Support representative vs phone representative

The differences between support representatives and phone 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 phone representative. Additionally, a phone representative has an average salary of $42,827, 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 phone representative are customer service, outbound calls, and telephone calls.

Support representative vs phone representative overview

	Support Representative	Phone Representative
Yearly salary	$33,372	$42,827
Hourly rate	$16.04	$20.59
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	246,710	222,650
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	12	12

What does a support representative do?

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.

What does a phone representative do?

A Phone Representative answers customer calls, complaints, and inquiries professionally. They handle and resolve customer complaints related to its services/products and product/service sales. Besides processing applications, orders, and forms requested by customers, Phone Representatives also update customers about the products/services information. These professionals record customer complaints, inquiries, feedback, and actions taken. They develop and maintain mutually beneficial and professional relationships with each customer. Moreover, they create and maintain cordial relationships with all new customers.

Support representative vs phone representative salary

Support representatives and phone representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Support Representative	Phone Representative
Average salary	$33,372	$42,827
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Santa Barbara, CA	Norco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Accenture	Press Ganey
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between support representative and phone representative education

There are a few differences between a support representative and a phone representative in terms of educational background:

	Support Representative	Phone Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Support representative vs phone representative demographics

Here are the differences between support representatives' and phone representatives' demographics:

	Support Representative	Phone Representative
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6%	Male, 34.6% Female, 65.4%
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, 10.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 5.5% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between support representative and phone representative duties and responsibilities

Support representative example responsibilities.

Educate veterans and the college community on veteran's benefits and academic requirements need to accomplish academic goals.
Follow approved patient care algorithms to ensure patients receive quality care post surgically, while abiding by HIPAA regulations.
Maintain personal patient information while following HIPAA regulations.
Document department procedures; some convert into PowerPoint presentations.
Follow all current Medicare, Medicaid regulations and requirements to ensure continual compliance.
Provide hospital patients with assistance in obtaining proper medical coverage to cover medical expenses.

Phone representative example responsibilities.

Conduct telephone sales and interviews, compile and enter information into database, manage documents and insure customer satisfaction.
Provide status of medical claims and explain EOB's.
Research and resolve incorrect payments, EOB rejections and other issues with accounts.
Answer inbound provider calls to help with billing Medicaid claims and benefits and eligibility issues.
Update alumni on current happenings in university life and act as a liaison between past and current students.
Contact hundreds of alumni and their families by telephone and raise thousands of dollars to improve school facilities and maintain school grounds

Support representative vs phone representative skills

Common support representative skills

Patients, 10%
Customer Service, 8%
Troubleshoot, 8%
Data Entry, 8%
Technical Support, 7%
Phone Calls, 6%

Common phone representative skills

Customer Service, 27%
Outbound Calls, 13%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Inbound Phone Calls, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Computer System, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Support Representative
Support Representative vs Phone Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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