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The differences between support representatives and 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 a customer service representative. Additionally, a support representative has an average salary of $33,372, which is higher than the $32,260 average annual salary of a customer service representative.
The top three skills for a support representative include patients, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a customer service representative are cleanliness, POS, and data entry.
| Support Representative | Customer Service Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $33,372 | $32,260 |
| Hourly rate | $16.04 | $15.51 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 246,710 | 209,515 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| 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.
Customer service representatives are the first point of contact of the customers, acting as the frontiers of the company and help in driving customer loyalty and retention by leaving a great impression and resolving all of their concerns. They accommodate customer queries by providing useful and comprehensive information about any products or services. Some would use that as an opportunity to market and promote more sales. The most challenging issues they use to handle are customer complaints and processing of refunds and returns. They also assist in basic troubleshooting or accounts and payment setup with the use of specific guidelines or step by step procedures. At most, they help and solve customer issues on their own, but sometimes they would need support from supervisors or other departments.
Support representatives and customer service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Representative | Customer Service Representative | |
| Average salary | $33,372 | $32,260 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $25,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Barbara, CA | Des Moines, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Accenture | Oracle |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a support representative and a customer service representative in terms of educational background:
| Support Representative | Customer Service Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between support representatives' and customer service representatives' demographics:
| Support Representative | Customer Service Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% | Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |