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The differences between support agents and customer support representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a support agent, becoming a customer support representative takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a customer support representative has an average salary of $37,404, which is higher than the $36,045 average annual salary of a support agent.
The top three skills for a support agent include reservations, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a customer support representative are technical support, windows, and customer inquiries.
| Support Agent | Customer Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $36,045 | $37,404 |
| Hourly rate | $17.33 | $17.98 |
| Growth rate | 10% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 106,016 | 243,140 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
As the name entails, the job of a customer support agent is to provide excellent support and assistance to both new and existing customers. You will provide customers with information on products or services, oversee and resolve customer complaints, cancellations, errors, and other issues, assist in maintaining customer satisfaction and retention. Additionally, a customer support agent is responsible for encouraging customers to purchase a product or service and educating them about the product. You are also expected to accurately process emails and fax communications with customers.
A customer support representative is responsible for answering calls and correspondence, providing customer assistance in various technical issues, concerns, or difficulties. There are also instances when they must make calls to follow-up on the issues, or even sell products and services. Most of the time, a customer support representative has a certain quota to reach and works under a manager's supervision. Furthermore, it is essential to keep accurate records and report to managers or supervisors should there be any problems.
Support agents and customer support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Agent | Customer Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $36,045 | $37,404 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $59,000 | Between $29,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hamilton, NJ | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Salesforce | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a support agent and a customer support representative in terms of educational background:
| Support Agent | Customer Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between support agents' and customer support representatives' demographics:
| Support Agent | Customer Support Representative | |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |