What does a Desk Attendant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
What does a Desk Attendant do
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Desk attendant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real desk attendant resumes:

  • Grind maintenance, snow removal and mowing.
  • Assist on special projects consisting of transferring reservations to new internal booking system and balancing advance deposits
  • Perform lifeguard duties, such as water rescues and administers first aid as necessary.
  • Help to maintain office organization and functionality

Desk attendant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 17% of Desk Attendants are proficient in Front Desk, Customer Service, and Cash Control. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Customer-service skills, and Communication skills.

We break down the percentage of Desk Attendants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Front Desk, 17%

    Observed and monitored the front desk & surrounding areas for security purposes to ensure safety and well-being of residents and staff.

  • Customer Service, 17%

    Ensured that each member received a positive customer service experience by adhering to policies and procedures for facility usage

  • Cash Control, 14%

    Ring sales at counter and follow cash control procedures.

  • CPR, 11%

    Trained to handle emergencies in the facility and became CPR, AED and First Aid certified.

  • Residential Life, 9%

    Reported to Residential Life Coordinator Joseph Hawkins,

  • Security Cameras, 3%

    Monitored security cameras and responded appropriately.

Common skills that a desk attendant uses to do their job include "front desk," "customer service," and "cash control." You can find details on the most important desk attendant responsibilities below.

Communication skills. This is an important skill for desk attendants to perform their duties. For an example of how desk attendant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "information clerks must be able to explain policies and procedures clearly to customers and the public." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a desk attendant: "monitor gym access monitor safety of facility users monitor equipment rentals effective communication with others".

Integrity. desk attendant responsibilities often require "integrity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "information clerks, particularly human resources assistants, have access to confidential information." This resume example shows what desk attendants do with integrity on a typical day: "created a clean atmosphere for patrons ensured a welcoming environment for members maintained the integrity of the facility equipment activities:"

Interpersonal skills. Another crucial skill for a desk attendant to carry out their responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." A big part of what desk attendants relies on this skill, since "information clerks who work with the public and customers must understand and communicate information effectively to establish positive relationships." How this skill relates to desk attendant duties can be seen in an example from a desk attendant resume snippet: "provided customer service to the community and utilized problem solving and interpersonal skills"

Organizational skills. Another skill commonly found on desk attendant job descriptions is "organizational skills." It can come up quite often in desk attendant duties, since "information clerks must be able to retrieve files and other important information quickly and efficiently." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day desk attendant responsibilities: "performed a variety of organizational projects and customer service assistance as needed. "

Most common desk attendant skills

The three companies that hire the most desk attendants are:

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Compare different desk attendants

Desk attendant vs. Caddie

A ride operator is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the people on motorized riding vehicles. Ride operators provide safety instructions before, during, and after the ride, regular inspection of machines, operating ride controls, assisting the riders with their inquiries, evaluating the riders on the eligibility for some specific passages, and following the restricted quantity riders. A ride operator must have a broad knowledge of the mechanical industry to control machines and perform immediate troubleshooting on emergencies.

The annual salary of caddies is $4,838 higher than the average salary of desk attendants.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both desk attendant and caddie positions are skilled in customer service, powerpoint, and quality customer service.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between desk attendants and caddie. For instance, desk attendant responsibilities require skills such as "front desk," "cash control," "cpr," and "residential life." Whereas a caddie is skilled in "golf clubs," "course knowledge," "professional relationships," and "golf balls." This is part of what separates the two careers.

The education levels that caddies earn slightly differ from desk attendants. In particular, caddies are 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a desk attendant. Additionally, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Desk attendant vs. Ride operator

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.

On average, ride operators earn a $8,651 higher salary than desk attendants a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Desk attendants and ride operators both require similar skills like "customer service," "cpr," and "greeting guests" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real desk attendant resumes. While desk attendant responsibilities can utilize skills like "front desk," "cash control," "residential life," and "security cameras," ride operators use skills like "safety procedures," "guest service," "safety regulations," and "excellent guest."

Ride operators earn a higher average salary than desk attendants. But ride operators earn the highest pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $28,282. Additionally, desk attendants earn the highest salaries in the retail with average pay of $28,515 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Ride operators tend to reach similar levels of education than desk attendants. In fact, they're 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Desk attendant vs. Front desk receptionist

On average scale, front desk receptionists bring in higher salaries than desk attendants. In fact, they earn a $6,303 higher salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on desk attendants and front desk receptionists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "customer service," "pos," and "computer system.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, desk attendants are more likely to have skills like "front desk," "cash control," "cpr," and "residential life." But a front desk receptionist is more likely to have skills like "patients," "check-in," "phone calls," and "reservations."

Front desk receptionists make a very good living in the government industry with an average annual salary of $31,038. On the other hand, desk attendants are paid the highest salary in the retail industry, with average annual pay of $28,515.front desk receptionists typically earn similar educational levels compared to desk attendants. Specifically, they're 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Desk attendant vs. Front desk staff

Front desk staff average a higher salary than the annual salary of desk attendants. The difference is about $4,169 per year.While both desk attendants and front desk staff complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, cpr, and pos, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "front desk," "cash control," "residential life," and "security cameras" are skills that commonly show up on desk attendant resumes. On the other hand, front desk staff use skills like check-in, facility tours, cleanliness, and strong customer service on their resumes.front desk staff enjoy the best pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $29,933. For comparison, desk attendants earn the highest salary in the retail industry.front desk staff reach similar levels of education compared to desk attendants, in general. The difference is that they're 2.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of desk attendant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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