Front desk administrative assistant vs front desk receptionist

The differences between front desk administrative assistants and front desk 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 front desk administrative assistant and a front desk receptionist. Additionally, a front desk administrative assistant has an average salary of $33,037, which is higher than the $31,050 average annual salary of a front desk receptionist.

The top three skills for a front desk administrative assistant include customer service, patients and data entry. The most important skills for a front desk receptionist are patients, check-in, and phone calls.

Front desk administrative assistant vs front desk receptionist overview

	Front Desk Administrative Assistant	Front Desk Receptionist
Yearly salary	$33,037	$31,050
Hourly rate	$15.88	$14.93
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	95,732	82,593
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	50	42
Years of experience	2	2

What does a front desk administrative assistant do?

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.

What does a front desk receptionist do?

Front desk receptionists are usually the first contact of clients or visitors in an office or building. They are responsible for welcoming and receiving guests, documenting guests' arrival and updating the visitor logbook, informing hosts and other involved employees that the guests have arrived, and directing the guests to where they should go next. They also man telephone lines, schedule appointments, receive packages or mails, and answer office visitors' questions. Front desk receptionists are expected to be personable, knowledgeable on office-related activities, and familiar with everyone.

Front desk administrative assistant vs front desk receptionist salary

Front desk administrative assistants and front desk receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Desk Administrative Assistant	Front Desk Receptionist
Average salary	$33,037	$31,050
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $39,000	Between $24,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	SightMD
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between front desk administrative assistant and front desk receptionist education

There are a few differences between a front desk administrative assistant and a front desk receptionist in terms of educational background:

	Front Desk Administrative Assistant	Front Desk Receptionist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	-

Front desk administrative assistant vs front desk receptionist demographics

Here are the differences between front desk administrative assistants' and front desk receptionists' demographics:

	Front Desk Administrative Assistant	Front Desk Receptionist
Average age	50	42
Gender ratio	Male, 10.0% Female, 90.0%	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.9% Asian, 6.4% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between front desk administrative assistant and front desk receptionist duties and responsibilities

Front desk administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage day-to-day operations including scheduling and coordinating appointments, verify patient insurance, prepare correspondences between medical providers and their patients.
Process member and team member paperwork; including member cancellations, updates, new hires/terminations/status changes, and payroll paperwork.
Monitor and complete payroll information.
Demonstrate great initiative in assisting tech team with minor technical issues and create PowerPoint presentations for business strategic purposes.
Register patients, verify eligibility of insurance, interview them in order to obtain other demographic information that are needed.
Manage day-to-day operations including scheduling and coordinating appointments, verify patient insurance, prepare correspondences between medical providers and their patients.

Front desk receptionist example responsibilities.

Accomplish computer work using a PMS system; OperaXpress.
Collect and distribute mail and packages, prepare FedEx shipments and manage online postage machine.
Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic
Acquire knowledge of ICD-9 and CPT codes and achieve up-to-date knowledge of medical record practices, standards, and regulations.
Manage patients records by keeping all medical history, insurance and personal information update and verify abiding by HIPAA protocols.
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.

Front desk administrative assistant vs front desk receptionist skills

Common front desk administrative assistant skills

Customer Service, 15%
Patients, 12%
Data Entry, 8%
Phone Calls, 8%
Front Desk Operations, 7%
Check-In, 4%

Common front desk receptionist skills

Patients, 23%
Check-In, 12%
Phone Calls, 10%
Reservations, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Appointment Scheduling, 5%

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Front Desk Administrative Assistant
Front Desk Administrative Assistant vs Front Desk Receptionist

Updated January 8, 2025

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