operator | Central Communications Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,971 | $41,083 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $71,000 | Between $31,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mountain View, CA | Portland, OR |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | BMO Capital Markets | |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a service operator and a central communications specialist in terms of educational background:
| Service Operator | Central Communications Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service operators' and central communications specialists' demographics:
| Service Operator | Central Communications Specialist | |
| Average age | 53 | 53 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9% | Male, 41.9% Female, 58.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.2% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 3.5% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 3.2% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 19% | 19% |