Front office assistant vs office administrator

The differences between front office assistants and office administrators 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 office assistant and an office administrator. Additionally, an office administrator has an average salary of $37,423, 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 an office administrator are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Front office assistant vs office administrator overview

	Front Office Assistant	Office Administrator
Yearly salary	$32,913	$37,423
Hourly rate	$15.82	$17.99
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	149,847	118,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

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 an office administrator do?

Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office. They answer calls directed to the official company phone, manage the inventory of supplies, take charge or purchase requisitions for needed supplies, and ensure the office equipment and fixtures are taken care of. Office administrators also manage correspondences, official memoranda, and other official company documents. They also keep track of files and records to ensure that these are properly organized. At times, office administrators also take charge of welcoming guests and accompanying them to their respective meetings.

Front office assistant vs office administrator salary

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

	Front Office Assistant	Office Administrator
Average salary	$32,913	$37,423
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $28,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between front office assistant and office administrator education

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

	Front Office Assistant	Office Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Medical Assisting Services	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Front office assistant vs office administrator demographics

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

	Front Office Assistant	Office Administrator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%	Male, 14.7% Female, 85.3%
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, 10.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between front office assistant and 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.

Office administrator example responsibilities.

Monitor calls, manage calendars, travel, meeting arrangements, video conference and teleconferencing.
Formulate various procedures to assure efficient operation of the SharePoint system is managed properly for CFWB and BOS.
Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Pull patients charts for doctors using EMR system as well as pulled chart from medical records room.
Create and update all departmental ISO documents.
Collect all outgoing FedEx overnight packages and ship with accurate tracking and conformation information.

Front office assistant vs 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 office administrator skills

Customer Service, 18%
Patients, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Office Equipment, 5%
Front Desk, 4%
PowerPoint, 3%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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