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The differences between service representatives and customer sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a service representative and a customer sales associate. Additionally, a customer sales associate has an average salary of $37,024, which is higher than the $33,692 average annual salary of a service representative.
The top three skills for a service representative include customer service, client service and patients. The most important skills for a customer sales associate are sales floor, customer satisfaction, and customer service.
| Service Representative | Customer Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $33,692 | $37,024 |
| Hourly rate | $16.20 | $17.80 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 210,671 | 415,981 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Service representatives handle customer inquiries, requests, complaints, and other general feedback. They are usually the first point of contact with the company's customers. Service representatives are expected to be familiar with all of the company's products so that they can answer all inquiries made by the customers. They should also be familiar with company policies and guidelines on sales and customer handling so that they can address concerns and feedback. They are usually the ones who try to resolve customer complaints by sending issues to applicable departments and ensuring that customers are satisfied with the company's products and services.
A customer sales associate specializes in handling and communicating with customers to secure sales in a retail store. Their primary responsibilities revolve around greeting clients, responding to inquiries, providing assistance, and even offering suggestions when necessary. Aside from ensuring customer satisfaction, it is also their responsibility to maintain the cleanliness and order on the sales floor by re-stocking shelves and arranging them to look presentable. Furthermore, a customer sales associate must coordinate with other sales floor members and report to a manager or supervisor.
Service representatives and customer sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Representative | Customer Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $33,692 | $37,024 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $45,000 | Between $27,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Odenton, MD |
| Highest paying state | New York | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Northern Trust | Johnson Controls |
| Best paying industry | Government | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a service representative and a customer sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Service Representative | Customer Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between service representatives' and customer sales associates' demographics:
| Service Representative | Customer Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4% | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |