Research clerk vs receptionist/billing clerk

The differences between research clerks and receptionist/billing clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a research clerk, becoming a receptionist/billing clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a research clerk has an average salary of $32,652, which is higher than the $31,932 average annual salary of a receptionist/billing clerk.

The top three skills for a research clerk include telephone inquiries, customer accounts and financial institutions. The most important skills for a receptionist/billing clerk are patients, data entry, and customer service.

Research clerk vs receptionist/billing clerk overview

	Research Clerk	Receptionist/Billing Clerk
Yearly salary	$32,652	$31,932
Hourly rate	$15.70	$15.35
Growth rate	-5%	-
Number of jobs	113,814	129,530
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 31%
Average age	51	42
Years of experience	6	2

What does a research clerk do?

A research clerk executes and performs clerical activities in the research department. They also research and verify data useful for business clients as well as conducting research on client products or services to improvise business opportunities. Their duties and responsibilities also include assigning topics to other team members, verifying data before submission, and ensuring research does not violate best practices.

What does a receptionist/billing clerk do?

A receptionist/billing clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties as needed to maintain a smooth flow of operations for the business. Receptionist/billing clerks process the customers' payment transactions, manage account payables, releasing invoices, and immediately resolve account discrepancies. A receptionist/billing clerk must have excellent communication and analytical skills, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, escalating high-level complaints to the billing management. They should also maintain records of financial documentation for reference and reconciliation as needed.

Research clerk vs receptionist/billing clerk salary

Research clerks and receptionist/billing clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Clerk	Receptionist/Billing Clerk
Average salary	$32,652	$31,932
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Santa Maria, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	Novant Health	Leggett & Platt
Best paying industry	Government	Technology

Differences between research clerk and receptionist/billing clerk education

There are a few differences between a research clerk and a receptionist/billing clerk in terms of educational background:

	Research Clerk	Receptionist/Billing Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Research clerk vs receptionist/billing clerk demographics

Here are the differences between research clerks' and receptionist/billing clerks' demographics:

	Research Clerk	Receptionist/Billing Clerk
Average age	51	42
Gender ratio	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%	Male, 7.2% Female, 92.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 25.0% Asian, 5.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between research clerk and receptionist/billing clerk duties and responsibilities

Research clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Re-created personal and commercial bank statements as requested by customers or in compliance with court-issu subpoenas.
Process work to the proof operators to encode checks.
Assist tellers in posting all deposit slips and withdrawals in NCR machine
Balance deposits make by customers, micro encode checks & deposit slips.
Create accounting worksheets and post entries for 3rd party lockbox, credit card settlements and product billing.

Receptionist/billing clerk example responsibilities.

Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Obtain and track all insurance referrals for patients with HMO products.
Coordinate in-processing of all patients, to include accurate insurance information and payments are entered correctly into office computer system.
Move from SNF billing to HMO outpatient billing and keep a large alpha current.
Maintain confidentiality and adherence to HIPAA guidelines.
Develop effective billing strategies for Medicaid recipients according to HIPPA rules and regulations.

Research clerk vs receptionist/billing clerk skills

Common research clerk skills

Telephone Inquiries, 16%
Customer Accounts, 9%
Financial Institutions, 9%
Subpoenas, 8%
Exception Reports, 8%
Legal Research, 7%

Common receptionist/billing clerk skills

Patients, 25%
Data Entry, 11%
Customer Service, 9%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Appointment Scheduling, 6%
Front Desk, 5%

Research Clerk vs. similar jobs

Research Clerk related careers

Research Clerk related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Research Clerk
Research Clerk vs Receptionist/Billing Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs