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The differences between technical support advisors and desk support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a technical support advisor and a desk support technician. Additionally, a technical support advisor has an average salary of $107,198, which is higher than the $40,715 average annual salary of a desk support technician.
The top three skills for a technical support advisor include customer service, technical support calls and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Advisor | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $107,198 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $51.54 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 186,490 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A technical support advisor specializes in assisting customers, mainly through diagnosing and solving issues using their product and service expertise. In most companies, they communicate with clients through calls or correspondence. Through this, they get to identify their needs, answer inquiries, give technical advice, troubleshoot problems, and solve issues and concerns, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Moreover, a technical support advisor works together with the company's internal departments to optimize customer support operations and resolve any issues or vulnerabilities in the current procedures.
A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.
Technical support advisors and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Advisor | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $107,198 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $141,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support advisor and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Advisor | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support advisors' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Advisor | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.6% Female, 46.4% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |