Front office agent vs desk clerk

The differences between front office agents and desk clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a front office agent has an average salary of $34,773, which is higher than the $29,096 average annual salary of a desk clerk.

The top three skills for a front office agent include reservations, hotel services and excellent guest. The most important skills for a desk clerk are reservations, front desk, and customer service.

Front office agent vs desk clerk overview

	Front Office Agent	Desk Clerk
Yearly salary	$34,773	$29,096
Hourly rate	$16.72	$13.99
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	106,130	113,183
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a front office agent do?

Front office agents are a part of a corporation that comes in touch with clients like the marketing, sales, and repair departments. In general offices, the agents can discover more information about the customer by asking them questions, also helping the purchasers out. Agents working within the front office can also affect simple tasks, like checking out emails and printing and typing works. Front office agents used different technologies, too, like using printers, fax machines, and phones.

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 office agent vs desk clerk salary

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

	Front Office Agent	Desk Clerk
Average salary	$34,773	$29,096
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $42,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Deborah's Place
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between front office agent and desk clerk education

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

	Front Office Agent	Desk Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Front office agent vs desk clerk demographics

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

	Front Office Agent	Desk Clerk
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8%	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 11.7% White, 46.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%	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 office agent and desk clerk duties and responsibilities

Front office agent example responsibilities.

Used EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Accommodate special requests whenever possible including making same day reservations and future reservations when necessary.
Adhere to all cashiering procedures and act as PBX operator at designate times.
Enter in and record wake up call requests then deliver it to the PBX.
Detail group resumes insuring that all VIP's are blocked and special requests and amenities are in place.
Facilitate VIP treatment for frequent guests with information supply to department management.

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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 office agent vs desk clerk skills

Common front office agent skills

Reservations, 24%
Hotel Services, 14%
Excellent Guest, 6%
Cleanliness, 5%
Hotel Reservations, 4%
Guest Service, 4%

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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