Front office manager vs desk manager

The differences between front office managers and desk managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a front office manager and a desk manager. Additionally, a desk manager has an average salary of $75,140, which is higher than the $52,141 average annual salary of a front office manager.

The top three skills for a front office manager include customer service, reservations and guest service. The most important skills for a desk manager are CRM, sales process, and quality customer service.

Front office manager vs desk manager overview

	Front Office Manager	Desk Manager
Yearly salary	$52,141	$75,140
Hourly rate	$25.07	$36.12
Growth rate	18%	-
Number of jobs	80,983	45,871
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a front office manager do?

Front office managers act as the senior person in an office setting and are responsible for keeping a professional work environment, administrative support, and staff supervision. They have varied tasks and duties, including managing accounting functions, approving office equipment and supplies, and allocating work assignments. They often use several skills to accomplish their responsibilities, including in-depth knowledge of the organization, a better understanding of the company's offerings and products, and awareness of other employees' different roles.

What does a desk manager do?

A desk manager's responsibilities focus on facilitating communication and performing organizational support tasks to maintain the smooth flow of operations at offices. Although the extent of their duties primarily depends on their company or employment industry, it usually includes handling calls and correspondence, answering inquiries, resolving issues and concerns, forwarding calls and messages, arranging appointments and schedules, organizing files, and overseeing various communication materials. In some offices, a desk manager manages different teams, supervising their performance while enforcing company standards and policies.

Front office manager vs desk manager salary

Front office managers and desk managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Office Manager	Desk Manager
Average salary	$52,141	$75,140
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $70,000	Between $44,000 And $127,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Eureka, CA
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Nomura Securities	ServiceNow
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between front office manager and desk manager education

There are a few differences between a front office manager and a desk manager in terms of educational background:

	Front Office Manager	Desk Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	California State University - Bakersfield

Front office manager vs desk manager demographics

Here are the differences between front office managers' and desk managers' demographics:

	Front Office Manager	Desk Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8%	Male, 54.9% Female, 45.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between front office manager and desk manager duties and responsibilities

Front office manager example responsibilities.

Serve as managing department head of the newly create small meetings group focusing on short-term incremental business across all Marriott brands.
Process monthly and quarterly taxes * deliver payroll weekly * manage accounts payable/receivable * schedule appointments * direct phone calls
Manage facility procedures relate to insurance and billing and solve patients' queries regarding their insurance renewal and expiry.
Direct all guest service associates, reception managers, agents and PBX with full fiscal responsibilities, including budgeting and forecasting.
Ensure that VIP reservations are appropriately block through close monitoring and proper organization.
Lead trainer for new PMS roll-out, including downtime and upgrade management.

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Desk manager example responsibilities.

Provide leadership and direction to facility management and program owners while motivating and interacting with employees to achieve continuous improvement.
Maintain POS transactions and hotel budget.
Shred patient information to comply with HIPAA regulations.
Follow HIPAA guidelines to ensure staff compliance.assist with all dental procedures.
Design a multi-part training program for the primary POS program used in retail locations.
Import and export all patient data into the EMR from hospitals and other qualify health care providers.

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Front office manager vs desk manager skills

Common front office manager skills

Customer Service, 13%
Reservations, 11%
Guest Service, 10%
Payroll, 6%
Patients, 6%
Night Audit, 5%

Common desk manager skills

CRM, 19%
Sales Process, 12%
Quality Customer Service, 10%
CSI, 9%
Sales People, 8%
Sales Desk, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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