Clerical associate vs receptionist

The differences between clerical associates and 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 clerical associate and a receptionist. Additionally, a receptionist has an average salary of $30,571, which is higher than the $30,024 average annual salary of a clerical associate.

The top three skills for a clerical associate include patients, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for a receptionist are patients, phone calls, and customer service.

Clerical associate vs receptionist overview

	Clerical Associate	Receptionist
Yearly salary	$30,024	$30,571
Hourly rate	$14.43	$14.70
Growth rate	-5%	-
Number of jobs	78,648	65,671
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	47	42
Years of experience	2	2

What does a clerical associate do?

A clerical associate is someone who carries out administrative tasks. Clerical associates photocopy, distribute mail, put together mailings, send faxes, respond to emails, and type letters. The associate's order office supplies, convey messages to staff members, handle payroll, and manage conference rooms. They check records for information accuracy and policy and procedure conformity. It is part of their responsibilities to perform projects for patient care facilitation. Also, they provide support to the mental health clinic in terms of patient care and satisfaction survey distribution and collection.

What does a receptionist do?

Receptionists are employees assigned at the entrances or lobbies of offices. They welcome guests, check identification, issue visitor badges, attend to questions or inquiries, and direct guests to where they are supposed to go. They also receive general mail or packages, answer calls, and manage schedules. Receptionists perform various clerical or administrative functions as assigned by their supervisors. They should have good client relations skills.

Clerical associate vs receptionist salary

Clerical associates and receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clerical Associate	Receptionist
Average salary	$30,024	$30,571
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Bakersfield, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	GBS	Gensler
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between clerical associate and receptionist education

There are a few differences between a clerical associate and a receptionist in terms of educational background:

	Clerical Associate	Receptionist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Clerical associate vs receptionist demographics

Here are the differences between clerical associates' and receptionists' demographics:

	Clerical Associate	Receptionist
Average age	47	42
Gender ratio	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%	Male, 8.4% Female, 91.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 7.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between clerical associate and receptionist duties and responsibilities

Clerical associate example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Apply ICD-9, CPT and HCPCS codes for outpatient treatments.
Obtain and properly distributes messages using EMR.
Fax radiology reports and make calls regarding abnormal reports.
Coordinate patient radiology exams as well as patient procedures.
Update clinical records associate with patient visits in MYSIS EMR system.

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Receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage invoicing with QuickBooks, taking customer calls and helping with any issues, parts and equipment delivery/pickup/ordering.
Manage multiple employee/resident databases utilizing an EMR system.
Verify insurance information and manage medical records while ensuring confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements.
Manage desk operations for the YMCA, organizing and documenting members' payments and collating operational documents
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Bill patients for medical services provide by various doctors using ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding.

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Clerical associate vs receptionist skills

Common clerical associate skills

Patients, 23%
Data Entry, 11%
Customer Service, 11%
Phone Calls, 5%
Clerical Functions, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

Common receptionist skills

Patients, 17%
Phone Calls, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Front Desk, 8%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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