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The differences between support agents and information technology/support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a support agent and an information technology/support technician. Additionally, an information technology/support technician has an average salary of $45,591, 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 an information technology/support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and computer system.
| Support Agent | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,045 | $45,591 |
| Hourly rate | $17.33 | $21.92 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 106,016 | 161,748 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
An information technology (IT) support technician is an individual who is responsible for providing support and troubleshoots software and hardware problems faced by customers. As for larger organizations that have their own IT department, technicians must work together internally with their IT staff members. IT support technicians are involved in inspecting and resolving minor local area network and wireless network issues, which include TCP/IP, DHCP, and VPN. They are also required to obtain an associate's degree in computer science or related field.
Support agents and information technology/support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Agent | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,045 | $45,591 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $59,000 | Between $31,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hamilton, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Salesforce | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a support agent and an information technology/support technician in terms of educational background:
| Support Agent | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between support agents' and information technology/support technicians' demographics:
| Support Agent | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6% |
| 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, 10.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 13.2% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |