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The differences between support agents and technical support advisors 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 technical support advisor. Additionally, a technical support advisor has an average salary of $107,198, 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 technical support advisor are customer service, technical support calls, and troubleshoot.
| Support Agent | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,045 | $107,198 |
| Hourly rate | $17.33 | $51.54 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 106,016 | 186,490 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| 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 technical support advisor specializes in assisting customers, mainly through diagnosing and solving issues using their product and service expertise. In most companies, they communicate with clients through calls or correspondence. Through this, they get to identify their needs, answer inquiries, give technical advice, troubleshoot problems, and solve issues and concerns, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Moreover, a technical support advisor works together with the company's internal departments to optimize customer support operations and resolve any issues or vulnerabilities in the current procedures.
Support agents and technical support advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Agent | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Average salary | $36,045 | $107,198 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $59,000 | Between $81,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hamilton, NJ | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Salesforce | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a support agent and a technical support advisor in terms of educational background:
| Support Agent | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between support agents' and technical support advisors' demographics:
| Support Agent | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 53.6% Female, 46.4% |
| 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, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |