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The differences between software support specialists and support 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 software support specialist and a support specialist. Additionally, a software support specialist has an average salary of $62,663, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a 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 specialist are customer service, patients, and mental health.
| Software Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $62,663 | $40,782 |
| Hourly rate | $30.13 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 122,134 | 125,740 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
A support specialist is responsible for assisting technical and administrative support, depending on the business need. Support specialists must have extensive knowledge of the services of the organization they work for to assist customers with their inquiries and resolve complaints efficiently. A support specialist maintains documents of issue resolution, providing recommendations to improve business strategies and procedures. Support specialists must be well-versed on technology systems, perform basic troubleshooting, and secure databases. They should also have impeccable customer service and communication skills to attend with customers' needs and requests.
Software support specialists and support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $62,663 | $40,782 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $90,000 | Between $25,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Amdocs | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software support specialist and a support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Software Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between software support specialists' and support specialists' demographics:
| Software Support Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |