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The differences between support associates and operations 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 associate and an operations support specialist. Additionally, a support associate has an average salary of $47,039, which is higher than the $44,233 average annual salary of an operations support specialist.
The top three skills for a support associate include sales floor, computer system and POS. The most important skills for an operations support specialist are operations support, customer service, and data entry.
| Support Associate | Operations Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $47,039 | $44,233 |
| Hourly rate | $22.61 | $21.27 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,892 | 176,034 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The primary role of sales support associates is to help sales staff and customers during the sales process. A sales support associate also performs other tasks that include maintaining positive customer relations, responding to customers' requests for quotes, information, and specifications, and, initiating contact with prospective customers. They are also responsible for coordinating proposals, sales literature production, and presentations. Requirements for this position include a high school diploma or general education development, administrative and communication skills, and organizational skills.
The duties of an operations support specialist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting, and conducting corrective measures, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations. They may also evaluate the processes in a company, identifying vulnerabilities, and recommending improvements. Furthermore, an operations support specialist must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, arranging schedules, assessing workforce performance, and maintaining accurate records.
Support associates and operations support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Associate | Operations Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $47,039 | $44,233 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $83,000 | Between $27,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apollo Global Management | KLA |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a support associate and an operations support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Support Associate | Operations Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between support associates' and operations support specialists' demographics:
| Support Associate | Operations Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3% | Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% 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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |