Front office assistant vs front office administrator

The differences between front office assistants and front office administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a front office assistant, becoming a front office administrator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a front office administrator has an average salary of $33,516, which is higher than the $32,913 average annual salary of a front office assistant.

The top three skills for a front office assistant include patients, customer service and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for a front office administrator are patients, front desk, and appointment scheduling.

Front office assistant vs front office administrator overview

	Front Office Assistant	Front Office Administrator
Yearly salary	$32,913	$33,516
Hourly rate	$15.82	$16.11
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	149,847	147,279
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	6

What does a front office assistant do?

Front office assistants typically work and perform their duty within the office. They do office support duties like welcome and greet customers, answer phone calls, and schedule and plan appointments. It is their responsibility to sort mails, route calls, and listen to voicemails. They need to organize and give out communications promptly. Also, they do clerical tasks, manage inventory, and maintain their work area. They must be keen to details, can multitask and have excellent communication and customer service skills.

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.

Front office assistant vs front office administrator salary

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

	Front Office Assistant	Front Office Administrator
Average salary	$32,913	$33,516
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $27,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Lakewood, WA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Washington
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Non Profits

Differences between front office assistant and front office administrator education

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

	Front Office Assistant	Front Office Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Medical Assisting Services	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Bakersfield

Front office assistant vs front office administrator demographics

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

	Front Office Assistant	Front Office Administrator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%	Male, 9.9% Female, 90.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between front office assistant and front office administrator duties and responsibilities

Front office assistant example responsibilities.

Manage correspondence and documentation for OSHA compliance and hold some accounts payable responsibilities by coding invoices for processing and payment.
Ensure compliance with HIPAA and OSHA regulations to improve customer relations and promote favorable patient/physician interactions.
Download all transcription for the physicians and mail out letters and patient consults.
Utilize knowledge of ICD-9 and CPT coding by verifying explanation of benefits render to patient, for insurance purposes.
Collect co-pays, enter update demographics into EHR/EMR, enter ICD-9 and CPT codes as needed into patient records electronically
Verify insurance to include commercial and Medicaid.

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.

Front office assistant vs front office administrator skills

Common front office assistant skills

Patients, 21%
Customer Service, 9%
Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
Patient Demographics, 5%
Patient Care, 5%
Front Desk, 4%

Common front office administrator skills

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

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Office and Administrative Industry
Front Office Assistant
Front Office Assistant vs Front Office Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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