How to Become a Good Receptionist

Possess excellent work organization skills. Receptionists are the face of the company – they are the first people customers will talk to and the people that colleagues or others turn to for information and event planning. of the company. In addition to taking calls and guiding customers, receptionists often have to deal with customers, organize events, set up meetings, etc. With these responsibilities, the real receptionist must have skills in arranging work to be able to handle multiple requests at the same time. A person will not be able to stick with the receptionist profession for a long time if he or she is not able to handle many tasks at once and cannot organize the work in an organized manner. ^[1]

• A great way to stay organized is to set up a filing system that works for you. You need to be aware of what types of paperwork and information your boss, your colleagues, and your clients will need. Store this information in separate folders – you can save them on your desktop or as printed documents. Set up a filing system in a way that works for you – and if that means you’ll need to stick luminous sticky notes on everything, go for it.
• Being organized also means being energetic – you don’t need anyone else to explain to you how to do something, or to keep you on track. If you’re an organized person, you’ll know well what tasks you need to complete each day, and which ones are your priorities.
• Always have phone numbers on hand (lots of them), like co-workers, contractors, suppliers, emergency numbers, etc. At some point, you will need these numbers. Save these phone numbers in a specific order using Rpodex or other programs on your computer.

A little tech savvy. The first piece of technology that a receptionist must know how to use is the telephone – and all its buttons and individual lines. Computer skills are also a must – most receptionists must know how to use email and must be proficient in word processing. Knowing how to create spreadsheets is also quite helpful, as is how to use any program in a particular field.

• Remember that if a photocopier, scanner, or printer is located next to your desk, you’re bound to have to use them (and help other colleagues troubleshoot these machines along the way). use). Once you have a clear idea of the machines in use in your office, learn their main functions and learn how to troubleshoot common problems.

Be a trustworthy person. A receptionist must always be at his or her desk – a company won’t leave a good impression on people if there’s no one to take the call, or if there are a lot of people waiting in line. help. Make being trustworthy a priority – if your boss knows you’re trustworthy and is there to help, you’ll become someone the company can’t do without.

Possess excellent listening skills. An important part of being a receptionist is being a good listener – whether over the phone, a customer question, or information relayed to you. Listening works for you – you’ll be able to solve problems faster when you understand someone’s question the first time, and you’ll be able to quickly get customers in touch with the people they need.

Note everything. If your boss asks you to perform a certain task, document the request in detail. If a customer calls, make sure you save their information (name, contact information, reason for contact, etc.). Notes are a great way to stay organized and to remind you of the little things of the day. Keep these notes in your notebook and don’t forget to take them with you. You will be surprised how helpful they are, especially when you are trying to recall the request of the person who called the company five hours ago.

• Make sure you take detailed notes and re-read these and most importantly when you receive a message repeat it and repeat the sender’s contact information. information, so you can rest assured that you have received the correct information so you can forward calls before you hang up.

Answer the phone politely using typical greetings such as “Good morning, thank you for calling our company, my name is___, how can I help you?” /mrs. Make sure you answer the phone as soon as a ring or two rings. You shouldn’t keep people waiting for more than a minute (a minute of waiting is longer than you think).

• Listen carefully for the name of the person the caller wants to see. Repeat if needed. Cell phones often suffer from audio interference. Write down the name of the person the caller refers to if their name is difficult to pronounce.
• Politely divert the call through typical statements such as “Please wait for Mr. Smith for a moment”. Or if the person is taking another phone call, you can say, “I’m sorry, Mr. Smith is on the phone right now. Would you like to wait a moment or would you like to pass on the call? text him?” Politely thank them and transfer the call accordingly.

Greet the delivery staff with the same professionalism and courtesy as you would for other visitors. You may need to sign to receive the parcel. Make sure your signature is valid. Delivery personnel will likely need you to guide them where they can place the parcel. Make sure you contact the appropriate departments for each specific issue.

Greet guests with courtesy and efficiency. After the customer gives you their information and that of the person they want to meet, contact that person and let him/her know that someone is interested in meeting them. The typical saying for this case is “Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones from XYZ Company is waiting to see you. He has an appointment with you at 2 o’clock”. Always remember to ask for the guest’s full name and company name. You can ask if they have an appointment with Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith will show you where guests can wait and how long they have to wait. And then you can say to the customer, “Mr. Smith will see you shortly” or “Mr. Smith said his meeting is coming to an end and that he will see you in 5 minutes. Please sit down. Thank you. “.