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Office clerk vs desk clerk

The differences between office clerks and desk clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an office clerk has an average salary of $30,927, which is higher than the $29,096 average annual salary of a desk clerk.

The top three skills for an office clerk include customer service, data entry and telephone calls. The most important skills for a desk clerk are reservations, front desk, and customer service.

Office clerk vs desk clerk overview

Office ClerkDesk Clerk
Yearly salary$30,927$29,096
Hourly rate$14.87$13.99
Growth rate-5%-
Number of jobs106,497113,183
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 32%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age4737
Years of experience2-

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.

What does a desk clerk do?

The desk clerk or general office clerk is an employee who works with little supervision from the manager. The duties and responsibilities of desk clerks vary depending on the industry they belong to. These may include but are not limited to answering phone calls, electronic correspondence, filing paperwork, taking and maintaining inventory levels, and setting calendars and schedules. They are expected to always offer excellent customer service. In hotels, they check-in and check-out their guests.

Office clerk vs desk clerk salary

Office clerks and desk clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Office ClerkDesk Clerk
Average salary$30,927$29,096
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $38,000Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying CityEnglewood, COSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaCalifornia
Best paying companyUniversity of Massachusetts BostonDeborah's Place
Best paying industryTransportationManufacturing

Differences between office clerk and desk clerk education

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

Office ClerkDesk Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 32%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina University-

Office clerk vs desk clerk demographics

Here are the differences between office clerks' and desk clerks' demographics:

Office ClerkDesk Clerk
Average age4737
Gender ratioMale, 23.3% Female, 76.7%Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 10.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage6%13%

Differences between office clerk and desk clerk duties and responsibilities

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

Desk clerk example responsibilities.

  • Manage customer service issues with ease and charm and train other co workers in daily operations.
  • Assist with setting up meetings using PowerPoint presentations.
  • Book keeping, check ins, paperwork, PowerPoint, enter information into database.
  • Communicate with previous shift, organize shift and review reservations and update contingency
  • Position require guest reservations to be coordinate with housekeeping and maintenance needs.
  • Register new patients and updates existing patient demographics by collecting patient detail patient information including personal and financial information.
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Office clerk vs desk clerk skills

Common office clerk skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Data Entry, 18%
  • Telephone Calls, 7%
  • Payroll, 5%
  • Office Equipment, 4%
  • Office Machines, 3%
Common desk clerk skills
  • Reservations, 22%
  • Front Desk, 14%
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Room Availability, 11%
  • Direct Calls, 6%
  • Telephone Calls, 5%

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