1. Provide reception services
Handout 1: Role of a receptionist

2. First point of contact for visitors
Role of reception
First point of contact for visitors
Giving a good impression of the organisation
Controlling visitors’ movements in/out of the building.
The role of a receptionist is to act as the first point of contact between the public/client and an organisation. In a large organisation, with a constant stream of visitors, the receptionist’s role is likely to relate specifically to dealing with those visitors promptly and efficiently.
First point of contact for visitors – the receptionist is usually the first person a visitor will meet on arrival at an organisation.
Give a good impression of the organisation – as the first point of contact, a visitor will form an opinion about an organisation based on the impression given by the receptionist. The receptionist’s personal presentation, behaviour and professionalism all form this impression.
Control visitors’ movements in/out of the building – knowing when visitors arrive/depart and where they are to go within the building.

3. The receptionist’s duties
Welcoming visitors
Security procedures
Contacting other departments regarding visitors
Dealing with visitors’ problems
Handling enquiries
Giving out organisational information
Keeping the reception area tidy.

4. Answer and forward incoming telephone calls
Additional duties
Answer and forward incoming telephone calls
Maintain an appointments book
Maintain bookings/office diary
Receive parcels and packages
Typing/data input.
During lulls, or in organisations where there are not so many visitors, the receptionist may also perform additional duties as required.

5. Receptionist’s attributes
Courteous
Helpful and friendly
Professional
Flexible
Calm
Organised
Tact and discretion.
Courteous – ‘Good manners cost nothing’, so it is said, and politeness is a ‘must’ at all times: maintaining good manners in the face of others’ rudeness is not always easy as it is difficult not to become defensive. Have a couple of practised phrases ready to cope in the face of others’ rudeness, such as ‘I’m really sorry; please take a seat while I try to sort this out.’
Helpful and friendly – As in any customer-facing role, a receptionist should always be a friendly face that is ready to help.
Professional – This is the most important attribute as a receptionist is always on public view and is the organisation’s face shown to its external customers. Professionalism is having the right attitude to do the job while representing the organisation in the way they would wish; professionalism is leaving personal matters at home or outside work, where they belong.
Flexible – A receptionist may be called on to perform other non-reception tasks such as overflow administrative work, which means the ability to multi-task is important: you may be given an administrative task to complete by the end of the day but will still have to cope with the interruptions to it caused by dealing with visitors.
Calm – It is often the case that many visitors arrive at the same time, eg for the same meeting or conference, and the ability to remain calm and focused under pressure is important. Each visitor wishes to be given the same degree of attention regardless of how many other visitors there are.
Organised – This goes hand in hand with being calm: if you are organised, it will be easier to create an impression of calm. Make sure you know the organisation procedures required to do your job, keep a tidy work area and create your own systems if necessary for coping with tasks.
Tact and discretion – The receptionist will often have to decide what it is prudent to tell visitors, for example it is better to say ‘Mr X sends his apologies for the wait: he has been delayed in a meeting’, than, ‘Mr X apologises as he is late back from lunch.’

6. What is your first impression of this receptionist?
What is your impression of the organisation?

7. Receptionist’s skills
Communication
Telephone
Administrative IT
Prioritising
Knowledge sourcing.
Communication – Good face-to-face communication skills are essential as your main role is dealing with people, both verbally and non-verbally (body language).
Telephone – As you are likely to be using the telephone, you must have the necessary verbal communication skills as well as knowing how to operate the equipment and your organisation’s procedures for passing on messages.
Administrative – As you will often be required to perform other administrative tasks, you should have skills in office procedures such as filing, keyboarding, audio transcription, as well as knowing how to use any equipment required such as photocopiers and binders.
IT – To enable you to use the computer system, input data, you should have basic knowledge of common software applications.
Prioritising – As you are likely to be multi-tasking, you will need to know which are immovable deadlines, which tasks take priority over others.
Knowledge sourcing – Knowing where to find information and being able to recognise and record information that will be useful for the future.

8. Reflects the image the organisation wishes to portray Tidy
The reception area
Reflects the image the organisation wishes to portray
Tidy
Equipped for
visitors’ comfort.
The reception area and staff should reflect the image the organisation wishes to portray. Many organisations spend a great deal of money ensuring that their reception area and staff reflect the image they wish to portray.
Tidy – It is usually up to the receptionist to ensure that the reception area is tidy and welcoming.
Equipped for visitors’ comfort – It should have seating and, ideally, company literature for visitors’ to browse while they wait. There should be the facility to provide refreshment if the visitor has a long wait.

9. Questions?