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The differences between supports and desk support technicians 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 and a desk support technician. Additionally, a desk support technician has an average salary of $40,715, which is higher than the $36,227 average annual salary of a support.
The top three skills for a support include customer service, cash management and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Support | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,227 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $17.42 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 136,788 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A support employee is responsible for assisting the business operations and responding to customers' inquiries and concerns regarding its goods and services. Support logs all customers' interaction and escalates potential complaints to the appropriate department. They also help with implementing strategic procedures to improve operations and reach maximum productivity. A support employee must have excellent communication and customer service skills, ensuring clients' satisfaction with the services and maintain good feedback to boost the company's brand, attract more clients, and increase revenues.
A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.
Supports and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,227 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $54,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a support and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Support | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between supports' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Support | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |