As a receptionist, you know that no matter how busy your day gets, how many phones are ringing simultaneously, or how your to-do list seems to be growing quicker than you can handle, you must always try and stay at the top of your game.
Why?
Because you are the first impression. You are the first point of contact. What you do, or don't do, can be make or break.
Sound serious? Because it is.
Receptionist training should always form part of a company's training and development strategy.
It is our experience that too many receptionists are simply placed in this highly demanding job and whilst they learn to perform it competently,
reception excellence is not reached until they are exposed to some formal training.
So,
what can organisations do better? Invest in Frontline Reception training!
And as the receptionist? Ask your manager/HR about Frontline Reception training!
In the meantime,
you can start by avoiding these 3 common mistakes:
1.
Racing through your greeting when taking a call
Yes, this is something you probably say hundreds of times a day, and yes, to you it's the least important part of the conversation, but to the caller it's not. Ensuring that they've reached the right company is the first thing they've got to do, and if they don't clearly hear your greeting, they'll ask you to repeat it. Now that's a waste of your time. It's important to also pay special attention to your tone of voice.
2.
Not starting every call on a clean slate
We're only human, and when someone upsets us or we're having a bad day it's quite normal to sit with that emotion for a little while. Unfortunately as a receptionist you are simply not afforded that luxury. When the phone rings you have to switch on the charm and leave your personal feelings behind. If this sounds nearly impossible to you, our advice is to start working on your
resilience immediately.
3.
Automatically placing callers on hold
Nothing makes a caller feel less important than immediately being placed on hold without checking with them first. Yes, yes, you're very busy and the other two phones are ringing, but part of your job is to ensure that every first impression is a positive one. All you need to do in this instance is ask the caller if they mind being put on hold while you connect their call or find out the information they've asked for (then be sure to leave them on hold for no more than a minute!).
Looking to sharper your receptionist skills?
Staff Training offers Frontline Receptionist Training in-house (customisable to your desired outcomes), open hosted (at our venues), and online
Email us at
info@StaffTraining.co.za for more info or give us a call at 0861 996 660
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