The lowly receptionist -- the one who answers the phone and who will often make the first and lasting impression about the company -- is usually paid the least and knows the least about the company. In fact, many businesses hold the receptionist position in such disregard that they hire temps to fill the post.
Big mistake!
Because the receptionist is usually a client's or customer's first contact with the firm, it would be wise to hire carefully. Rather than having a receptionist blithely pass along calls so the customer can leave a message in someone's voice mail, the receptionist should know enough about the company that they could correctly answer some basic and frequently asked questions.
Has this ever happened to you?
Receptionist: ABC Corp.
Customer: I have a quick question about...
Receptionist: Please hold.
Receptionist (after 45 seconds): I have a quick question about how whether I have to order a part online or buy it in the store.
Receptionist: Please hold.
Call is transferred to someone's answering machine.
The company image created by this exchange is that ABC Corp is too busy to care about their customers.
Yes, receptionists can be busy when they are handling a multitude of incoming calls all at one time. Receptionists are human, have bad days, make mistakes and probably don't like their job much. For a receptionist to be able to accurately answer questions, time and money would have to be spent to adequately train the person who is going to make a lasting impression about the company -- and that impression better be positive.
To solve the receptionist problem, systems thinking needs to come into play.
First decide if your business lend itself in such a way that an automatic answering system would be better than an actual human. If you need a human answering the phone, answering the following questions can help you improve your customer's overall impression of the company.
What image does your company want to project through the receptionist? Efficiency? Friendliness? Caring? Knowledge?
What are the frequently asked questions the receptionist must deal with? Is there a better way of handling these questions rather than shunting phone calls to someone else's voice mail? Remember, if the receptionist is going to answer questions, they must be answered accurately. If the receptionist cannot answer questions, it is vital he/she must be able to send the call to the correct person who can actually answer the question.
If you have been overlooking the role of the receptionist in your company. Look again. Your receptionist plays such a huge role in a customer's perception of a company that it is well worth your time and effort to ensure the receptionist creates a positive experience for anyone who calls your company.
Big mistake!
Because the receptionist is usually a client's or customer's first contact with the firm, it would be wise to hire carefully. Rather than having a receptionist blithely pass along calls so the customer can leave a message in someone's voice mail, the receptionist should know enough about the company that they could correctly answer some basic and frequently asked questions.
Has this ever happened to you?
Receptionist: ABC Corp.
Customer: I have a quick question about...
Receptionist: Please hold.
Receptionist (after 45 seconds): I have a quick question about how whether I have to order a part online or buy it in the store.
Receptionist: Please hold.
Call is transferred to someone's answering machine.
The company image created by this exchange is that ABC Corp is too busy to care about their customers.
Yes, receptionists can be busy when they are handling a multitude of incoming calls all at one time. Receptionists are human, have bad days, make mistakes and probably don't like their job much. For a receptionist to be able to accurately answer questions, time and money would have to be spent to adequately train the person who is going to make a lasting impression about the company -- and that impression better be positive.
To solve the receptionist problem, systems thinking needs to come into play.
First decide if your business lend itself in such a way that an automatic answering system would be better than an actual human. If you need a human answering the phone, answering the following questions can help you improve your customer's overall impression of the company.
What image does your company want to project through the receptionist? Efficiency? Friendliness? Caring? Knowledge?
What are the frequently asked questions the receptionist must deal with? Is there a better way of handling these questions rather than shunting phone calls to someone else's voice mail? Remember, if the receptionist is going to answer questions, they must be answered accurately. If the receptionist cannot answer questions, it is vital he/she must be able to send the call to the correct person who can actually answer the question.
If you have been overlooking the role of the receptionist in your company. Look again. Your receptionist plays such a huge role in a customer's perception of a company that it is well worth your time and effort to ensure the receptionist creates a positive experience for anyone who calls your company.
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