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Business assistant vs administrative receptionist

The differences between business assistants and administrative receptionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a business assistant and an administrative receptionist. Additionally, a business assistant has an average salary of $42,247, which is higher than the $31,502 average annual salary of an administrative receptionist.

The top three skills for a business assistant include customer service, patients and data entry. The most important skills for an administrative receptionist are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Business assistant vs administrative receptionist overview

Business AssistantAdministrative Receptionist
Yearly salary$42,247$31,502
Hourly rate$20.31$15.15
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs98,34891,892
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age5050
Years of experience22

What does a business assistant do?

A business assistant is responsible for supporting various office functions, performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure efficient and smooth business operations, and provide high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Business assistants handle data processing procedures, writing business transaction reports, and coordinating with suppliers and third-party vendors for any requests made by the company. They welcome visitors, verify their appointments, and direct them to the appropriate personnel or department for their business concerns. A business assistant also schedules a meeting, assist in accounting and human resources tasks, and support the executives on corporate decisions.

What does an administrative receptionist do?

An administrative receptionist is responsible for performing administrative tasks, handling visitors' inquiries and concerns, verifying appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department, as well as handling and routing calls. Administrative receptionists also keep records of the staff meeting and executive conference, including company and promotional events. They receive packages and mail, sort documents, manage office supply inventories, create incident reports, and report suspicious guests within the premises. An administrative receptionist must have excellent communication and customer service skills, especially on resolving and escalating complaints.

Business assistant vs administrative receptionist salary

Business assistants and administrative receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Business AssistantAdministrative Receptionist
Average salary$42,247$31,502
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $60,000Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCOakland, CA
Highest paying stateOregonWashington
Best paying companyWhitney Museum of American ArtBeacon Hill Staffing Group
Best paying industryProfessionalTechnology

Differences between business assistant and administrative receptionist education

There are a few differences between a business assistant and an administrative receptionist in terms of educational background:

Business AssistantAdministrative Receptionist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University

Business assistant vs administrative receptionist demographics

Here are the differences between business assistants' and administrative receptionists' demographics:

Business AssistantAdministrative Receptionist
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 28.1% Female, 71.9%Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between business assistant and administrative receptionist duties and responsibilities

Business assistant example responsibilities.

  • Utilize Salesforce CRM to research, qualify, and organize potential leads.
  • Manage personnel administration including hiring, benefits, records management, payroll administration and performance reviews.
  • Manage the receptionist area, including greeting visitors and responding to telephone and in-person requests for information.
  • Used complex SQL queries for data analysis, create store procedures and Unix scripts.
  • Process accurate orders in a timely manner using POS create system for JASON OE.
  • Contact physician's office to receive code if missing, ICD-9 coding when necessary.
  • Show more

Administrative receptionist example responsibilities.

  • Manage travel reimbursements, and reconcile process and forward to payroll for assign individuals.
  • Act as primary liaison between patients, physical therapists and physicians while accomplishing miscellaneous duties necessary for maintaining operations.
  • Sort first class mail, FedEx, campus mail and all incoming mail daily.
  • Draft correspondence and other written material, develop PowerPoint slides and graphic presentations for demographic analysts.
  • Issue shipping instructions and provide routing information to ensure that payroll delivery times and locations are coordinate.
  • Greet visitors, and respond to telephone and in-person requests for information for sole-practitioner office serving several hundr patients.
  • Show more

Business assistant vs administrative receptionist skills

Common business assistant skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Data Entry, 9%
  • Excellent Organizational, 9%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Financial Arrangements, 4%
Common administrative receptionist skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Data Entry, 11%
  • Phone Calls, 8%
  • Front Desk, 6%
  • Word Processing, 4%

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