Receptionist vs general office clerk

The differences between receptionists and general office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a receptionist and a general office clerk. Additionally, a receptionist has an average salary of $30,571, which is higher than the $30,034 average annual salary of a general office clerk.

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

Receptionist vs general office clerk overview

	Receptionist	General Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$30,571	$30,034
Hourly rate	$14.70	$14.44
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	65,671	160,597
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	42	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a receptionist do?

Receptionists are employees assigned at the entrances or lobbies of offices. They welcome guests, check identification, issue visitor badges, attend to questions or inquiries, and direct guests to where they are supposed to go. They also receive general mail or packages, answer calls, and manage schedules. Receptionists perform various clerical or administrative functions as assigned by their supervisors. They should have good client relations skills.

What does a general office clerk do?

A general office clerk is responsible for performing various clerical duties to support business functions and ensure smooth daily operations. General office clerks respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, welcoming guests, and assisting in disseminating information across the organization. They maintain the adequacy of inventories, organize business and financial transaction reports, and perform basic bookkeeping tasks and banking transactions. A general office clerk must be highly organizational and analytical, especially in encoding account statements on the database and processing business reports required by the management.

Receptionist vs general office clerk salary

Receptionists and general office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Receptionist	General Office Clerk
Average salary	$30,571	$30,034
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $23,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Washington
Best paying company	Gensler	USF Reddaway
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between receptionist and general office clerk education

There are a few differences between a receptionist and a general office clerk in terms of educational background:

	Receptionist	General Office Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Receptionist vs general office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between receptionists' and general office clerks' demographics:

	Receptionist	General Office Clerk
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 8.4% Female, 91.6%	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between receptionist and general office clerk duties and responsibilities

Receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage invoicing with QuickBooks, taking customer calls and helping with any issues, parts and equipment delivery/pickup/ordering.
Manage multiple employee/resident databases utilizing an EMR system.
Verify insurance information and manage medical records while ensuring confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements.
Manage desk operations for the YMCA, organizing and documenting members' payments and collating operational documents
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Bill patients for medical services provide by various doctors using ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding.

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General office clerk example responsibilities.

Set up PowerPoint presentations using LCD projectors and computers.
Update and maintain PowerPoint presentations used for new hire orientation of management and employees.
Insert data accurately and expeditiously into the company payroll system for future retrieval.
Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
Use QuickBooks for purchase order, inventory activities and sales order.
Bag groceries, assist customers in locating merchandise, cleaning of store floors, restrooms and shelves.

Receptionist vs general office clerk skills

Common receptionist skills

Patients, 17%
Phone Calls, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Front Desk, 8%

Common general office clerk skills

Data Entry, 17%
Customer Service, 15%
Office Equipment, 12%
Front Desk, 11%
Word Processing, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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