What does an Office Receptionist do?
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.
Office receptionist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real office receptionist resumes:
- Verify insurance information and manage medical records while ensuring confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements.
- Answer phones, make copies, Microsoft, PowerPoint, scheduling, greet and interact with clients, filing and mailing.
- Complete and audit payroll for accuracy.
- Process payroll and monthly/quarterly sales tax liabilities.
- Stock exam rooms, sterilize instruments and occasionally assist physician with patients.
- Provide high-quality customer-service to patients by treating them respectfully and t with discretion.
- Provide efficient and professional telephone services in challenging mental health office while upholding confidentiality under HIPAA standards.
- Maintain strict confidentiality in compliance with HIPPA, MFA, and NC state laws.
- Implement quality assurance and control program complaint with HIPPA, CLIA, and OSHA regulations.
- Prepare packages and air- bills for overnight delivery and outgoing USPS mail daily.
- Provide efficient and professional telephone services in challenging mental health office while upholding confidentiality under HIPAA standards.
Office receptionist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Office Receptionists are proficient in Patients, Customer Service, and Phone Calls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Integrity.
We break down the percentage of Office Receptionists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 20%
Provided high-quality customer-service to patients by treating them respectfully and t with discretion.
- Customer Service, 15%
Represented the office effectively in both oral and written communication and received all inquiries with a strong customer service orientation.
- Phone Calls, 12%
Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls using paging and interoffice communication equipment.
- Data Entry, 9%
Performed clerical tasks and basic computer applications including telephone reception & data entry.
- Front Desk, 6%
Provided primary front desk and administrative support to the New York City office for the Electronic Data Systems, Inc. account.
- Appointment Scheduling, 5%
Operate 5-line system including prescription requests, doctor questions, appointment scheduling, new patient information.
Common skills that an office receptionist uses to do their job include "patients," "customer service," and "phone calls." You can find details on the most important office receptionist responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an office receptionist to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "receptionists must speak and write clearly when providing information and corresponding with customers." Additionally, an office receptionist resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "assisted with many projects from communication to hr policies. "
Computer skills. Another essential skill to perform office receptionist duties is computer skills. Office receptionists responsibilities require that "receptionists should be adept at using computers." Office receptionists also use computer skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "used computer for various applications, such as database management or word processing. "
Integrity. office receptionists are also known for integrity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to office receptionist responsibilities, because "receptionists may handle confidential data, especially in medical and legal offices." An office receptionist resume example shows how integrity is used in the workplace: "trusted with sole responsibility for maintaining office operations during weekend hours. "
Interpersonal skills. A big part of what office receptionists do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to office receptionist responsibilities because "receptionists should be comfortable interacting with people in different types of situations." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical office receptionist tasks: "gained knowledge of spreadsheet and word processing software as well as interpersonal and customer service skills. "
Customer-service skills. Another common skill required for office receptionist responsibilities is "customer-service skills." This skill comes up in the duties of office receptionists all the time, as "receptionists represent the organization, so they should be courteous, professional, and helpful to customers and the public." An excerpt from a real office receptionist resume shows how this skill is central to what an office receptionist does: "assist customers with filing insurance claims. "
Organizational skills. While "organizational skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to office receptionist responsibilities. Much of what an office receptionist does relies on this skill, seeing as "receptionists take messages, schedule appointments, and maintain employee files." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of office receptionists: "demonstrate organizational based skills -file paper and computer charts -competent in utilizing computer systems"
The three companies that hire the most office receptionists are:
- Genesis Health System7 office receptionists jobs
- Circle International Inc6 office receptionists jobs
- Claxton Hepburn6 office receptionists jobs
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Compare different office receptionists
Office receptionist vs. Office support clerk
Office support clerks are professionals who provide clerical and administrative duties that support the daily activities of an organization's office setting. These clerks are required to answer incoming calls from clients while maintaining all office and cleaning supplies for the organization. They must communicate with clients and direct them to the appropriate department to ensure quality customer service. Office support clerks must also utilize the automated word processing equipment so that they can produce reports, statistical information, and other departmental information.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, office receptionist responsibilities require skills like "patients," "phone calls," "appointment scheduling," and "insurance verification." Meanwhile a typical office support clerk has skills in areas such as "database systems," "scheduling appointments," "office functions," and "inventory control." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Office support clerks earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $34,227. On the other hand, office receptionists are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $34,162.The education levels that office support clerks earn slightly differ from office receptionists. In particular, office support clerks are 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an office receptionist. Additionally, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Office receptionist vs. Front office clerk
A front office clerk performs various administrative and secretarial duties, including welcoming and greeting clients and visitors, answering telephone calls, and managing the office budget. You will be responsible for monitoring, organizing, and forwarding emails and maintaining files and records. Other duties include following company policies and procedures, organizing transportation for guests, and handling and resolving guest complaints. In addition, you will also be responsible for invoicing and billing guests for their stay and used services.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real office receptionist resumes. While office receptionist responsibilities can utilize skills like "phone calls," "hr," "payroll," and "office procedures," front office clerks use skills like "check-in," "patient care," "hotel services," and "lab results."
Front office clerks may earn a lower salary than office receptionists, but front office clerks earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $32,238. On the other hand, office receptionists receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $34,162.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Front office clerks tend to reach similar levels of education than office receptionists. In fact, they're 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Office receptionist vs. Receptionist/administrator support
Receptionists or customer service professionals are considered as the first contact point of the clients. They usually greet and welcome guests visiting an office or organization. These are employees who serve as administrative or office support. They take responsibility for digital communication. It is their job to coordinate the front desk activities such as redirecting phone calls and distributing correspondence. They should be equipped with skills like attention to detail, dependability, and communication skills.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an office receptionist is likely to be skilled in "patients," "appointment scheduling," "insurance verification," and "office procedures," while a typical receptionist/administrator support is skilled in "inbound calls," "scheduling appointments," "purchase orders," and "event planning."
Receptionist/administrator supports earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $34,049. Office receptionists earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $34,162.When it comes to education, receptionist/administrator supports tend to earn similar degree levels compared to office receptionists. In fact, they're 0.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Office receptionist vs. Receptionist/customer service
Even though a few skill sets overlap between office receptionists and receptionist/customer services, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an office receptionist might have more use for skills like "patients," "appointment scheduling," "hr," and "insurance verification." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of receptionist/customer services require skills like "scheduling appointments," "credit card payments," "outbound calls," and "inbound calls. "
In general, receptionist/customer services earn the most working in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $30,365. The highest-paying industry for an office receptionist is the manufacturing industry.receptionist/customer services reach similar levels of education compared to office receptionists, in general. The difference is that they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of office receptionist
Updated January 8, 2025
