Salon receptionist vs front office assistant

The differences between salon receptionists and front office assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a salon receptionist and a front office assistant. Additionally, a front office assistant has an average salary of $32,913, which is higher than the $28,969 average annual salary of a salon receptionist.

The top three skills for a salon receptionist include PET, salon services and cleanliness. The most important skills for a front office assistant are patients, customer service, and excellent interpersonal.

Salon receptionist vs front office assistant overview

	Salon Receptionist	Front Office Assistant
Yearly salary	$28,969	$32,913
Hourly rate	$13.93	$15.82
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	77,096	149,847
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 24%
Average age	42	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a salon receptionist do?

A salon receptionist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support daily salon operations. Salon receptionists greet customers, direct them to the beauticians for their needs, and log their information in the database. They also take phone calls for scheduling appointments, process payments, and offer services to the customers according to their needs. A salon receptionist helps the business in identifying new services to generate more revenues for the business and attract potential customers.

What does a front office assistant do?

Front office assistants typically work and perform their duty within the office. They do office support duties like welcome and greet customers, answer phone calls, and schedule and plan appointments. It is their responsibility to sort mails, route calls, and listen to voicemails. They need to organize and give out communications promptly. Also, they do clerical tasks, manage inventory, and maintain their work area. They must be keen to details, can multitask and have excellent communication and customer service skills.

Salon receptionist vs front office assistant salary

Salon receptionists and front office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Salon Receptionist	Front Office Assistant
Average salary	$28,969	$32,913
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between salon receptionist and front office assistant education

There are a few differences between a salon receptionist and a front office assistant in terms of educational background:

	Salon Receptionist	Front Office Assistant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 24%
Most common major	Cosmetology	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Salon receptionist vs front office assistant demographics

Here are the differences between salon receptionists' and front office assistants' demographics:

	Salon Receptionist	Front Office Assistant
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5%	Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between salon receptionist and front office assistant duties and responsibilities

Salon receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage expenses and track sales in QuickBooks.
Manage the salon's Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest accounts
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Answer phones, schedule appointments, POS and retail customer service.
Monitor client flow from check-in to discharge.
Maintain retail goal while upselling services for technicians.

Front office assistant example responsibilities.

Manage correspondence and documentation for OSHA compliance and hold some accounts payable responsibilities by coding invoices for processing and payment.
Ensure compliance with HIPAA and OSHA regulations to improve customer relations and promote favorable patient/physician interactions.
Download all transcription for the physicians and mail out letters and patient consults.
Utilize knowledge of ICD-9 and CPT coding by verifying explanation of benefits render to patient, for insurance purposes.
Collect co-pays, enter update demographics into EHR/EMR, enter ICD-9 and CPT codes as needed into patient records electronically
Verify insurance to include commercial and Medicaid.

Salon receptionist vs front office assistant skills

Common salon receptionist skills

PET, 15%
Salon Services, 14%
Cleanliness, 14%
POS, 9%
Product Knowledge, 9%
Retail Products, 6%

Common front office assistant skills

Patients, 21%
Customer Service, 9%
Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
Patient Demographics, 5%
Patient Care, 5%
Front Desk, 4%

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Salon Receptionist
Salon Receptionist vs Front Office Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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