Front office assistant vs office clerical assistant

The differences between front office assistants and office clerical assistants 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 clerical assistant. Additionally, a front office assistant has an average salary of $32,913, which is higher than the $28,373 average annual salary of an office clerical assistant.

The top three skills for a front office assistant include patients, customer service and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for an office clerical assistant are data entry, customer service, and patients.

Front office assistant vs office clerical assistant overview

	Front Office Assistant	Office Clerical Assistant
Yearly salary	$32,913	$28,373
Hourly rate	$15.82	$13.64
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	149,847	83,010
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
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 clerical assistant do?

Office clerical assistants are professionals who are responsible for performing a variety of clerical tasks within an organization's office. These assistants must provide office assistance functions such as responding to emails, filing papers, and preparing schedules while handling customers at the front desk. They are required to use automated word processing equipment to produce correspondence, forms, or reports. Clerical assistants must also answer high profile telephone calls and forward the messages to the appropriate person.

Front office assistant vs office clerical assistant salary

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

	Front Office Assistant	Office Clerical Assistant
Average salary	$32,913	$28,373
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $22,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	California
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between front office assistant and office clerical assistant education

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

	Front Office Assistant	Office Clerical Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Medical Assisting Services	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Front office assistant vs office clerical assistant demographics

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

	Front Office Assistant	Office Clerical Assistant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%	Male, 18.5% Female, 81.5%
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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between front office assistant and office clerical assistant 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 clerical assistant example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Prepare payroll summary and submit to accountant for direct deposit.
Provide efficient and professional telephone services in challenging mental health office while upholding confidentiality under HIPAA standards.
Charge entry on EMR program software HCS Interactant.
Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.

Front office assistant vs office clerical assistant 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 clerical assistant skills

Data Entry, 20%
Customer Service, 20%
Patients, 12%
Word Processing, 9%
Office Equipment, 5%
Windows, 4%

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Front Office Assistant
Front Office Assistant vs Office Clerical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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