What does a desk manager do?

A desk manager's responsibilities focus on facilitating communication and performing organizational support tasks to maintain the smooth flow of operations at offices. Although the extent of their duties primarily depends on their company or employment industry, it usually includes handling calls and correspondence, answering inquiries, resolving issues and concerns, forwarding calls and messages, arranging appointments and schedules, organizing files, and overseeing various communication materials. In some offices, a desk manager manages different teams, supervising their performance while enforcing company standards and policies.
Desk manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real desk manager resumes:
- Provide leadership and direction to facility management and program owners while motivating and interacting with employees to achieve continuous improvement.
- Maintain POS transactions and hotel budget.
- Shred patient information to comply with HIPAA regulations.
- Follow HIPAA guidelines to ensure staff compliance.assist with all dental procedures.
- Design a multi-part training program for the primary POS program used in retail locations.
- Import and export all patient data into the EMR from hospitals and other qualify health care providers.
- Insure operations run smoothly and procedures adhere to according to military guidelines.
- Represent and uphold company's prominent reputation by politely greeting and directing patients upon arrival to the facility.
- Consolidate and provide easier access to business information, while providing for inter-departmental collaboration by implementing Microsoft SharePoint.
- Install, configure and deploy Microsoft SQL server environments testing and development procedures for proof of concept methodology.
- Develop company-wide SharePoint strategy by gathering business requirements and designing sites, enabling end-users to fully utilize application and business needs.
- Manage both BOH and FOH operations exceeding company specifications.
Desk manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Desk Managers are proficient in CRM, Sales Process, and Quality Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Integrity, Interpersonal skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Desk Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CRM, 19%
Communicated and translated business requirements to the implementation project managers for ERP and CRM implementation.
- Sales Process, 12%
Enhanced the sales process by developing sales tools to assist in the accurate pricing of products and services.
- Quality Customer Service, 10%
Provided quality customer service to the over 1500 residents of Cougar Village.
- CSI, 9%
Involved in customer service situations to reduce the risk of unsatisfied customers to maintain high level of CSI.
- Sales People, 8%
Supervised and mentored 12 sales people; motivated staff to meet/exceed established sales goals and objectives by developing effective sales incentives.
- Sales Desk, 5%
Coached, developed, motivated, and inspired, an investment sales desk for a Fortune 30 company (MetLife).
"crm," "sales process," and "quality customer service" are among the most common skills that desk managers use at work. You can find even more desk manager responsibilities below, including:
Integrity. One of the key soft skills for a desk manager to have is integrity. You can see how this relates to what desk managers do because "information clerks, particularly human resources assistants, have access to confidential information." Additionally, a desk manager resume shows how desk managers use integrity: "establish and maintain excellent customer relationships with clients by instilling a level of trust and integrity second to none. "
Interpersonal skills. Many desk manager duties rely on interpersonal skills. "information clerks who work with the public and customers must understand and communicate information effectively to establish positive relationships.," so a desk manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways desk manager responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "attended training program dealing with the components of store operations, interpersonal skills, recruiting, and development of a company. "
Organizational skills. desk managers are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to desk manager responsibilities, because "information clerks must be able to retrieve files and other important information quickly and efficiently." A desk manager resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "greeted and interacted directly with clients handled day to day financial transactions developed organizational skills and worked extensively with excel"
Communication skills. A big part of what desk managers do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to desk manager responsibilities because "information clerks must be able to explain policies and procedures clearly to customers and the public." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical desk manager tasks: "combined excellent verbal and communication skills with a genuine affection for customer service. "
The three companies that hire the most desk managers are:
- Lithia Motors8 desk managers jobs
- AuditBoard6 desk managers jobs
- Morgan Stanley5 desk managers jobs
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Desk manager vs. Account manager and customer service manager
An assistant customer service manager is in charge of performing support tasks for managers, helping customer service operations run smoothly and efficiently. Among their responsibilities include assisting managers in supervising customer service teams, managing schedules and objectives, coordinating staff, and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. There are also instances when they must communicate with customers to identify and meet their needs. Moreover, as an assistant manager, it is essential to monitor the workflow and progress of the workforce, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a desk manager are more likely to require skills like "crm," "sales process," "quality customer service," and "csi." On the other hand, a job as an account manager and customer service manager requires skills like "account management," "purchase orders," "customer accounts," and "vendor invoices." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, account manager and customer service managers reach similar levels of education than desk managers. Account manager and customer service managers are 1.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Desk manager vs. Assistant customer service manager
An Assistant Front Office Manager welcomes guests and develops high-quality relationships with them throughout their stay. They supervise guest arrivals and departures with the front office executive and managers.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real desk manager resumes. While desk manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "crm," "sales process," "csi," and "sales people," assistant customer service managers use skills like "excellent interpersonal," "customer service," "store operations," and "customer support."
Assistant customer service managers earn similar levels of education than desk managers in general. They're 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Desk manager vs. Assistant front office manager
A coordinator/manager is an individual who is responsible for supervising the day-to-day operations of a facility by following a set of policies and guidelines. Coordinators/managers collaborate with board members to ensure the overall quality of the facility and maintain inventory levels for all components and parts. They negotiate with vendors on contracts and fees as well as provides the overall budget for facility projects. Coordinators/managers must also train staff and employees regarding facility procedures and safety codes.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, desk managers are more likely to have skills like "crm," "sales process," "quality customer service," and "csi." But a assistant front office manager is more likely to have skills like "reservations," "customer service," "quality standards," and "guest complaints."
Most assistant front office managers achieve a similar degree level compared to desk managers. For example, they're 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Desk manager vs. Coordinator/manager
Types of desk manager
Updated January 8, 2025











