Administrative manager vs office manager/receptionist

The differences between administrative managers and office managers/receptionist can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an administrative manager, becoming an office manager/receptionist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an administrative manager has an average salary of $70,394, which is higher than the $39,696 average annual salary of an office manager/receptionist.

The top three skills for an administrative manager include customer service, office procedures and human resources. The most important skills for an office manager/receptionist are patients, customer service, and payroll.

Administrative manager vs office manager/receptionist overview

	Administrative Manager	Office Manager/Receptionist
Yearly salary	$70,394	$39,696
Hourly rate	$33.84	$19.08
Growth rate	7%	-8%
Number of jobs	42,602	58,318
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	50	47
Years of experience	2	6

What does an administrative manager do?

An administrative manager is an employee responsible for supervising an organization's standard clerical and administrative process such as faxing, photocopying, and liaise between employees and the management. Executive managers would assist human resource (HR) professionals in recruiting and training new administrative employees and reporting their government's progress. They help organize meeting schedules of different departments and assists with various events. They also respond to incoming communications and create written and typed reports such as memos and business letters.

What does an office manager/receptionist do?

An office manager/receptionist specializes in performing administrative duties in an office or department. One of their primary responsibilities is to greet visitors or clients, answer inquiries, respond to calls and correspondence, arrange appointments, manage schedules, and receive documents or messages. They may also assess staff performance, disseminate information, delegate tasks, and provide support for team members. Furthermore, should there be any issues, it is essential to address and resolve them, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.

Administrative manager vs office manager/receptionist salary

Administrative managers and office managers/receptionist have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Manager	Office Manager/Receptionist
Average salary	$70,394	$39,696
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $104,000	Between $27,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	Connecticut	-
Best paying company	Databricks	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between administrative manager and office manager/receptionist education

There are a few differences between an administrative manager and an office manager/receptionist in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Manager	Office Manager/Receptionist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	California State University - Bakersfield

Administrative manager vs office manager/receptionist demographics

Here are the differences between administrative managers' and office managers/receptionist' demographics:

	Administrative Manager	Office Manager/Receptionist
Average age	50	47
Gender ratio	Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2%	Male, 7.0% Female, 93.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 4.3% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	5%	8%

Differences between administrative manager and office manager/receptionist duties and responsibilities

Administrative manager example responsibilities.

Manage the virtual platform to include existing/future content sites and SharePoint portals.
Manage the division s conversion to PeopleSoft, defining data elements and report design.
Process payroll with ADP, manage employee benefits and maintain all relate data base systems.
Manage all benefit RFP's, new vendor implementations and require system changes and upgrades.
Lead and direct CMS, AHCA, JACHO accreditation process resulting in a deficiency free survey.
Manage accounts payable (A/P) and accounts receivable (A/R), match invoices to receipt and checks.

Office manager/receptionist example responsibilities.

Demonstrate self-motivation through QuickBooks training.
Establish and maintain QuickBooks accounting systems.
Greet patients; handle overall daily business operations of a busy chiropractic office.
Engage in active communication with patients by developing and maintaining a professional and friendly relationship.
Generate bi-weekly payroll, along with reconciling monthly summaries, calculating payroll tax liabilities and preparing quarterly tax reports.
Process and distribute incoming and outgoing mail and packages via USPS and messenger services.

Administrative manager vs office manager/receptionist skills

Common administrative manager skills

Customer Service, 16%
Office Procedures, 9%
Human Resources, 7%
Patients, 7%
Oversight, 6%
Financial Statements, 5%

Common office manager/receptionist skills

Patients, 21%
Customer Service, 15%
Payroll, 10%
Appointment Scheduling, 8%
Front Desk, 6%
Office Equipment, 3%

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Administrative Manager
Administrative Manager vs Office Manager/Receptionist

Updated January 8, 2025

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