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The differences between support agents and technical support representatives 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 representative. Additionally, a support agent has an average salary of $36,045, which is higher than the $34,758 average annual salary of a technical support representative.
The top three skills for a support agent include reservations, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a technical support representative are customer calls, smartphones, and technical support calls.
| Support Agent | Technical Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $36,045 | $34,758 |
| Hourly rate | $17.33 | $16.71 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 106,016 | 212,082 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| 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.
Technical Support Representatives specialize in customer support through calls or correspondence. Among the primary responsibilities of a Technical Support Representative involves receiving and making calls, address and troubleshoot issues raised by the client, assist when navigating through complicated applications, provide suggestions or recommendations, or elevate the problem to personnel with higher expertise when necessary. Furthermore, a Technical Support Representative must coordinate with supervisors at all times, remain patient and proactive, and as well as maintain and organize records of each handled calls.
Support agents and technical support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Agent | Technical Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $36,045 | $34,758 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $59,000 | Between $27,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hamilton, NJ | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Salesforce | HP |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a support agent and a technical support representative in terms of educational background:
| Support Agent | Technical Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between support agents' and technical support representatives' demographics:
| Support Agent | Technical Support Representative | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |