How To Become A Support Agent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a support agent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

A support agent works in customer service to provide assistance to customers who have questions about a product or service. They troubleshoot technical problems, answer inquiries, and resolve complaints via phone, email, or chat. Support agents possess excellent communication skills, empathy, and patience. They work closely with other departments such as sales, marketing, and engineering to meet customer needs efficiently and effectively. Overall, support agents aim to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty.

ScoreSupport AgentUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $36,045

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 10.57%

Black or African American 11.83%

Hispanic or Latino 15.70%

Unknown 5.34%

White 56.15%

Gender

female 52.85%

male 47.15%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a support agent?

Pros

Often flexible working schedules or remote work options
Opportunities for career advancement within the company
Relatively stable job with consistent demand
Often given autonomy to manage own workload and prioritize tasks
Opportunity for bonuses or incentives based on performance

Cons

Dealing with frustrated or angry customers can be emotionally draining
Often work under high pressure to meet targets or resolve issues quickly
May need to work long or irregular hours, including weekends or evenings
Can be challenging to communicate effectively with customers who speak different languages or have different cultural backgrounds
May need to handle confidential or sensitive information, which requires strict adherence to protocols and procedures

Key steps to become a support agent

Explore support agent education requirements

Most common support agent degrees

Bachelor's

44.8 %

Associate

25.5 %

High School Diploma

16.9 %

Start to develop specific support agent skills

Skills	Percentages
Reservations	8.30%
Customer Service	8.27%
Data Entry	7.76%
Technical Support	6.90%
Troubleshoot	6.71%

Complete relevant support agent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New support agents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a support agent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real support agent resumes.

Research support agent duties and responsibilities

Manage mental health portion of health insurance policies including Medicaid and Medicare and other commercial insurance plans nationwide.
Manage mental health portion of health insurance policies including Medicaid and Medicare and other commercial insurance plans nationwide.
Check all documents for proper signatures from loan officers and send to borrowers via FedEx in accordance with mortgaging guidelines.
Operate FedEx shipping system efficiently and accurately.

Prepare your support agent resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your support agent resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a support agent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable support agent resume templates

Build a professional support agent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your support agent resume.