Front office coordinator vs receptionist

The differences between front office coordinators and receptionists 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 coordinator and a receptionist. Additionally, a front office coordinator has an average salary of $32,844, which is higher than the $30,571 average annual salary of a receptionist.

The top three skills for a front office coordinator include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a receptionist are patients, phone calls, and customer service.

Front office coordinator vs receptionist overview

	Front Office Coordinator	Receptionist
Yearly salary	$32,844	$30,571
Hourly rate	$15.79	$14.70
Growth rate	-5%	-
Number of jobs	131,810	65,671
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	47	42
Years of experience	2	2

What does a front office coordinator do?

A front office coordinator is responsible for assisting clients with their inquiries and concerns and directing them to the appropriate department and personnel to immediately address their needs. Front office coordinators schedule appointments, verify visitors' identities by checking their credentials for security purposes, processing service payments, updating customers' data and visitation log on the database, and escalating high-level complaints. A front office coordinator also performs administrative and clerical tasks as needed, requiring them to have excellent time-management and organizational skills.

What does a receptionist do?

Receptionists are employees assigned at the entrances or lobbies of offices. They welcome guests, check identification, issue visitor badges, attend to questions or inquiries, and direct guests to where they are supposed to go. They also receive general mail or packages, answer calls, and manage schedules. Receptionists perform various clerical or administrative functions as assigned by their supervisors. They should have good client relations skills.

Front office coordinator vs receptionist salary

Front office coordinators and receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Office Coordinator	Receptionist
Average salary	$32,844	$30,571
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $42,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Gensler
Best paying industry	Health Care	Finance

Differences between front office coordinator and receptionist education

There are a few differences between a front office coordinator and a receptionist in terms of educational background:

	Front Office Coordinator	Receptionist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Front office coordinator vs receptionist demographics

Here are the differences between front office coordinators' and receptionists' demographics:

	Front Office Coordinator	Receptionist
Average age	47	42
Gender ratio	Male, 9.0% Female, 91.0%	Male, 8.4% Female, 91.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between front office coordinator and receptionist duties and responsibilities

Front office coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage medical records and other patient information within HIPPA guidelines.
Manage facility procedures relate to insurance and billing and solve patients' queries regarding their insurance renewal and expiry.
Work in Kronos to enter miss punches or correct time for employees when payroll is due.
Apply proper ICD-9 and CPT coding to patient invoices and submit claims to insurance companies for proper reimbursement.
Monitor physician documentation in EHR versus fee ticket and verify that the correct ICD9 and CPT codes are being used.
Maintain confidentiality of patient privacy in compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage invoicing with QuickBooks, taking customer calls and helping with any issues, parts and equipment delivery/pickup/ordering.
Manage multiple employee/resident databases utilizing an EMR system.
Verify insurance information and manage medical records while ensuring confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements.
Manage desk operations for the YMCA, organizing and documenting members' payments and collating operational documents
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Bill patients for medical services provide by various doctors using ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding.

Front office coordinator vs receptionist skills

Common front office coordinator skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 5%
Front Desk, 4%
Insurance Verification, 4%
Patient Charts, 3%

Common receptionist skills

Patients, 17%
Phone Calls, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Front Desk, 8%

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Front Office Coordinator
Front Office Coordinator vs Receptionist

Updated January 8, 2025

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