If you work in administration or customer support, it’s a smart time to invest in your professional growth. Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming part of everyday workflows, reshaping what these roles look like and creating opportunities for those who adapt.So, what does this mean for your paycheck? It could be good news if you’re willing to upskill. Professionals who keep learning—especially in areas like customer experience or AI data management—are seeing bigger paydays. Research for the 2026 Salary Guide From Robert Half shows that while pay is rising modestly across the board, 83% of managers say they’re offering higher salaries to hire people with specialized skills.Here are eight of the higher-paying administrative and customer support jobs for the year ahead. For more insights, check out the administrative and customer support section of the Salary Guide.
1. Executive assistant
Executive assistants work closely with senior leaders, helping manage their time and priorities. It’s a trusted role, and top performers are comfortable handling confidential information, juggling tasks and using digital project management tools to keep everything on track.Typical responsibilities:
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Manage senior calendars and juggle shifting priorities
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Arrange travel and bookings, often with complex itineraries
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Pull together reports or presentation decks for board-level meetings
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Act as a key contact while keeping things running behind the scenes
National midpoint starting salary: $70,250
2. Office manager
The role of an office manager goes beyond overseeing the physical workspace. Today, it includes coordinating resources, supporting team productivity and maintaining smooth operations across all work environments. With hybrid work common, office managers help keep on-site and remote employees connected, ensure effective communication, and manage systems and processes that enable collaboration and efficiency.Typical responsibilities:
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Keep day-to-day operations running at the office and for remote workers
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Make sure teams have quality tools for collaboration
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Organize repairs, supplies and outside vendors
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Help keep team morale strong across locations
National midpoint starting salary: $60,500
3. Customer experience specialist
This was one of the top customer service jobs in 2026. Customer experience specialists look at how customers interact with a company, spot where things get frustrating and suggest clear, practical improvements. The best specialists combine strong people skills with the ability to use AI tools like Zendesk and Salesforce Service Cloud, helping businesses deliver smoother, more personal service.Typical responsibilities:
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Review the full customer journey (typically done before or after live interactions), using data from CRM systems and AI tools to spot areas that cause confusion or delay
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Look at feedback and complaints to find common themes
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Suggest simple ways to improve how things work for customers
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Use AI tools to help tailor service to different customer needs
National midpoint starting salary: $48,000
4. Administrative assistant
Today’s administrative assistants still handle the essentials like scheduling and communication, but they also use digital tools to help teams stay organized, produce polished documents and, increasingly, automate tasks with generative AI. If you’re a strong communicator and comfortable with tech, this role offers plenty of opportunity.Typical responsibilities:
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Organize calendars and set up meetings across time zones
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Create reports, letters and presentations that are accurate and well-formatted
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Use generative AI tools like ChatGPT to write summaries or automate tasks
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Serve as the main point of contact for sharing updates and ensuring clear communication between teams and clients
National midpoint starting salary: $46,500
5. Project assistant/coordinator
Supporting projects from start to finish, project assistants and coordinators work closely with managers and colleagues to organize tasks, schedule meetings, track progress and keep everyone aligned. With strong multitasking and communication skills, they’re often the glue holding projects together. It’s a great entry point into project management and one of the higher-paying admin jobs for those with a knack for organization and follow-through.Typical responsibilities:
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Organize project schedules, meetings and documentation so tasks stay on track
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Monitor progress and update stakeholders to keep everyone aligned
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Prepare reports and maintain project files for easy access and compliance
National midpoint starting salary: $46,500
