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.
Office clerk responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real office clerk resumes:
- 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.
- Obtain and gather information for PowerPoint presentation
- Inventory and organization of football uniforms and equipment.
- Type correspondence and create PowerPoint presentations for special events.
- Process Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance electronic billing.
- Provide timely and professional service to patients in all areas of responsibility.
- Conduct research as necessary using financial reports to resolve payroll discrepancies and answer inquiries.
- Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
- Assist payroll specialist in conducting research on discrepancies of payroll information and documentation before processing.
- Submit bids on the ACAS system & some A/R.4/2000-4/2002
Office clerk skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Office Clerks are proficient in Customer Service, Data Entry, and Telephone Calls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Office Clerks that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 21%
Perform a customer service representative role by providing product related information electronically and by phone to clients.
- Data Entry, 18%
Operated office equipment and completed general office work including answering calls, data entry and in-person requests
- Telephone Calls, 7%
Receive and directing telephone calls and relaying messages to others while maintaining accuracy, clarity and confidentiality.
- Payroll, 5%
Conducted research as necessary using financial reports to resolve payroll discrepancies and answer inquiries.
- Office Equipment, 4%
Operated standard office equipment, adhered to safety practices, efficiently used pertinent software applications and prepared and maintained accurate records.
- Office Machines, 3%
Balanced basic bookkeeping and filing duties Deliver and/or pick up packages Operate office machines Compile financial records
Common skills that an office clerk uses to do their job include "customer service," "data entry," and "telephone calls." You can find details on the most important office clerk responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for an office clerk to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "general office clerks often provide general information to company staff, customers, or the public." Additionally, an office clerk resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "answered telephones, questions and referred calls and/or walk-in customers, assist with scheduling service appointments. "
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform office clerk duties is detail oriented. Office clerks responsibilities require that "general office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills." Office clerks also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "contributed to the success of hr practices that encouraged an employee-oriented culture. "
Organizational skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of office clerks is organizational skills. This skill is critical to many everyday office clerk duties, as "general office clerks file and retrieve records." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "handled correspondence, reports, spreadsheets and organizational charts as well as data entry. "
The three companies that hire the most office clerks are:
- Lowes Foods22 office clerks jobs
- U-Haul11 office clerks jobs
- ABM Industries10 office clerks jobs
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Compare different office clerks
Office clerk vs. Office administrator
Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office. They answer calls directed to the official company phone, manage the inventory of supplies, take charge or purchase requisitions for needed supplies, and ensure the office equipment and fixtures are taken care of. Office administrators also manage correspondences, official memoranda, and other official company documents. They also keep track of files and records to ensure that these are properly organized. At times, office administrators also take charge of welcoming guests and accompanying them to their respective meetings.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, office clerk responsibilities require skills like "payroll," "hr," "clerical tasks," and "business transactions." Meanwhile a typical office administrator has skills in areas such as "patients," "financial reports," "human resources," and "administrative functions." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Office administrators really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $39,681. Comparatively, office clerks tend to make the most money in the transportation industry with an average salary of $31,504.office administrators tend to reach similar levels of education than office clerks. In fact, office administrators are 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Office clerk vs. Office receptionist
An office receptionist, or administrative assistant, performs various administrative tasks for an organization. These tasks may include answering phone calls, providing the public and customers with information, and warmly welcoming, greeting, and directing visitors or guests accordingly. Additionally, an office receptionist is responsible for maintaining security by issuing visitor badges, monitoring logbooks, and following procedures. Administrative assistants are also responsible for preparing and processing travel vouchers and other documents. Some employers prefer someone with a college or bachelor's degree, telephone skills, and excellent communication skills.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real office clerk resumes. While office clerk responsibilities can utilize skills like "scheduling appointments," "purchase orders," "clerical tasks," and "business transactions," office receptionists use skills like "patients," "phone calls," "appointment scheduling," and "insurance verification."
Office receptionists may earn a higher salary than office clerks, but office receptionists earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $34,162. On the other hand, office clerks receive higher pay in the transportation industry, where they earn an average salary of $31,504.In general, office receptionists achieve similar levels of education than office clerks. They're 0.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Office clerk vs. Data clerk
A data clerk is responsible for performing administrative support tasks, mainly focusing on data-entry. Their responsibilities typically include updating databases, maintaining records on spreadsheets and other documents, preparing and processing files, creating and organizing reports, coordinating with different departments to gather or disseminate data, and performing research and analysis. They may also handle calls and correspondence, monitor schedules and office supply inventory, and complete support tasks for staff as necessary. Furthermore, as a data clerk, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with teams and adhere to the company's data security policies and regulations.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from office clerk resumes include skills like "customer service," "word processing," "scheduling appointments," and "bank deposits," whereas a data clerk is more likely to list skills in "computer entry," "student data," "data integrity," and "source data. "
Data clerks make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $35,533. On the other hand, office clerks are paid the highest salary in the transportation industry, with average annual pay of $31,504.When it comes to education, data clerks tend to earn similar degree levels compared to office clerks. In fact, they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Office clerk vs. Room clerk
A room clerk is responsible for receiving guests and assigning them to their respective rooms, typically in a hotel setting. Room clerks manage guests' reservations, explain the policies of the premises, and process their payments for staying at the hotel. They also ensure the rooms' cleanliness, reaching out to the maintenance for any repairs and requests for additional room items. A room clerk must have excellent communication and customer service skills, respond to the customer's inquiries and concerns, and resolve service complaints immediately.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between office clerks and room clerks, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an office clerk might have more use for skills like "payroll," "direct calls," "word processing," and "scheduling appointments." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of room clerks require skills like "stock room," "postage meter," "delivery carts," and "parts room. "
Room clerks enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $33,014. For comparison, office clerks earn the highest salary in the transportation industry.In general, room clerks hold similar degree levels compared to office clerks. Room clerks are 0.2% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of office clerk
Updated January 8, 2025
