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The differences between software support specialists and support analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a software support specialist and a support analyst. Additionally, a support analyst has an average salary of $75,989, which is higher than the $62,663 average annual salary of a software support specialist.
The top three skills for a software support specialist include customer service, software support and database. The most important skills for a support analyst are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Software Support Specialist | Support Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $62,663 | $75,989 |
| Hourly rate | $30.13 | $36.53 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 122,134 | 107,039 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The software support specialist works on installing, repairing, maintaining, and troubleshooting software systems used by customers. The software support specialist provides expert services for customers to resolve issues and problems. A software support specialist must have expertise in the software handled and can effectively provide easy to follow instructions for clients and customers to follow. Customer software support is essential to service customers' needs, especially in digital products prone to bugs and performance issues.
The role of support analysts is to resolve problems with hardware, computer programs, and peripherals. They may focus on a particular aspect of the information technology (IT) department or give technical support to end-users. They mainly detect issues with IT equipment and software and devise solutions to resolve these issues. Also, they are responsible for answering queries from users, preparing service records, and handling escalations. Support analysts also support the company's IT operations and best practices by creating and distributing relevant IT documents.
Software support specialists and support analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Specialist | Support Analyst | |
| Average salary | $62,663 | $75,989 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $90,000 | Between $50,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Amdocs | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a software support specialist and a support analyst in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Specialist | Support Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between software support specialists' and support analysts' demographics:
| Software Support Specialist | Support Analyst | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 12.9% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |