Receptionist vs office clerk

The differences between receptionists and 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 an office clerk. Additionally, an office clerk has an average salary of $30,927, which is higher than the $30,571 average annual salary of a receptionist.

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

Receptionist vs office clerk overview

	Receptionist	Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$30,571	$30,927
Hourly rate	$14.70	$14.87
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	65,671	106,497
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
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 an office clerk do?

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.

Receptionist vs office clerk salary

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

	Receptionist	Office Clerk
Average salary	$30,571	$30,927
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Englewood, CO
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	Gensler	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Finance	Transportation

Differences between receptionist and office clerk education

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

	Receptionist	Office Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Receptionist vs office clerk demographics

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

	Receptionist	Office Clerk
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 8.4% Female, 91.6%	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between receptionist and 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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Office clerk example responsibilities.

Complete medical records requests as specified under HIPAA regulations.
Scan EOB's and attach to payments in software system.
Perform electronic billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and HMO/PPO submissions.
Follow all HIPAA guidelines and safety rules as required within the healthcare policy.
Perform account analysis on credit balance accounts using insurance explanation of benefit information (EOB).
Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provide.

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Receptionist vs office clerk skills

Common receptionist skills

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

Common office clerk skills

Customer Service, 21%
Data Entry, 18%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Payroll, 5%
Office Equipment, 4%
Office Machines, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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