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The differences between support associates 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 associate and a support specialist. Additionally, a support associate has an average salary of $47,039, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a support specialist.
The top three skills for a support associate include sales floor, computer system and POS. The most important skills for a support specialist are customer service, patients, and mental health.
| Support Associate | Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $47,039 | $40,782 |
| Hourly rate | $22.61 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,892 | 125,740 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
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 associates and support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Associate | Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $47,039 | $40,782 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $83,000 | 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 | Apollo Global Management | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a support associate and a support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Support Associate | Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between support associates' and support specialists' demographics:
| Support Associate | Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| 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, 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% |