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The differences between technical support representatives and desktop 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 desktop support technician. Additionally, a desktop support technician has an average salary of $41,792, 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 desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Representative | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $34,758 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $16.71 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 212,082 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 troubleshooting defective computer systems, affecting its performance and efficiency. Desktop support technicians must be highly familiar with the technology systems and programming codes to navigate system applications and locate the discrepancy of the system. They keep documentation of the ticket issue and the resolution for reference and quality improvement. A desktop support technician also configures and updates computer systems and networks for better optimization, as well as conducting regular inspections and monitoring the efficiency of installed programs and patches.
Technical support representatives and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Representative | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $34,758 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $44,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | HP | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a technical support representative and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Representative | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical support representatives' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Technical Support Representative | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |