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.
Front office manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real front office manager resumes:
- 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.
- Maintain customer database and property management system (PMS), ensuring data accuracy.
- Maintain cleanliness and organization within the office.
- Secure visitor visas for leisure travelers and business professionals with live reservations.
- Monitor VIP requests including world political figures, celebrities and professional athletes.
- Maintain the best possible standards regarding services including maintenance cleanliness and sanitation.
- Introduce new negotiation guidelines for PBX department contracts setting new business standard region-wide.
- Protect patients rights by maintaining confidentiality of personal/ financial information in accordance with HIPAA.
- Monitor and update payroll, schedule and purchasing of inventory, analyze departmental budget with controller.
- Work directly with customers assisting in sales and reservations, resolving problems and ensuring high quality customer relations.
Front office manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Front Office Managers are proficient in Customer Service, Reservations, and Guest Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Customer-service skills, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Front Office Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 13%
Conducted customer service activities, evaluated customer experiences and facilitated the process for improvement and/or resolution in the event of complaints.
- Reservations, 11%
Worked directly with customers assisting in sales and reservations, resolving problems and ensuring high quality customer relations.
- Guest Service, 10%
Worked closely with housekeeping and maintenance departments to improve guest services and foster cross-departmental communication.
- Payroll, 6%
Monitored and updated payroll, schedule and purchasing of inventory, analyzed departmental budget with controller.
- Patients, 6%
Worked directly and confidentially with patients regarding service appointments and scope of services required.
- Night Audit, 5%
Handle all day-to-day front office/night audit operational needs, occasionally filling in for General Manager during his absences.
"customer service," "reservations," and "guest service" are among the most common skills that front office managers use at work. You can find even more front office manager responsibilities below, including:
Business skills. The most essential soft skill for a front office manager to carry out their responsibilities is business skills. This skill is important for the role because "lodging managers need to operate a facility that is profitable." Additionally, a front office manager resume shows how their duties depend on business skills: "maintained schedule for multiple doctors and staff including scheduling appointments, emergencies, lecture schedules, travel arrangements and business meetings. "
Customer-service skills. Many front office manager duties rely on customer-service skills. "lodging managers must have excellent customer-service skills," so a front office manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways front office manager responsibilities rely on customer-service skills: "developed manager on duty program ensuring quality guest services and hotel mandated goals. "
Leadership skills. This is an important skill for front office managers to perform their duties. For an example of how front office manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "lodging managers must establish a productive work environment, which may involve motivating personnel, resolving conflicts, and handling guests’ complaints." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a front office manager: "provided key leadership and advice to staff regarding patient care policies and procedures. ".
Listening skills. For certain front office manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "listening skills." The day-to-day duties of a front office manager rely on this skill, as "lodging managers must have excellent listening skills for attending to the needs of guests and maintaining a good working relationship with staff." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what front office managers do: "communicated with patient and their escorts all the necessary information before and after care procedure for optimal patient care. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for front office manager responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of front office managers all the time, as "lodging managers must be able to resolve personnel issues and guest complaints." An excerpt from a real front office manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a front office manager does: "provide quality guest interaction and services including guest resolutions. "
Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what a front office manager does. Front office manager responsibilities require this skill because "lodging managers interact regularly with many different people." This resume example highlights how front office manager duties rely on this skill: "developed interpersonal skills through customer service! "
The three companies that hire the most front office managers are:
- Highgate Hotels66 front office managers jobs
- Hilton38 front office managers jobs
- Marriott International36 front office managers jobs
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Compare different front office managers
Front office manager vs. Office supervisor
An office supervisor is responsible for overseeing the progress of the workflow and workforce in an office or similar setting, ensuring everything is running smoothly. Aside from this, they must also carry out other tasks such as processing paperwork, preparing reports and presentations, managing schedules, responding to inquiries, and handling correspondence. There are also instances when a supervisor must evaluate staff and address any issues. Furthermore, as an office supervisor, it is also their responsibility to implement the policies and guidelines of the company.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a front office manager are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "reservations," "guest service," and "payroll." On the other hand, a job as an office supervisor requires skills like "office procedures," "data entry," "office operations," and "quality customer service." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Office supervisors tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $46,395. In contrast, front office managers make the biggest average salary, $56,275, in the hospitality industry.The education levels that office supervisors earn slightly differ from front office managers. In particular, office supervisors are 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a front office manager. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Front office manager vs. Billing manager
A billing manager is in charge of overseeing the systems and processes concerned with billing in a company. One of their primary duties is to handle the receivable accounts to ensure smooth cash flow, assess the validity of bills, provide corrective measures when necessary, supervise the workforce's performance, and solve issues raised by staff. As a billing manager, it is essential to implement all policies and regulations while leading and encouraging the team in their joint effort to reach targets and deadlines.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, front office manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "reservations," "guest service," "payroll," and "night audit." Meanwhile, a billing manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "billing procedures," "revenue cycle," "medicaid," and "mediation." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Billing managers may earn a higher salary than front office managers, but billing managers earn the most pay in the utilities industry with an average salary of $89,214. On the other hand, front office managers receive higher pay in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $56,275.In general, billing managers achieve similar levels of education than front office managers. They're 3.1% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Front office manager vs. Office lead
An office lead is responsible for performing complex administrative tasks, especially in front office operations, managing staff performance, and providing high-quality customer service by responding to visitors' inquiries and concerns and directing them to the appropriate department. These leads monitor daily business transactions, write business reports, and manage the information in the system database. They also schedule appointments, business travels, and company meetings and ensure that the plans meet the allocated budget and requirements of the management.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from front office manager resumes include skills like "reservations," "guest service," "night audit," and "front office operations," whereas an office lead is more likely to list skills in "data entry," "powerpoint," "human resources," and "office procedures. "
Office leads earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $88,206. Front office managers earn the highest pay from the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $56,275.When it comes to education, office leads tend to earn similar degree levels compared to front office managers. In fact, they're 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Front office manager vs. Service department manager
A service department manager is responsible for leading the service department operations by assisting the staff in customer interaction, providing the highest customer service, and negotiating contracts and partnerships with clients. Service department managers coordinate with the sales and marketing team for brand promotions and advising the staff in selling new products to potential customers. They also handle and resolve high-level complaints, process replacements, and issue refunds as needed. A service department manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in encouraging and supporting the team members to meet the department's goals and objectives.
Types of front office manager
Updated January 8, 2025
