Office specialist vs office receptionist

The differences between office specialists and office 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 specialist and an office receptionist. Additionally, an office receptionist has an average salary of $33,554, which is higher than the $33,477 average annual salary of an office specialist.

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

Office specialist vs office receptionist overview

	Office Specialist	Office Receptionist
Yearly salary	$33,477	$33,554
Hourly rate	$16.09	$16.13
Growth rate	-5%	-
Number of jobs	98,760	80,143
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	47	42
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office specialist do?

An office specialist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the organization's daily operations. Office specialists must be highly organizational, as well as having excellent time-management skills to handle work units. They have duties including data entry procedures, greeting visitors, responding to customers' inquiries through phone calls and e-mails, and filing and sorting documents. Office specialists are responsible for creating meeting reports, scheduling appointments, evaluating financial statements, coordinating with other staff for event planning, and assisting the senior management with complex functions.

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.

Office specialist vs office receptionist salary

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

	Office Specialist	Office Receptionist
Average salary	$33,477	$33,554
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $43,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	Brookhaven National Laboratory	Dairy Farmers of America
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between office specialist and office receptionist education

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

	Office Specialist	Office Receptionist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Office specialist vs office receptionist demographics

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

	Office Specialist	Office Receptionist
Average age	47	42
Gender ratio	Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7%	Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 8.4% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office specialist and office receptionist duties and responsibilities

Office specialist example responsibilities.

Provide support for enrolling patients into health coverage programs and manage sensitive patient information to ensure accuracy and confidentiality.
Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Provide assistance to office staff including preparing and proofreading memos and grants, transcribing meeting minutes for staff and answering phones.
Perform multiple bookkeeping duties including departmental payroll, print financial reports and other financial material as needed.
Communicate HIPAA compliance to staff, field and outside agencies.

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 specialist vs office receptionist skills

Common office specialist skills

Customer Service, 18%
Data Entry, 10%
Patients, 9%
Office Equipment, 6%
Phone Calls, 6%
Word Processing, 4%

Common office receptionist skills

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

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Office Specialist
Office Specialist vs Office Receptionist

Updated January 8, 2025

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