Front office assistant vs office support assistant

The differences between front office assistants and office support 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 support assistant. Additionally, an office support assistant has an average salary of $33,548, 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 support assistant are customer service, data entry, and office equipment.

Front office assistant vs office support assistant overview

	Front Office Assistant	Office Support Assistant
Yearly salary	$32,913	$33,548
Hourly rate	$15.82	$16.13
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	149,847	134,113
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
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 support assistant do?

An office support assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks to keep offices running smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities typically include answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, organizing and disseminating files, and coordinating with different departments. There are also instances where they must attend meetings and take down information, greet visitors, and monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, they may assist the staff when it comes to programs and projects.

Front office assistant vs office support assistant salary

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

	Front Office Assistant	Office Support Assistant
Average salary	$32,913	$33,548
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New York
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Sierra Pacific Industries
Best paying industry	Health Care	Transportation

Differences between front office assistant and office support assistant education

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

	Front Office Assistant	Office Support Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Medical Assisting Services	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Front office assistant vs office support assistant demographics

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

	Front Office Assistant	Office Support Assistant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%	Male, 18.1% Female, 81.9%
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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

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

Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
Maintain HIPAA standards and audit secure patient files prior to filing.
Make sure all records are store and handle in compliance with HIPAA procedures.
Process payroll for administrative and clinical staff.
Create PowerPoint presentations for many different project managers.
Process payroll correcting entry forms, logging pertinent information into SharePoint spreadsheet for team activity.

Front office assistant vs office support 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 support assistant skills

Customer Service, 20%
Data Entry, 16%
Office Equipment, 8%
Phone Calls, 6%
Office Procedures, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%

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Front Office Assistant
Front Office Assistant vs Office Support Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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