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.
Front desk administrative assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real front desk administrative assistant resumes:
- 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.
- Enter patient's insurance card (Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, HMO/PPO) into computer.
- Implement and maintain data management systems using SQL, SharePoint sites and web servers.
- Provide inventory management by keeping uploading current contracts to internal SharePoint site and filing all archive materials in proper storage areas.
Front desk administrative assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Front Desk Administrative Assistants are proficient in Customer Service, Patients, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Writing skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Front Desk Administrative Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 15%
Fielded electronic and telephone inquiries regarding the Metro Transit Benefit Program, demonstrating excellent Customer Service skills to gain positive results.
- Patients, 12%
Managed day-to-day operations including scheduling and coordinating appointments, verified patient insurance, prepared correspondences between medical providers and their patients.
- Data Entry, 8%
Assisted administrative department with data input of routine reports, filing and computerized Data entry.
- Phone Calls, 8%
Provide Executive Assistance for Billing Manager, returning phone calls, coordinating management meetings and organizing executive calendar.
- Front Desk Operations, 7%
Supervised receptionist and front desk operations by delegating projects and tasks.
- Check-In, 4%
Greet visitor, Register, Check-in, Set-up Reservations, Cancel Reservations, etc.
Common skills that a front desk administrative assistant uses to do their job include "customer service," "patients," and "data entry." You can find details on the most important front desk administrative assistant responsibilities below.
Interpersonal skills. The most essential soft skill for a front desk administrative assistant to carry out their responsibilities is interpersonal skills. This skill is important for the role because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Additionally, a front desk administrative assistant resume shows how their duties depend on interpersonal skills: "provided superb interpersonal and customer service skills. "
Writing skills. Many front desk administrative assistant duties rely on writing skills. "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers," so a front desk administrative assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways front desk administrative assistant responsibilities rely on writing skills: "handle calls for claims and policies, customer service, marketing, underwriting and all departments in all states. "
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for front desk administrative assistants to perform their duties. For an example of how front desk administrative assistant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a front desk administrative assistant: "promoted from front desk agent to administrative assistant due to organizational skills and excellent customer service. ".
The three companies that hire the most front desk administrative assistants are:
- Exceptional5 front desk administrative assistants jobs
- Firstservice Residential California, Inc.4 front desk administrative assistants jobs
- ZS3 front desk administrative assistants jobs
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Front desk administrative assistant vs. Assistant secretary
An assistant secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of various departments and management personnel and ensure the efficiency of business functions. Assistant secretaries usually assist in business communications, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, reaching out to existing clients to schedule appointments, welcoming guests on the office, and routing calls to the appropriate department. They also handle data entry procedures, updating customer information on the database, as well as creating reports on business and financial transactions.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between front desk administrative assistants and assistant secretary. For instance, front desk administrative assistant responsibilities require skills such as "customer service," "patients," "data entry," and "phone calls." Whereas a assistant secretary is skilled in "scheduling appointments," "financial statements," "front desk," and "federal agencies." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Assistant secretaries tend to reach higher levels of education than front desk administrative assistants. In fact, assistant secretaries are 5.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Front desk administrative assistant vs. Office assistant
Office assistants perform various tasks to ensure that the business runs organized and efficient. An office assistant must possess excellent communication and multi-tasking skills to handle essential duties such as scheduling meetings, monitoring office supplies, storing documents and necessary paperwork, handling customer inquiries and appointments, coordinating in company events, and accomplishing other clerical tasks and administrative support. Office assistants are also required to communicate any observation that would possibly make an impact on the company's performance.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, front desk administrative assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "phone calls," "front desk operations," "check-in," and "appointment scheduling." Meanwhile, an office assistant has duties that require skills in areas such as "scheduling appointments," "front desk," "office support," and "office operations." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Office assistants may earn a lower salary than front desk administrative assistants, but office assistants earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $33,817. On the other hand, front desk administrative assistants receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $34,812.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Office assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than front desk administrative assistants. In fact, they're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Front desk administrative assistant vs. Team assistant
A team assistant is an employee who is responsible for performing administrative duties to help members of the office team focus on their assigned projects. Under the direct supervision of team leaders, team assistants are required to schedule appointments with clients, organize internal team meetings, and alert team members of upcoming deadlines. They keep track of project expenses and purchase receipts and input those numbers into an accounting software program or spreadsheet. Team assistants must also order supplies and products when inventories are low.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from front desk administrative assistant resumes include skills like "phone calls," "front desk operations," "check-in," and "appointment scheduling," whereas a team assistant is more likely to list skills in "cleanliness," "home health," "applied behavior analysis," and "physician orders. "
Team assistants earn the highest salary when working in the professional industry, where they receive an average salary of $56,346. Comparatively, front desk administrative assistants have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $34,812.team assistants typically earn similar educational levels compared to front desk administrative assistants. Specifically, they're 4.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Front desk administrative assistant vs. General assistant
General Assistants are responsible for providing administrative assistance to department teams and executive management of an organization. Their duties include organizing meetings and event schedules, book meeting rooms, answer incoming phone calls, reply emails, and respond to queries. They are responsible for replenishing office supplies and undertaking clerical tasks such as printing, scanning, and photocopying. General Assistants also liaise with contractors and building managers to ensure maintenance work is handled promptly without inconvenience.
Types of front desk administrative assistant
Updated January 8, 2025











