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The differences between support representatives and customer support 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 support representative. Additionally, a customer support representative has an average salary of $37,404, 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 a customer support representative are technical support, windows, and customer inquiries.
| Support Representative | Customer Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $33,372 | $37,404 |
| Hourly rate | $16.04 | $17.98 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 246,710 | 243,140 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| 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.
A customer support representative is responsible for answering calls and correspondence, providing customer assistance in various technical issues, concerns, or difficulties. There are also instances when they must make calls to follow-up on the issues, or even sell products and services. Most of the time, a customer support representative has a certain quota to reach and works under a manager's supervision. Furthermore, it is essential to keep accurate records and report to managers or supervisors should there be any problems.
Support representatives and customer support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Representative | Customer Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $33,372 | $37,404 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $29,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Barbara, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Accenture | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a support representative and a customer support representative in terms of educational background:
| Support Representative | Customer Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between support representatives' and customer support representatives' demographics:
| Support Representative | Customer Support Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% | Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0% |
| 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, 10.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |