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The differences between technical support representatives 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 representative and a desk support technician. Additionally, a desk support technician has an average salary of $40,715, which is higher than the $34,758 average annual salary of a technical support representative.
The top three skills for a technical support representative include customer calls, smartphones and technical support calls. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Representative | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $34,758 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $16.71 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 212,082 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Technical Support Representatives specialize in customer support through calls or correspondence. Among the primary responsibilities of a Technical Support Representative involves receiving and making calls, address and troubleshoot issues raised by the client, assist when navigating through complicated applications, provide suggestions or recommendations, or elevate the problem to personnel with higher expertise when necessary. Furthermore, a Technical Support Representative must coordinate with supervisors at all times, remain patient and proactive, and as well as maintain and organize records of each handled calls.
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 representatives and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Representative | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $34,758 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $44,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | California |
| Best paying company | HP | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support representative and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Representative | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support representatives' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Representative | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.5% 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% |