2021 Support Career Research
Brought to you by Support Driven & Trek Advisory Group
Advocating for yourself in your support role
With a community of over 9,000+ customer support professionals, Support Driven is dedicated to Customer Support as a career. And we understand that our roles directly impact customer experience, retention, and overall business success.
In the fall of 2021, we administered a salary survey. 70% of the survey responses came from North America, 24% Europe, and 6% across other regions. Of the 236 survey respondents, 58% identify as women, 39% identify as men, and 3% identify as non-binary or third gender.
Whoever, or wherever you might be, we’ve compiled some insights from that survey to help YOU succeed within your profession and advance your career in support. This mini-report focuses on advocating for yourself within your organization when it comes to salary and benefits.
Less than half of the survey respondents (45%) feel confident that their financial compensation accurately reflects their work and importance in the company.
Survey data indicates that there is room for improvement regarding compensation and how that reflects the importance of customer support within an organization. Support leaders need to take note and help employees feel further valued. As individuals in the profession, we need to advocate for ourselves and our compensation.
Less than 37% of respondents asked for a raise last year.
The majority of people (53%) said they were uncomfortable having salary and compensation conversations with their colleagues, and only 37% asked for a raise last year. This indicates how challenging it can be to engage in these conversations.
However, of those who asked for a raise, 78% received an increase in salary or other compensation and benefits.
This is great news! Although it may be challenging to talk about salary with your employer, it could be a very worthwhile conversation. Make sure that you come to the table with solid reasoning for why you deserve the pay increase. Check out this NPR article on how to come prepared for a compensation conversation.
There are additional types of compensation beyond salary that you can advocate to be included in your overall package. These include stock options, 401K matching contributions, annual and performance bonuses, profit sharing, and commissions. Close to 50% of survey respondents had stock options, and 40% included 401K matching contributions as part of their overall compensation package.
In addition to compensation, you can advocate for various benefits of which you might derive value. The chart below indicates what survey respondents received in 2021. Over 75% of respondents received medical insurance benefits, while less than 5% received childcare benefits.
The majority of respondents (65%) feel appreciated in ways other than financial.
This is excellent news for support leaders who can show appreciation in many formats. Survey respondents indicate they feel a general sense of appreciation.
Based on this survey, there is a disparity between general appreciation and financial appreciation. Support leaders and employers need to recognize the disparity and close the gap. As individuals pursuing careers in the support industry, we need to advocate for ourselves and our teams. If we genuinely feel as though our compensation and benefits packages do not reflect our value, then it is on us to work with our companies to find alignment or to consider other career opportunities.
After all, happy, satisfied, and valued support personnel has a direct impact on customer and client satisfaction and retention.
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