What is a receptionist?
A receptionist is the first point of contact in a company and typically handles the initial contact with a company’s clients and customers. They typically greet the visitors/customers at the front office, take messages, answer queries, and redirect calls.
A receptionist doesn’t only act as administrative support but also represents the entire organization by acting as the face of it. So they need to be professional, polite and able to handle negative comments from a client.
Receptionist Job Description
It is a receptionist’s responsibility to make sure correspondence and communication-related affairs go smoothly for the organization they work in. While the job description of a receptionist can vary greatly depending on the industry, they usually need to be professional, friendly, calm, and patient.
Apart from their educational qualifications, which may differ based on the nature of industry, their attitude and behavior should be kept in mind since they also represent the business. A great receptionist can not only help you in retaining your existing customers, but their positive impression can also attract new customers.
To qualify as a front desk receptionist, one should possess a bachelor’s degree or at least a high school diploma with good soft skills to perform administrative tasks and know how to use Microsoft Office.
A receptionist should have high attention to detail applied to each task he/she/they handle, whether it’s greeting visitors, answering telephone calls, or any other task. They should be prepared for almost anything, from handling a simple phone call or bookkeeping to knowing who to direct inquiries involving technical knowledge to.
General Responsibilities of a Receptionist
The primary objective of a receptionist should be customer satisfaction.
Receptionists are the front liners in a business. As technology advances, they have to know how to use it. Their duties include greeting visitors, managing the phone systems, scheduling appointments, taking messages, relaying information to other staff members, handling office equipment, making travel arrangements, and so on.
They can also work with clients by preparing contracts and handling paperwork and any other initial task before it is taken over by the respective department.
A good receptionist is well-organized with good multitasking skills. They have a good set of computer skills and know how to easily operate MS Office, can fill communication gaps and resolve miscommunication problems with good communication skills. Receptionists should also act as a bridge between the customers and the business by understanding and conveying the requirements of a customer to the relevant team members.
Answering Phones
Answering phone calls is a basic aspect of business operations but one of vital importance that shouldn’t be ignored. It’s crucial that calls are answered/returned as quickly as possible, to let your callers know that you value them.
Unanswered or ignored phone calls can cause adverse impacts on your business. You may miss important calls from potential leads or an existing customer looking for more information.
A receptionist is generally the first person a customer meets with. They make the first impression. Answering phone calls and redirecting them as required can help make a good one.
Accurate Message Taking
Customers generally make contact with a company while seeking information, placing orders, booking appointments, or for any other purpose which may possibly benefit the business in the long run. It is not practically possible for business owners to always be available. That is where a receptionist pitches in and takes messages on your behalf.
Understanding and communication skills of a receptionist play a vital role in receiving messages and forwarding the same. Incoming messages can be useless if recorded inaccurately. Thus a receptionist needs to be meticulous in order to perform the assigned job duties to perfection.
Scheduling Appointments
Every business runs on a pre-planned schedule. Schedules are not always fixed, and they may vary with time and needs. A potential client symbolizes new opportunities for every business so scheduling meetings with them is critical to landing more sales.
Time management is very important and as a business owner, you can make efforts to accommodate your visitors but there is only so much you can do. It is not logically possible for you to handle scheduling meetings with all your clients or stakeholders.
Scheduling appointments for your visitors is just as important as any other function and having the right receptionist can do the job. Your receptionist can make sure that you don’t end up overbooking yourself and make a potential client wait for hours on end. They can also ensure that you get enough time between appointments by handling your personal calendar.
In case you ever have an emergency and become unavailable, you need not worry about your appointments. Just send a word to your receptionist and all your engagements can be rescheduled at your convenience.
Managing Databases
Every business, over a period of time, creates, collects, and stores data for various purposes. Such information can range from simple client or employee details to a fully charted plan of future business activity.
Businesses need to manage information on a regular basis, in order to access and use them when needed. As important as information and database management is, you can not possibly spend all your time doing the same and that is where a receptionist comes into the picture.
A knowledgeable and well-trained receptionist can not only manage such information, but they can also sort them based on different categories for future searches. While managing and sorting existing data, they can also collect new information and keep your internal database up-to-date with high accuracy.
Verifying Insurance Claims and Information
When it comes to the matters of insurance and claims, verifying, collecting, and representing the right information is of utmost importance, especially when said information can affect you or your business’s profitability. This applies to any business but those working actively in the insurance industry can receive hundreds of claims every day (and not every one of them may be genuine).
Verification prevents individuals from lying about important facts, which can result in the loss of money through false claims on insurance policies. Thus, you have to be able to differentiate the truth from a lie. A well-trained receptionist can verify the source of information and claims while updating the same in your database.
Should You Hire an In-house or Virtual Receptionist?
An in-house receptionist is a full-time employee who is dedicated to answering phones and managing all customer inquiries. They’re typically trained in customer service and in being an administrative assistant. A virtual receptionist is hired through a third-party company that provides phone support services—a receptionist who works remotely and receives calls from your customers on your behalf.
Your typical in-house office receptionist can do all your preliminary tasks for you and make your workflow more efficient, but so can a virtual receptionist. With a virtual receptionist, all your calls can be answered under 30 seconds whereas there is a high chance of a call being missed by your in-house receptionist if they are on a lunch break.
Once you hire a full-time receptionist, you have to pay them their average salary regardless of the amount of work that comes their way. But that is not the case with virtual receptionists. You pay them only for the work done by them and based on the nature of tasks performed by them. Moreover, they are available 24/7 and 365 days a year.
A virtual receptionist is not only economical but also saves your time and resources. You need not train them personally for every task; you can just assign them the receptionist duties and carry on with your core business activities.
Choose Gabbyville’s Virtual Receptionists for Your Business
Meet your receptionist today by getting in touch with Gabbyville. Gabbyville’s virtual receptionists are present around the clock for you. Be it greeting your customers or answering their queries, it shall be done with a smile. Our trained professionals can turn the negative comments of your customer into positive feedback for your company.
Your virtual receptionists receive thorough training and come equipped with excellent customer service skills, trained for your company’s functions and policies. With their interpersonal skills, organizational skills and deep knowledge of your policies, they can answer queries with the utmost professionalism and to the fullest satisfaction of your clients.
With a versatile set of services to offer, Gabbyville can match your requirements and give you the right virtual receptionist with all the qualities you are looking for at a fair and reasonable price.
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