Order Clerks
Office and Administrative Support
Merchandise, repair, rental, and classified-ad orders arrive by phone, mail, fax, or other electronic means. Names, addresses, billing details, and item numbers go onto the order form; incomplete orders are sent on, and complete ones are checked against inventory. Totals and shipping charges are figured, then the customer is told whether the item is in stock, when it will ship, and if it is delayed. Complaints are taken, outgoing work is checked against the request, and a different product or service is suggested when that would fit better. Fits anyone who prefers matching order details carefully and handling customers by phone or in writing.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$46'170
Median Wage Market Position
$46'170
What you might do
- Record names, addresses, and items being ordered
- Check inventory records for requested merchandise
- Review orders and forward incomplete ones
- Compute merchandise totals plus shipping charges
- Inspect outgoing work against the customer's specs
- Respond to complaints about orders or shipments
Skills that matter
- Capture of names, items, and billing
- Completeness review before an order moves
- Stock checks against inventory records
- Price and shipping charge calculations
- Complaint handling on delayed or wrong orders
- Merchandise suggestions that match the request
AI & the future of this role
Order entry, pricing checks, and shipping details move easily into e-commerce and voice systems. Handling odd complaints or messy exceptions can still need humans, but core order processing looks very exposed.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details