Desk clerk vs operations clerk

The differences between desk clerks and operations clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operations clerk has an average salary of $33,746, which is higher than the $29,096 average annual salary of a desk clerk.

The top three skills for a desk clerk include reservations, front desk and customer service. The most important skills for an operations clerk are customer service, data entry functions, and computer system.

Desk clerk vs operations clerk overview

	Desk Clerk	Operations Clerk
Yearly salary	$29,096	$33,746
Hourly rate	$13.99	$16.22
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	113,183	158,449
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	37	47
Years of experience	-	2

What does a desk clerk do?

The desk clerk or general office clerk is an employee who works with little supervision from the manager. The duties and responsibilities of desk clerks vary depending on the industry they belong to. These may include but are not limited to answering phone calls, electronic correspondence, filing paperwork, taking and maintaining inventory levels, and setting calendars and schedules. They are expected to always offer excellent customer service. In hotels, they check-in and check-out their guests.

What does an operations clerk do?

An operations clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties, ensuring smooth business operations. Operations clerks often handle customer service, respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, and direct guests to appropriate departments. They also manage data entry tasks, update customers or employees' information to the database, create business reports, identify potential clients through cold calls and e-mails, sort and file documents, and monitor inventories. An operations clerk must have excellent time-management and organizational skills to follow office procedures and meet deadlines.

Desk clerk vs operations clerk salary

Desk clerks and operations clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Desk Clerk	Operations Clerk
Average salary	$29,096	$33,746
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Deborah's Place	Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between desk clerk and operations clerk education

There are a few differences between a desk clerk and an operations clerk in terms of educational background:

	Desk Clerk	Operations Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Desk clerk vs operations clerk demographics

Here are the differences between desk clerks' and operations clerks' demographics:

	Desk Clerk	Operations Clerk
Average age	37	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%	Male, 31.7% Female, 68.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 10.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 9.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	13%	6%

Differences between desk clerk and operations clerk duties and responsibilities

Desk clerk example responsibilities.

Manage customer service issues with ease and charm and train other co workers in daily operations.
Assist with setting up meetings using PowerPoint presentations.
Book keeping, check ins, paperwork, PowerPoint, enter information into database.
Communicate with previous shift, organize shift and review reservations and update contingency
Position require guest reservations to be coordinate with housekeeping and maintenance needs.
Register new patients and updates existing patient demographics by collecting patient detail patient information including personal and financial information.

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Operations clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Input global notes in CRT.
Retrieve documents to be send to the IRS.
Encode checks with 10 key hardware TRP or NCR machines.
Register patients in the HMS system.
Research case law using Internet and Westlaw software.

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Desk clerk vs operations clerk skills

Common desk clerk skills

Reservations, 22%
Front Desk, 14%
Customer Service, 12%
Room Availability, 11%
Direct Calls, 6%
Telephone Calls, 5%

Common operations clerk skills

Customer Service, 25%
Data Entry Functions, 8%
Computer System, 7%
Payroll, 6%
Office Equipment, 4%
Provide Clerical Support, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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