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The differences between receptionist secretaries and office receptionists 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 secretary and an office receptionist. Additionally, an office receptionist has an average salary of $33,554, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a receptionist secretary.
The top three skills for a receptionist secretary include patients, data entry and phone calls. The most important skills for an office receptionist are patients, customer service, and phone calls.
| Receptionist Secretary | Office Receptionist | |
| Yearly salary | $29,343 | $33,554 |
| Hourly rate | $14.11 | $16.13 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 61,892 | 80,143 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A receptionist secretary is responsible for providing the best customer service, as well as attending to the needs of existing and potential clients. Duties of a receptionist secretary include managing customer's inquiries and forwarding important calls to the appropriate department, performing administrative and clerical tasks, escalating high-level of client's concerns to the management, keeping the reception area clean, monitoring office supplies and request stocks as needed, and maintaining an organized record of meetings and events. A receptionist secretary must have strong communication and multi-tasking skills to handle workloads of daily operations.
An office receptionist, or administrative assistant, performs various administrative tasks for an organization. These tasks may include answering phone calls, providing the public and customers with information, and warmly welcoming, greeting, and directing visitors or guests accordingly. Additionally, an office receptionist is responsible for maintaining security by issuing visitor badges, monitoring logbooks, and following procedures. Administrative assistants are also responsible for preparing and processing travel vouchers and other documents. Some employers prefer someone with a college or bachelor's degree, telephone skills, and excellent communication skills.
Receptionist secretaries and office receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Receptionist Secretary | Office Receptionist | |
| Average salary | $29,343 | $33,554 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $35,000 | Between $27,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lake Oswego, OR | Minneapolis, MN |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Illinois Institute of Technology | Dairy Farmers of America |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a receptionist secretary and an office receptionist in terms of educational background:
| Receptionist Secretary | Office Receptionist | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between receptionist secretaries' and office receptionists' demographics:
| Receptionist Secretary | Office Receptionist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 5.6% Female, 94.4% | Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |