Receptionist vs office manager

The differences between receptionists and office managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a receptionist, becoming an office manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an office manager has an average salary of $43,395, 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 manager are customer service, patients, and financial statements.

Receptionist vs office manager overview

	Receptionist	Office Manager
Yearly salary	$30,571	$43,395
Hourly rate	$14.70	$20.86
Growth rate	-	-8%
Number of jobs	65,671	53,712
Job satisfaction	3	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	42	47
Years of experience	2	6

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 manager do?

Office managers oversee the entire workplace. They maintain office processes and services to ensure that everything is running well. They manage office supplies by managing inventory and procurement procedures. They also device filing systems, create needed and relevant office policies, and ensure that all the policies are being followed. As a way to make sure that the office is in top shape, office managers supervise most of the logistical aspects inside the office. They also provide support to both management teams and the rest of the employees. They often act as the bridge between the two and would sometimes even assist in the training of new employees.

Receptionist vs office manager salary

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

	Receptionist	Office Manager
Average salary	$30,571	$43,395
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $30,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	Gensler	Moody's
Best paying industry	Finance	Construction

Differences between receptionist and office manager education

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

	Receptionist	Office Manager
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	California State University - Bakersfield

Receptionist vs office manager demographics

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

	Receptionist	Office Manager
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 8.4% Female, 91.6%	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
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, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between receptionist and office manager 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 manager example responsibilities.

Manage international team development of RFP for new MPLS global network services.
Produce around $100k month sales/ billings, AIA documents, and manage customer accounts.
Monitor and manage the HVAC environment and nightly office cleaning performance for maximum comfort, appearance and functionality.
Manage PMO office functions including creation of strategic plan, marketing of services, and resource and project planning.
Manage production of an RFP to source $60m in software and services and manage a subset of the subsequent implementation.
Manage daily functions and systems to ensure patients receive appropriate accommodations under HIPAA guidelines.

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Receptionist vs office manager skills

Common receptionist skills

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

Common office manager skills

Customer Service, 19%
Patients, 13%
Financial Statements, 6%
Office Operations, 4%
Office Equipment, 4%
Scheduling Appointments, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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