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The differences between support representatives and 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 service representative. Additionally, a service representative has an average salary of $33,692, 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 service representative are customer service, client service, and patients.
| Support Representative | Service Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $33,372 | $33,692 |
| Hourly rate | $16.04 | $16.20 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 246,710 | 210,671 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| 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.
Service representatives handle customer inquiries, requests, complaints, and other general feedback. They are usually the first point of contact with the company's customers. Service representatives are expected to be familiar with all of the company's products so that they can answer all inquiries made by the customers. They should also be familiar with company policies and guidelines on sales and customer handling so that they can address concerns and feedback. They are usually the ones who try to resolve customer complaints by sending issues to applicable departments and ensuring that customers are satisfied with the company's products and services.
Support representatives and service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Representative | Service Representative | |
| Average salary | $33,372 | $33,692 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $42,000 | Between $24,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Barbara, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Accenture | Northern Trust |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between a support representative and a service representative in terms of educational background:
| Support Representative | Service Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between support representatives' and service representatives' demographics:
| Support Representative | Service Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% | Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4% |
| 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, 11.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |