What does an office support assistant do?
An office support assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks to keep offices running smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities typically include answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, organizing and disseminating files, and coordinating with different departments. There are also instances where they must attend meetings and take down information, greet visitors, and monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, they may assist the staff when it comes to programs and projects.
Office support assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real office support assistant resumes:
- Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
- Maintain HIPAA standards and audit secure patient files prior to filing.
- Make sure all records are store and handle in compliance with HIPAA procedures.
- Process payroll for administrative and clinical staff.
- Create PowerPoint presentations for many different project managers.
- Process payroll correcting entry forms, logging pertinent information into SharePoint spreadsheet for team activity.
- Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
- Prepare checks on Quickbooks from various funds.
- Verify Medi-cal and additional government plans prior to patient attending appointment.
Office support assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Office Support Assistants are proficient in Customer Service, Data Entry, and Office Equipment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Office Support Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 20%
Contribute sharp administrative skills toward providing broad-scope office support ranging from customer service and billing to records/chart maintenance and archiving
- Data Entry, 16%
Provided audit defense assistance, client documentation organization, data entry, filing and general office assistance.
- Office Equipment, 8%
Processed purchasing requests for office equipment procurement while maintaining and implementing cost reduction initiatives.
- Phone Calls, 6%
Scheduled travel arrangements, coordinated meetings, prepared expense/mileage reports, answered incoming phone calls and provided orientation to new hires.
- Office Procedures, 5%
Assist in clinical department by cleaning and sterilizing instruments as well as prepping and setting up patients for office procedures.
- PowerPoint, 5%
Utilized MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and proprietary real estate programs.
Common skills that an office support assistant uses to do their job include "customer service," "data entry," and "office equipment." You can find details on the most important office support assistant responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for an office support assistant 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 support assistant resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "answer phones * data entry * schedule sales, installation, training, and service appointments * assist customers in the store"
Detail oriented. Many office support assistant duties rely on detail oriented. "general office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills.," so an office support assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways office support assistant responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "scheduled conferences and meetings made travel arrangements, hotel reservations and provide details of schedule, itinerary and locations. "
Organizational skills. office support assistants are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to office support assistant responsibilities, because "general office clerks file and retrieve records." An office support assistant resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "prepare organizational charts, payroll, new employee training, termination paperwork, health insurance, supplies and vehicles. "
The three companies that hire the most office support assistants are:
- UniFirst11 office support assistants jobs
- New York State Restaurant Association8 office support assistants jobs
- Ricoh4 office support assistants jobs
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Office support assistant vs. Support clerk
A support clerk is primarily in charge of performing administrative support tasks in an office, making the daily workflow easier. Their responsibilities typically include preparing and processing documentation, answering and forwarding calls, handling correspondence, disseminating and organizing files, and running errands as needed. They may also update databases, maintaining records of all transactions. Furthermore, as a support clerk, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating to ensure efficient and smooth workplace operations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between office support assistants and support clerk. For instance, office support assistant responsibilities require skills such as "phone calls," "office procedures," "payroll," and "office support." Whereas a support clerk is skilled in "patients," "medical terminology," "word processing," and "patient care." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Support clerks earn the highest salaries when working in the government industry, with an average yearly salary of $35,567. On the other hand, office support assistants are paid more in the transportation industry with an average salary of $35,834.On average, support clerks reach similar levels of education than office support assistants. Support clerks are 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Office support assistant vs. Administrative support
Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries. Most of these duties revolve around supervising and distributing information within an organization. This typically includes taking memos, answering phone calls, and managing, storing, and organizing files. They are also responsible for receiving and sending correspondence and greeting customers and clients. Some administrative support may be required to have vast professional knowledge as their duties are more specialized than the others.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that office support assistant responsibilities requires skills like "office procedures," "general supervision," "office machines," and "clerical tasks." But an administrative support might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "administrative tasks," "patients," "excellent organizational," and "human resources."
Administrative supports may earn a higher salary than office support assistants, but administrative supports earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $40,623. On the other hand, office support assistants receive higher pay in the transportation industry, where they earn an average salary of $35,834.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Administrative supports tend to reach similar levels of education than office support assistants. In fact, they're 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Office support assistant vs. Office clerk
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.
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 support assistant resumes include skills like "phone calls," "office support," "general supervision," and "meeting minutes," whereas an office clerk is more likely to list skills in "direct calls," "word processing," "purchase orders," and "business transactions. "
Office clerks make a very good living in the transportation industry with an average annual salary of $31,504. On the other hand, office support assistants are paid the highest salary in the transportation industry, with average annual pay of $35,834.Most office clerks achieve a similar degree level compared to office support assistants. For example, they're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Office support assistant vs. Business office associate
Business office associates are responsible for providing clerical and administrative support to the office staff for efficient and smooth operations of the office operations. They typically perform a number of tasks that include managing and entering data to spreadsheets and databases, organizing and maintaining files and documents, and assisting with bookkeeping activities. Additionally, they are responsible for managing work projects and overall office management, collaborating with other departments, and maintaining financial documents and customer information. Business office associates are also expected to oversee human resource activities such as handling of employment forms and administering health insurance.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between office support assistants and business office associates, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an office support assistant might have more use for skills like "phone calls," "office procedures," "clerical support," and "telephone calls." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of business office associates require skills like "vehicle sales," "patients," "payable functions," and "cash management. "
In general, business office associates hold similar degree levels compared to office support assistants. Business office associates are 0.8% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of office support assistant
Updated January 8, 2025











