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Front office assistant vs office clerk

The differences between front office assistants and office clerks 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 clerk. Additionally, a front office assistant has an average salary of $32,913, which is higher than the $30,927 average annual salary of an office clerk.

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

Front office assistant vs office clerk overview

Front Office AssistantOffice Clerk
Yearly salary$32,913$30,927
Hourly rate$15.82$14.87
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs149,847106,497
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 24%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age4747
Years of experience22

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 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 assistant vs office clerk salary

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

Front Office AssistantOffice Clerk
Average salary$32,913$30,927
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $40,000Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCEnglewood, CO
Highest paying stateConnecticutAlaska
Best paying companyUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industryHealth CareTransportation

Differences between front office assistant and office clerk education

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

Front Office AssistantOffice Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 24%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common majorMedical Assisting ServicesBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaWestern Carolina University

Front office assistant vs office clerk demographics

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

Front Office AssistantOffice Clerk
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 9.7% Female, 90.3%Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between front office assistant and office clerk 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.
    • Show more

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.
    • Show more

Front office assistant vs office clerk 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 clerk skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Data Entry, 18%
  • Telephone Calls, 7%
  • Payroll, 5%
  • Office Equipment, 4%
  • Office Machines, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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