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The differences between support agents and software 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 a software support technician. Additionally, a software support technician has an average salary of $79,670, 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 software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| Support Agent | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,045 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $17.33 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 106,016 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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.
A software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays. They also assist the system engineers in the configuration and optimization of networks, including the installment of upgrades and patch updates. A software support technician must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in navigating computer tools and applications to create support tickets and fix the customers' issues efficiently.
Support agents and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Agent | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,045 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $59,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hamilton, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Salesforce | RSM US |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a support agent and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Support Agent | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between support agents' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Support Agent | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |