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The differences between technical support representatives and technical support advisors 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 technical support advisor. Additionally, a technical support advisor has an average salary of $107,198, 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 technical support advisor are customer service, technical support calls, and troubleshoot.
| Technical Support Representative | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Yearly salary | $34,758 | $107,198 |
| Hourly rate | $16.71 | $51.54 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 212,082 | 186,490 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| 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 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.
Technical support representatives and technical support advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Support Representative | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Average salary | $34,758 | $107,198 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $44,000 | Between $81,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | New York |
| Best paying company | HP | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical support representative and a technical support advisor in terms of educational background:
| Technical Support Representative | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between technical support representatives' and technical support advisors' demographics:
| Technical Support Representative | Technical Support Advisor | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.5% Female, 38.5% | Male, 53.6% Female, 46.4% |
| 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, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |