Front desk office assistant vs front office clerk

The differences between front desk office assistants and front office clerks 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 office assistant and a front office clerk. Additionally, a front desk office assistant has an average salary of $31,361, which is higher than the $31,051 average annual salary of a front office clerk.

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

Front desk office assistant vs front office clerk overview

	Front Desk Office Assistant	Front Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$31,361	$31,051
Hourly rate	$15.08	$14.93
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	113,589	163,789
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Associate Degree, 28%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a front desk office assistant do?

Front desk office assistants are the first point of contact for anyone visiting a business or an office. They greet workers and clients and perform routine administrative tasks around the office. These tasks include taking phone calls, scheduling appointments, responding to inquiries and concerns of guests, maintaining and arranging office files, taking and delivering messages, and sending mail. Being polite, jovial, and firm are key characteristics in this role.

What does a front office clerk do?

A front office clerk performs various administrative and secretarial duties, including welcoming and greeting clients and visitors, answering telephone calls, and managing the office budget. You will be responsible for monitoring, organizing, and forwarding emails and maintaining files and records. Other duties include following company policies and procedures, organizing transportation for guests, and handling and resolving guest complaints. In addition, you will also be responsible for invoicing and billing guests for their stay and used services.

Front desk office assistant vs front office clerk salary

Front desk office assistants and front office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Desk Office Assistant	Front Office Clerk
Average salary	$31,361	$31,051
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $46,000	Between $25,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Limbach
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between front desk office assistant and front office clerk education

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

	Front Desk Office Assistant	Front Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Associate Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Front desk office assistant vs front office clerk demographics

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

	Front Desk Office Assistant	Front Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 14.1% Female, 85.9%	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 7.6% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between front desk office assistant and front office clerk duties and responsibilities

Front desk office assistant example responsibilities.

Manage front-line customer service efforts and deliver maximum revenue generation by scheduling patients and maintaining substantial client database.
Enter patient demographics into EMR.
Track patient files records, and other information including entry of data into EMR.
Follow health center and departmental protocols for communication with patients and providers.
Respond to incoming patient calls, including conducting phone triage to determine necessity of scheduling appointments
Enhance student body knowledge by researching key facts to create educational PowerPoint slides to be publish throughout campus

Front office clerk example responsibilities.

Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Maintain a high knowledge level of regulations on the confidentiality of medical records (HIPAA).
Verify releases of information according to HIPPA regulations.
Maintain confidentiality of patient information; abiding by HIPPA guidelines.
Register all patients per registration protocols, schedule appointments, and provide appointment reminder calls.
Respond to routine technical questions regarding patients' right and responsibilities and medical eligibility for care.

Front desk office assistant vs front office clerk skills

Common front desk office assistant skills

Front Desk, 20%
Patients, 18%
Customer Service, 9%
Phone Calls, 9%
Data Entry, 8%
Appointment Scheduling, 5%

Common front office clerk skills

Patients, 34%
Check-In, 8%
Data Entry, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Front Desk, 4%
Appointment Scheduling, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Front Desk Office Assistant
Front Desk Office Assistant vs Front Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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