Phone operator vs appointment coordinator

The differences between phone operators and appointment coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a phone operator and an appointment coordinator. Additionally, an appointment coordinator has an average salary of $31,144, which is higher than the $30,289 average annual salary of a phone operator.

The top three skills for a phone operator include patients, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for an appointment coordinator are patients, customer service, and repair orders.

Phone operator vs appointment coordinator overview

	Phone Operator	Appointment Coordinator
Yearly salary	$30,289	$31,144
Hourly rate	$14.56	$14.97
Growth rate	-4%	-8%
Number of jobs	87,484	72,134
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	53	49
Years of experience	2	2

What does a phone operator do?

The primary job of phone operators is to help customers by answering questions, providing information, and transferring calls. They handle special billing requests from customers such as credits or refunds for bad connections or incorrectly dialed numbers and third-party charges. They may also handle emergency calls and aid children or people with disabilities to make phone calls. Other tasks of phone operators include calculating and quoting charges for services, operating telephone switchboards, and monitoring automated systems for collect calls placement.

What does an appointment coordinator do?

Appointment coordinators are professionals who are responsible for coordinating and initiating business appointments between external associates and the organization's top management. These coordinators are required to schedule all appointments for their customer service representatives and directing them to maintain a positive attitude and customer service to their clients. They must supervise the service department by implement employee procedures and answering most of their incoming phone calls. Appointment coordinators must also perform administrative duties such as faxing, filing records, and data entry.

Phone operator vs appointment coordinator salary

Phone operators and appointment coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Phone Operator	Appointment Coordinator
Average salary	$30,289	$31,144
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $36,000	Between $25,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between phone operator and appointment coordinator education

There are a few differences between a phone operator and an appointment coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Phone Operator	Appointment Coordinator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Phone operator vs appointment coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between phone operators' and appointment coordinators' demographics:

	Phone Operator	Appointment Coordinator
Average age	53	49
Gender ratio	Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3%	Male, 14.9% Female, 85.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 3.2% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	19%	9%

Differences between phone operator and appointment coordinator duties and responsibilities

Phone operator example responsibilities.

Manage incoming calls from patients and medical professionals by utilizing telephonic paging system and manual messaging.
Answer phone calls for att and directv
Up sell customers to DirecTV bundles as well as internet, cell phone service, long distance and home phone service.
Illistrate confidentiality of veterans when discussing concerns as it relate to medical treatments in compliance with HIPPA regulations.
Up sell customers to DirecTV bundles as well as internet, cell phone service, long distance and home phone service.

Appointment coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage check-in and registration process for all appointments including physician appointments and medical imaging.
Schedule re-check appointment and MRI appointments.
Make sure all HIPAA laws are adhere to.
Schedule new patient, re-check and MRI counseling appointments.
Access EMR to respond to clinic/patient request for medical information.
Maintain confidentiality of all patient information per HIPAA guidelines.

Phone operator vs appointment coordinator skills

Common phone operator skills

Patients, 15%
Customer Service, 15%
Phone Calls, 13%
Telephone Calls, 9%
Front Desk, 4%
Computer System, 4%

Common appointment coordinator skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 15%
Repair Orders, 9%
Data Entry, 6%
Service Calls, 6%
Phone Calls, 5%

Phone Operator vs. similar jobs

Phone Operator related careers

Phone Operator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Phone Operator
Phone Operator vs Appointment Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs