Office receptionist vs office technician

The differences between office receptionists and office technicians 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 office technician. Additionally, an office technician has an average salary of $34,956, which is higher than the $33,554 average annual salary of an office receptionist.

The top three skills for an office receptionist include patients, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for an office technician are data entry, patients, and office equipment.

Office receptionist vs office technician overview

	Office Receptionist	Office Technician
Yearly salary	$33,554	$34,956
Hourly rate	$16.13	$16.81
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	80,143	82,512
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	42	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office receptionist do?

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.

What does an office technician do?

An Office Technician handles installation and repair tasks by using power tools and manual equipment safely and effectively. Besides installing, maintaining, and repairing central office equipment, an office technician also installs, tests, and labels cable lines. They deactivate, activate, and maintain office equipment. Other duties performed by office technicians include removing non-functional and unused office equipment, managing equipment stations and telecommunication rooms cabling, and maintaining inspection, repair, maintenance, and installation documents. Also, these professionals work as per environmental, safety, and health policies.

Office receptionist vs office technician salary

Office receptionists and office technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Receptionist	Office Technician
Average salary	$33,554	$34,956
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	Alaska	Hawaii
Best paying company	Dairy Farmers of America	Motorola Solutions
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Construction

Differences between office receptionist and office technician education

There are a few differences between an office receptionist and an office technician in terms of educational background:

	Office Receptionist	Office Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Office receptionist vs office technician demographics

Here are the differences between office receptionists' and office technicians' demographics:

	Office Receptionist	Office Technician
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5%	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office receptionist and office technician duties and responsibilities

Office receptionist example responsibilities.

Verify insurance information and manage medical records while ensuring confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements.
Answer phones, make copies, Microsoft, PowerPoint, scheduling, greet and interact with clients, filing and mailing.
Complete and audit payroll for accuracy.
Process payroll and monthly/quarterly sales tax liabilities.
Stock exam rooms, sterilize instruments and occasionally assist physician with patients.
Provide high-quality customer-service to patients by treating them respectfully and t with discretion.

Office technician example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Interact with SCO divisions, other agencies and campuses and the public, to resolve distribution problems concerning mail and payroll.
Communicate payroll information with employees.
Verify eligibility and coverage with Medicaid and Medicare.
Certify to perform refraction to patients participating in clinical trials.
Provide patients with surgical and procedural information and instructions as appropriate.

Office receptionist vs office technician skills

Common office receptionist skills

Patients, 20%
Customer Service, 15%
Phone Calls, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Front Desk, 6%
Appointment Scheduling, 5%

Common office technician skills

Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 11%
Office Equipment, 7%
Office Procedures, 7%
Word Processing, 5%
Payroll, 4%

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Office Receptionist
Office Receptionist vs Office Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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