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The differences between support representatives and associate customer service representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a support representative and an associate customer service representative. Additionally, an associate customer service representative has an average salary of $35,215, which is higher than the $33,372 average annual salary of a support representative.
The top three skills for a support representative include patients, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for an associate customer service representative are patients, outbound calls, and customer inquiries.
| Support Representative | Associate Customer Service Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $33,372 | $35,215 |
| Hourly rate | $16.04 | $16.93 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 246,710 | 199,751 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
The primary job of technical support representatives is to answer incoming calls and resolve customer problems or complaints related to computer hardware and software. They typically work in team environments and report directly to the technical department manager. Aside from answering phone calls, they also maintain the solutions database and respond to online chat requests and technical support emails. A successful technical support representative should have an in-depth knowledge of diagnosing and fixing computer problems, customer service skills, and problem-solving skills.
An associate customer service representative is responsible for providing high customer service by assisting customers on their inquiries and concerns, as well as resolving and escalating high-level complaints to the supervisor or tenured customer service representative. Associate customer service representatives also process orders and payments from the customers, replacing defective items, and issuing refunds as needed. They must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on handling data processing procedures to the database for reference to customer concerns.
Support representatives and associate customer service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Representative | Associate Customer Service Representative | |
| Average salary | $33,372 | $35,215 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Barbara, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Accenture | Deutsche Bank |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a support representative and an associate customer service representative in terms of educational background:
| Support Representative | Associate Customer Service Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between support representatives' and associate customer service representatives' demographics:
| Support Representative | Associate Customer Service Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% | Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |