What does a Desk Clerk do?
The desk clerk or general office clerk is an employee who works with little supervision from the manager. The duties and responsibilities of desk clerks vary depending on the industry they belong to. These may include but are not limited to answering phone calls, electronic correspondence, filing paperwork, taking and maintaining inventory levels, and setting calendars and schedules. They are expected to always offer excellent customer service. In hotels, they check-in and check-out their guests.
Desk clerk responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real desk clerk resumes:
- Manage customer service issues with ease and charm and train other co workers in daily operations.
- Assist with setting up meetings using PowerPoint presentations.
- Book keeping, check ins, paperwork, PowerPoint, enter information into database.
- Communicate with previous shift, organize shift and review reservations and update contingency
- Position require guest reservations to be coordinate with housekeeping and maintenance needs.
- Register new patients and updates existing patient demographics by collecting patient detail patient information including personal and financial information.
- Operate balers to compress recycle materials into bundles or bales
- Use proper machinery such as, balers and jacks, to move product and complete operational tasks.
- Monitor checkout stations to ensure that they have adequate cash available and that they are staff appropriately.
Desk clerk skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Desk Clerks are proficient in Reservations, Front Desk, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Integrity, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Desk Clerks that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Reservations, 22%
Issued customers a Blanket Purchase Agreement Number or Certificate of Non-Availability when unable to fill requested reservations.
- Front Desk, 14%
Ensured a positive client-veterinarian experience by handling front desk and receptionist responsibilities.
- Customer Service, 12%
Utilize excellent customer service skills to answer questions and advise students and other visitors regarding dormitory information and local amenities.
- Room Availability, 11%
Answer phone inquiries concerning room availability, rates, company information and surrounding area information.
- Direct Calls, 6%
Answer and Direct calls, Greet Clients, Set Appointments, Filed, Xerox and Faxed Paperwork
- Telephone Calls, 5%
Answered telephone calls*Responded to questions and concerns about housing department*Maintained and updated database
"reservations," "front desk," and "customer service" are among the most common skills that desk clerks use at work. You can find even more desk clerk responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a desk clerk to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what desk clerks do because "information clerks must be able to explain policies and procedures clearly to customers and the public." Additionally, a desk clerk resume shows how desk clerks use communication skills: "operated telecommunication systems for the purpose of screening calls, transferring calls, responding to inquiries, and/or taking messages. "
Integrity. Another essential skill to perform desk clerk duties is integrity. Desk clerks responsibilities require that "information clerks, particularly human resources assistants, have access to confidential information." Desk clerks also use integrity in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided excellent customer service in fast paced environment answer, transfer and screen calls make reservations uphold integrity and company policies"
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for desk clerks to perform their duties. For an example of how desk clerk responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "information clerks who work with the public and customers must understand and communicate information effectively to establish positive relationships." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a desk clerk: "processed dry cleaning orders handled cash and credit card transactions balanced cash drawer exercised superior interpersonal skills for service recovery".
Organizational skills. A big part of what desk clerks do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to desk clerk responsibilities because "information clerks must be able to retrieve files and other important information quickly and efficiently." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical desk clerk tasks: "provided excellent customer service to patrons of library used organizational skills to re shelve books"
The three companies that hire the most desk clerks are:
- BayCare Health System23 desk clerks jobs
- The John Stewart Company8 desk clerks jobs
- Income Property Management5 desk clerks jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable desk clerk resume templates
Build a professional desk clerk resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your desk clerk resume.
Compare different desk clerks
Desk clerk vs. Data entry assistant
A data entry assistant is responsible for performing data entry procedures, updating customer information, as well as logging business transactions on the company's database accurately and efficiently. Data entry assistants compile and sort documents, escalating incomplete information for verification, and following the business' procedures on disposing and eliminating unnecessary data. They also provide administrative and clerical support on office operations, including assisting visitors on their needs or directing them to the appropriate personnel for their concerns. A data entry assistant maintains a safe and secured database and immediately call for support in case of unauthorized access and system inconsistencies.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a desk clerk are more likely to require skills like "reservations," "customer service," "room availability," and "direct calls." On the other hand, a job as a data entry assistant requires skills like "company database," "re-enter data," "hr," and "payroll." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Data entry assistants tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $35,180. In contrast, desk clerks make the biggest average salary, $31,643, in the manufacturing industry.data entry assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than desk clerks. In fact, data entry assistants are 1.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Desk clerk vs. Front desk receptionist
Front desk receptionists are usually the first contact of clients or visitors in an office or building. They are responsible for welcoming and receiving guests, documenting guests' arrival and updating the visitor logbook, informing hosts and other involved employees that the guests have arrived, and directing the guests to where they should go next. They also man telephone lines, schedule appointments, receive packages or mails, and answer office visitors' questions. Front desk receptionists are expected to be personable, knowledgeable on office-related activities, and familiar with everyone.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that desk clerk responsibilities requires skills like "front desk," "incident reports," "service desk," and "hotel guests." But a front desk receptionist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "check-in," "phone calls," and "appointment scheduling."
On average, front desk receptionists earn a higher salary than desk clerks. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, front desk receptionists earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $31,038. Whereas desk clerks have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $31,643.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Front desk receptionists tend to reach similar levels of education than desk clerks. In fact, they're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Desk clerk vs. Customer service clerk
A customer service clerk is responsible for resolving client issues, giving requested information, and providing clients high-quality customer service. Customer service clerks' tasks include sharing information, responding to and recording requests, collecting payments, and resolving billing disputes. Also, they ensure that products or services are delivered promptly to customers. Applicants to the job must be able to listen and communicate well. They must have excellent customer service skills and be able to multitask. Skills in conflict resolution and problem-solving will also give them an edge.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from desk clerk resumes include skills like "reservations," "room availability," "incident reports," and "night audit," whereas a customer service clerk is more likely to list skills in "basic math," "front end," "math," and "cash handling. "
Customer service clerks earn the highest salary when working in the retail industry, where they receive an average salary of $31,999. Comparatively, desk clerks have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $31,643.Most customer service clerks achieve a similar degree level compared to desk clerks. For example, they're 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Desk clerk vs. Receptionist/billing clerk
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.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between desk clerks and receptionist/billing clerks, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a desk clerk might have more use for skills like "reservations," "room availability," "incident reports," and "night audit." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of receptionist/billing clerks require skills like "patients," "data entry," "appointment scheduling," and "patient appointments. "
The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for receptionist/billing clerks, with average annual pay of $35,383. Comparatively, the highest desk clerk annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.receptionist/billing clerks reach similar levels of education compared to desk clerks, in general. The difference is that they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of desk clerk
Updated January 8, 2025
