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The differences between office receptionists and administrative receptionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office receptionist and an administrative receptionist. Additionally, an office receptionist has an average salary of $33,554, which is higher than the $31,502 average annual salary of an administrative receptionist.
The top three skills for an office receptionist include patients, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for an administrative receptionist are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Office Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Yearly salary | $33,554 | $31,502 |
| Hourly rate | $16.13 | $15.15 |
| Growth rate | - | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 80,143 | 91,892 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
An administrative receptionist is responsible for performing administrative tasks, handling visitors' inquiries and concerns, verifying appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department, as well as handling and routing calls. Administrative receptionists also keep records of the staff meeting and executive conference, including company and promotional events. They receive packages and mail, sort documents, manage office supply inventories, create incident reports, and report suspicious guests within the premises. An administrative receptionist must have excellent communication and customer service skills, especially on resolving and escalating complaints.
Office receptionists and administrative receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average salary | $33,554 | $31,502 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $41,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Dairy Farmers of America | Beacon Hill Staffing Group |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between an office receptionist and an administrative receptionist in terms of educational background:
| Office Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between office receptionists' and administrative receptionists' demographics:
| Office Receptionist | Administrative Receptionist | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5% | Male, 8.0% Female, 92.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |