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The differences between business assistants and front desk administrative assistants 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 a front desk administrative assistant. Additionally, a business assistant has an average salary of $42,247, which is higher than the $33,037 average annual salary of a front desk administrative assistant.
The top three skills for a business assistant include customer service, patients and data entry. The most important skills for a front desk administrative assistant are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Business Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $42,247 | $33,037 |
| Hourly rate | $20.31 | $15.88 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 98,348 | 95,732 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A front desk administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties to support daily business functions and operations. Front desk administrative assistants assist guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate personnel for their needs. They also monitor office inventories, write purchase requests, and distribute mails across the departments. A front desk administrative assistants review business and financial transactions to generate reports, update information on the company's database, and sort documents for reference.
Business assistants and front desk administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $42,247 | $33,037 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $60,000 | Between $27,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Springfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Whitney Museum of American Art | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a business assistant and a front desk administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Business Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between business assistants' and front desk administrative assistants' demographics:
| Business Assistant | Front Desk Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9% | Male, 10.0% Female, 90.0% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |