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Front desk secretary skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Mike Peterson Ph.D.,

Allison White

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical front desk secretary skills. We ranked the top skills for front desk secretaries based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 22.4% of front desk secretary resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a front desk secretary needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 front desk secretary skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how front desk secretaries use patients:

Correspond with insurance companies and workers comp offices regarding patients benefit coverage and to retrieve authorizations when needed for physical therapy.
Managed patient appointments Organized important documents and patient files Attended patients with any inquiries Scanned and copied paperwork Answered incoming calls

2. Front Desk

Here's how front desk secretaries use front desk:

Worked as Front Desk Secretary/Receptionist at Chautauqua Physical Therapy.
Front Desk Secretary for a group of three physicians/eye surgeons operating out of three office locations and an out-patient surgical center.

3. Phone Calls

Phone calls are a wireless or wired connection made over a telephone or a mobile phone between two people. Two parties are involved in a phone call, the caller and the receiver. A caller dials the number of the one he wants to call, and the recipient hears a bell or a tune to which he picks up the call. The call establishes a connection between them through which they can communicate. The voice is converted into signals and is transmitted through wired or wireless technology.

Here's how front desk secretaries use phone calls:

Excelled in greeting guests, typing letters and reports, filing, managing supplies, routing phone calls and editing documents.
Front office functions: greeting customer s, answering and directing telephone calls, and providing answers to routine questions.

4. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how front desk secretaries use customer service:

Demonstrate effective and diplomatic oral communication and excellent customer service skills.
Answered phones, filed paperwork, prepared itineraries for tourists and drivers, computer skills, and provided excellent customer service.

5. Appointment Scheduling

Here's how front desk secretaries use appointment scheduling:

Filed, Answered multiple phone lines, Typed daily assignments, Billing, Appointment scheduling, Collections, Daily deposit.
Performed front desk duties including- -Answering phone calls-Booking appointments-Checking in clients/ cashier-Appointment Scheduling/ Payroll Processing-Salon assistant including assisting with clients i.e.

6. Patient Demographics

Patient demographics carry basic information about a patient admitted to a healthcare facility. These demographics help in patient identification and allow the hospital management to categorize the information. This characterization helps in making the process of statistical analysis easy. Patient demographics normally include; date of birth, gender, ethnicity, sex, address, contact information, and medical history.

Here's how front desk secretaries use patient demographics:

Update patient demographics accurately and obtain authorizations as required by treatment provided.
Verify Insurance Eligibility, Collection Co-pay/ Deductibles/ Balances, Enter patient Demographics, Relay messages to physicians/medical Assistants/nurses/staff when appropriate.

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7. Telephone Calls

Telephone calls are a communication means through which a caller is connected to the called party. The call is done through a telecommunications device called a telephone. The caller can use a landline, mobile phone, or satellite phone to make the call.

Here's how front desk secretaries use telephone calls:

Performed secretarial duties including processing and filing of paperwork, responding to telephone calls and completing financial reports through electronic database.
Received and directed telephone calls and relay conversations and pertinent messages to others while maintaining accuracy, clarity and confidentiality.

8. Patient Appointments

Here's how front desk secretaries use patient appointments:

Coordinated and confirmed patient appointments Generated and processed doctors transcripts into computer database
Schedule and confirm patient appointments, obtain insurance authorizations, and make referrals to other physician offices and labs as needed.

9. Patient Charts

Here's how front desk secretaries use patient charts:

Get New Patient or MVA patient information offline and import into online patient charts.
Order supplies, stock nurse's station, count inventory, thin patient charts.

10. Office Equipment

Here's how front desk secretaries use office equipment:

Operate and troubleshoot office equipment, while advising management of potential problems and providing solutions.
Assisted two dentists in dental procedures, the sterilization of instruments, and maintenance of office equipment.

11. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how front desk secretaries use payroll:

Distributed weekly payroll checks; completed timely data entry of required information.
Check to make sure staff swipe in each day, make corrections and approve payroll for a staff of 45 people.

12. Computer System

Here's how front desk secretaries use computer system:

Detailed-oriented data entry for new club members into computer systems.
Greeted clients, answered phones, clubhouse rental, entered clients information in computer system, updated information.

13. Insurance Forms

Here's how front desk secretaries use insurance forms:

Front office duties included maintaining office and patient records, scheduling appointments, completing insurance forms, and performing secretarial tasks.
Schedule appointments, organize and archive x-ray and other medical records, perform secretarial tasks, and fill insurance forms.

14. Insurance Verification

Here's how front desk secretaries use insurance verification:

Initiate and complete authorizations and referrals, insurance verification and eligibility.
Scheduled appointments Answered phones Took and relayed messages Insurance verification Collected co-payments Documented new patient information into system Scheduled surgical procedures

15. Word Processing

Here's how front desk secretaries use word processing:

Utilized word processing and database management software for creating client/staff meetings.
Experienced in preparing and reviewing correspondence and performed various receptionist application using Microsoft Office Suite and word processing software.

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What skills help Front Desk Secretaries find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on front desk secretary resumes?

Dr. Mike Peterson Ph.D.

Department Chair and Associate Professor of English, Dixie State University

Writing skills have always been valued by employers, but anything that shows an ability to write, produce, or communicate in digital spaces will stand out. While employers are becoming increasingly comfortable having employees work and collaborate digitally (from home or elsewhere), they may still be reluctant to train employees how to do that. They want to see evidence that applicants will know how to use technology and stay productive without extensive training and without a supervisor having to stand behind them. That isn't to say training won't take place, but employers want to use their valuable time and resources training employees on their own systems, policies, and procedures; they don't want to have to show new-hires how to use Zoom, how to format a memo, how to write an email, or how to co-edit a document using OneDrive.

What soft skills should all front desk secretarys possess?

Allison White

Associate Professor, Ohio University

Employers have told me repeatedly that soft skills are often the most important. They will ask for my reference after I've gotten to know a student and been able to identify their communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. They want someone to take the initiative yet know when to ask questions. Customer service skills and confidentiality were also voiced by our internship supervisors. Verbal and non-verbal communication is a must. The applicant must be able to write well!!

What hard/technical skills are most important for front desk secretarys?

Allison White

Associate Professor, Ohio University

In addition to production software skills, including MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, we often taught database skills using MS Access. Every employer has an employee database and a customer/client database that requires input and sometimes maintenance by office personnel. Keyboarding (65+ wpm), basic bookkeeping/accounting, and filing skills are a must.

What front desk secretary skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Professor, West Virginia State University

I would encourage someone taking a gap year to branch out, seeking work experiences and employment situations that expose them to new skills and allow them to interact with a diverse set of people. Sometimes we find ourselves in a bubble-communicating with the same people, who tend to share the same ideas-and a gap year provides the opportunity to extend beyond that. Employers value employees who have open, flexible minds, and seeking out experiences that demonstrate that openness can be helpful.

What type of skills will young front desk secretarys need?

Angela Robbins Ph.D.

Associate Professor of History, Meredith College

History majors are in high demand in government, business, and non-profits because of the knowledge and skills they gain in the classroom. History majors, in particular, are especially good at contextualizing-that is, explaining how an event or discussion fits within the big picture. This includes how things that are going on today-such as the Capitol riot on January 6-connects to the Constitution, the balance of powers, the way democracy works, and related issues such as the implications of propaganda and misinformation. This goes well beyond merely expressing an opinion or debating two sides of an issue. Students of history do their research and practice skills of analysis, collecting and scrutinizing evidence rather than taking something at face value or only relying on a single source. We take sources apart to evaluate the credentials of their creators and search for bias. We examine sources from various creators so we take into account multiple experiences and points of view. Then we synthesize-or bring the sources together-in order to communicate what it all means. These skills are desired by employers and translate well into many careers and work environments. Seeking good evidence to answer questions and solve problems, whether that's in the classroom today or working with clients later, is a skill that employers highly value.

Students are practicing other skills that are necessary to success in the workplace, whether that will be in person or online. Time management, seeing a project through from start to finish, hosting and contributing to meetings, working on a team-whether it's two people or ten-and creating appropriate types of presentations to communicate ideas are all things our students can tell their employers they will come in with so they can hit the ground running. In addition, our majors develop self-awareness, empathy, and an appreciation of diverse opinions and approaches to problems through investigation of the life experiences of historical figures and their classroom discussions with classmates. Certainly, every employer wants you to learn the specifics within their sector, but these skills are fairly universal and will benefit majors as they move from the classroom to career.

What technical skills for a front desk secretary stand out to employers?

Christi Patton Luks

Professor (NTT) and Associate Chair for Academic Affairs, Missouri University of Science & Technology

I've always felt that the most important thing we teach our students is problem-solving skills. The students who can readily relate the theory to their practical experience to develop new solutions are the most valuable. Engineering students that are active on design teams or took advantage of internships and co-ops are in great position for this.

Do you want to know more?

List of front desk secretary skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a front desk secretary resume and required skills for a front desk secretary to have include:

Patients
Front Desk
Phone Calls
Customer Service
Appointment Scheduling
Patient Demographics
Telephone Calls
Patient Appointments
Patient Charts
Office Equipment
Payroll
Computer System
Insurance Forms
Insurance Verification

Word Processing
PowerPoint
Insurance Eligibility
EMR
Travel Arrangements
Physical Therapy
Direct Calls
Fax Machines
Multi-Line Phone System
Medical Insurance
Insurance Coverage
Hippa
Patient Accounts
Insurance Claims

Multi-Line Telephone
Administrative Tasks
Bank Deposits
Medical Billing
Database Management
MRI
Transferring Calls
Medical Charts
Customer Inquiries
QuickBooks
Greeting Clients
Telephone Switchboard

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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