Front office administrator vs office clerk

The differences between front office administrators and office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a front office administrator, becoming an office clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a front office administrator has an average salary of $33,516, which is higher than the $30,927 average annual salary of an office clerk.

The top three skills for a front office administrator include patients, front desk and appointment scheduling. The most important skills for an office clerk are customer service, data entry, and telephone calls.

Front office administrator vs office clerk overview

	Front Office Administrator	Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$33,516	$30,927
Hourly rate	$16.11	$14.87
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	147,279	106,497
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	2

What does a front office administrator do?

Front desk administrators work for different industries at the front desk of the front office area. They are responsible mostly for handling calls and transfers these calls to extension/local numbers. They manage booking travel appointments, answering inquiries, doing paperwork, and maintaining a professional image. They greet visitors and attend to visitors' inquiries. In addition, they assist other departments by performing other miscellaneous administrative tasks as required, and they often serve as ushers during client visits. Moreover, this job requires excellent interpersonal skills and good communication skills.

What does an office clerk do?

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

Front office administrator vs office clerk salary

Front office administrators and office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Office Administrator	Office Clerk
Average salary	$33,516	$30,927
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $40,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Lakewood, WA	Englewood, CO
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Transportation

Differences between front office administrator and office clerk education

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

	Front Office Administrator	Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Western Carolina University

Front office administrator vs office clerk demographics

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

	Front Office Administrator	Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 9.9% Female, 90.1%	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between front office administrator and office clerk duties and responsibilities

Front office administrator example responsibilities.

Manage correspondence and documentation for OSHA compliance and hold some accounts payable responsibilities by coding invoices for processing and payment.
Handle day to day transactions, schedule patients, place patients onto traction tables and administer E-Stem/Ice.
Observe and perform patient's therapies such as, electric muscle stimulation, mechanical traction and acupuncture.
Cross train in veterinary technician duties including vaccines, administering medications, medical treatment for kennel and hospitalize patients.
Follow HIPPA protocol for sterilization of rooms/instruments.
Create a neck comparison using patient's cervical x-ray.

Office clerk example responsibilities.

Complete medical records requests as specified under HIPAA regulations.
Scan EOB's and attach to payments in software system.
Perform electronic billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and HMO/PPO submissions.
Follow all HIPAA guidelines and safety rules as required within the healthcare policy.
Perform account analysis on credit balance accounts using insurance explanation of benefit information (EOB).
Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provide.

Front office administrator vs office clerk skills

Common front office administrator skills

Patients, 21%
Front Desk, 6%
Appointment Scheduling, 6%
Phone Calls, 6%
Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
Data Entry, 5%

Common office clerk skills

Customer Service, 21%
Data Entry, 18%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Payroll, 5%
Office Equipment, 4%
Office Machines, 3%

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Front Office Administrator
Front Office Administrator vs Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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