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The differences between user support analysts and 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 user support analyst and a support specialist. Additionally, a user support analyst has an average salary of $79,842, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a support specialist.
The top three skills for a user support analyst include user experience, end user support and technical support. The most important skills for a support specialist are customer service, patients, and mental health.
| User Support Analyst | Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $79,842 | $40,782 |
| Hourly rate | $38.39 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 116,372 | 125,740 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
User support analysts are computer professionals who provide support to users by investigating and resolving their computer software and hardware problems. By answering telephone calls and applying their knowledge of computer software and hardware, these analysts are required to talk and answer questions from users to learn the source of error. They must discuss with programmers about software errors as well as call the software and hardware vendors to request service regarding defective products. User support analysts must also revise training manuals and should develop training materials such as exercises and visual displays.
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.
User support analysts and support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| User Support Analyst | Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $79,842 | $40,782 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $125,000 | Between $25,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a user support analyst and a support specialist in terms of educational background:
| User Support Analyst | Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between user support analysts' and support specialists' demographics:
| User Support Analyst | Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 13.9% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |