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The differences between support analysts and support specialists 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 analyst and a support specialist. Additionally, a support analyst has an average salary of $75,989, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a support specialist.
The top three skills for a support analyst include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a support specialist are customer service, patients, and mental health.
| Support Analyst | Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $75,989 | $40,782 |
| Hourly rate | $36.53 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 107,039 | 125,740 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The role of support analysts is to resolve problems with hardware, computer programs, and peripherals. They may focus on a particular aspect of the information technology (IT) department or give technical support to end-users. They mainly detect issues with IT equipment and software and devise solutions to resolve these issues. Also, they are responsible for answering queries from users, preparing service records, and handling escalations. Support analysts also support the company's IT operations and best practices by creating and distributing relevant IT documents.
A support specialist is responsible for assisting technical and administrative support, depending on the business need. Support specialists must have extensive knowledge of the services of the organization they work for to assist customers with their inquiries and resolve complaints efficiently. A support specialist maintains documents of issue resolution, providing recommendations to improve business strategies and procedures. Support specialists must be well-versed on technology systems, perform basic troubleshooting, and secure databases. They should also have impeccable customer service and communication skills to attend with customers' needs and requests.
Support analysts and support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Analyst | Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $75,989 | $40,782 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $114,000 | Between $25,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a support analyst and a support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Support Analyst | Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between support analysts' and support specialists' demographics:
| Support Analyst | Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 12.9% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |