Dental receptionist vs receptionist/customer service

The differences between dental receptionists and receptionist/customer services can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a dental receptionist, becoming a receptionist/customer service takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a dental receptionist has an average salary of $34,359, which is higher than the $30,604 average annual salary of a receptionist/customer service.

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

Dental receptionist vs receptionist/customer service overview

	Dental Receptionist	Receptionist/Customer Service
Yearly salary	$34,359	$30,604
Hourly rate	$16.52	$14.71
Growth rate	-	-4%
Number of jobs	66,076	216,587
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	42	40
Years of experience	2	12

What does a dental receptionist do?

A dental receptionist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support dental office operations and ensure that the patients receive the highest quality care services. Dental receptionists manage and schedule the patients' appointments, determine the availability of the dentist, process dental reports and service payments, and ensure the adequacy of dental inventories. They also organize the database system by updating patients' information, sending referrals to medical specialists, pulling-up patient charts, and responding to the patients' dental inquiries and concerns.

What does a receptionist/customer service do?

Receptionists or customer service professionals are considered as the first contact point of the clients. They usually greet and welcome guests visiting an office or organization. These are employees who serve as administrative or office support. They take responsibility for digital communication. It is their job to coordinate the front desk activities such as redirecting phone calls and distributing correspondence. They should be equipped with skills like attention to detail, dependability, and communication skills.

Dental receptionist vs receptionist/customer service salary

Dental receptionists and receptionist/customer services have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dental Receptionist	Receptionist/Customer Service
Average salary	$34,359	$30,604
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Bellingham, WA	Billerica, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Minnesota
Best paying company	University of Southern California	Uline
Best paying industry	Health Care	Manufacturing

Differences between dental receptionist and receptionist/customer service education

There are a few differences between a dental receptionist and a receptionist/customer service in terms of educational background:

	Dental Receptionist	Receptionist/Customer Service
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Dental receptionist vs receptionist/customer service demographics

Here are the differences between dental receptionists' and receptionist/customer services' demographics:

	Dental Receptionist	Receptionist/Customer Service
Average age	42	40
Gender ratio	Male, 4.9% Female, 95.1%	Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 27.0% Asian, 5.5% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 25.4% Asian, 6.1% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	7%

Differences between dental receptionist and receptionist/customer service duties and responsibilities

Dental receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage an adjoining veterinary supply shop that sell medications, animal food and pet equipment.
Perform administrative and receptionist duties by managing patient records while staying in compliance with HIPAA and JCAHO.
Manage Eaglesoft system thereby maximizing and balancing the calendar of appointments to drive practice revenue while maintaining optimal practice productivity.
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Register new patients according to office protocol using EagleSoft.
Experience in PPO and some HMO insurances.

Receptionist/customer service example responsibilities.

Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Bill and collect from private pay, Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies.
Doctor authorization for treatments, understanding of Medicare and Medicaid, prior authorizations (if need).
Resolve problems with the buyers concerning invoices that do not match in the AS400 system.
Receive and apply checks into AS400 accounting database and scan checks into bank, on a daily basis.

Dental receptionist vs receptionist/customer service skills

Common dental receptionist skills

Patients, 35%
Customer Service, 17%
Phone Calls, 10%
Patient Accounts, 8%
Front Desk, 3%
HMO, 3%

Common receptionist/customer service skills

Customer Service, 16%
Phone Calls, 15%
Data Entry, 14%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Front Desk, 8%
Scheduling Appointments, 8%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Dental Receptionist
Dental Receptionist vs Receptionist/Customer Service

Updated January 8, 2025

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