Front desk lead vs desk clerk

The differences between front desk leads and desk clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a front desk lead has an average salary of $29,851, which is higher than the $29,096 average annual salary of a desk clerk.

The top three skills for a front desk lead include reservations, patients and guest service. The most important skills for a desk clerk are reservations, front desk, and customer service.

Front desk lead vs desk clerk overview

	Front Desk Lead	Desk Clerk
Yearly salary	$29,851	$29,096
Hourly rate	$14.35	$13.99
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	74,010	113,183
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a front desk lead do?

A front desk lead acts as the face of an organization, being the first point of contact for visitors. To be a front desk lead means you are responsible for administering and managing workers who work in the front office or reception area, as well as welcoming and taking care of visitors. As a front desk lead, you must possess good communication skills, have good composure, be friendly, be computer literate, have problem-solving skills, along with organizational skills to handle guests.

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.

Front desk lead vs desk clerk salary

Front desk leads and desk clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Desk Lead	Desk Clerk
Average salary	$29,851	$29,096
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $46,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Microsoft	Deborah's Place
Best paying industry	Retail	Manufacturing

Differences between front desk lead and desk clerk education

There are a few differences between a front desk lead and a desk clerk in terms of educational background:

	Front Desk Lead	Desk Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Front desk lead vs desk clerk demographics

Here are the differences between front desk leads' and desk clerks' demographics:

	Front Desk Lead	Desk Clerk
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 28.5% Female, 71.5%	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.3% Asian, 9.9% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between front desk lead and desk clerk duties and responsibilities

Front desk lead example responsibilities.

Manage VIP clientele by delivering exceptional customer service while using creative conflict resolution, when necessary.
Manage confidential information and documentation, including financial data, and credit card information and payroll checks.
Conduct in-person and telephone customer service, including guest check-in and booking reservations.
Perform PBX duties in the absence of an operator
Operate hotel PBX switchboard system and handles professional execution of guest calls, messages and amenities.
Collect co-payments when necessary and answer any necessary questions if ask by patients.

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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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Front desk lead vs desk clerk skills

Common front desk lead skills

Reservations, 17%
Patients, 8%
Guest Service, 8%
Phone Calls, 8%
Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Booking, 5%

Common desk clerk skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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