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The differences between support specialists and service support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a support specialist and a service support specialist. Additionally, a service support specialist has an average salary of $43,538, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a support specialist.
The top three skills for a support specialist include customer service, patients and mental health. The most important skills for a service support specialist are customer service, support services, and social work.
| Support Specialist | Service Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $40,782 | $43,538 |
| Hourly rate | $19.61 | $20.93 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 125,740 | 125,209 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A support specialist is responsible for assisting technical and administrative support, depending on the business need. Support specialists must have extensive knowledge of the services of the organization they work for to assist customers with their inquiries and resolve complaints efficiently. A support specialist maintains documents of issue resolution, providing recommendations to improve business strategies and procedures. Support specialists must be well-versed on technology systems, perform basic troubleshooting, and secure databases. They should also have impeccable customer service and communication skills to attend with customers' needs and requests.
A service support specialist's role is to assist clients by addressing and resolving their inquiries, concerns, and complaints. Their responsibilities typically revolve around responding to calls and correspondence, troubleshooting, analyzing customer needs, identifying the root of issues, and providing the necessary corrective measures, all to ensure efficiency and client satisfaction. There are also instances when they must perform follow-up calls, offer products and services, process payments, and even manage accounts. Furthermore, as a service support analyst, it is essential to engage with clients in a friendly yet professional approach, in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Support specialists and service support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Specialist | Service Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $40,782 | $43,538 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $64,000 | Between $26,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Cheniere Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a support specialist and a service support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Support Specialist | Service Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between support specialists' and service support specialists' demographics:
| Support Specialist | Service Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |