Functions of a Receptionist

The functions of a receptionist are widely misunderstood and underappreciated.

Whatever environment we are working in financial institutions, restaurants, offices, hotels, clinics etc essentially our number one priority is to be that initial welcome, source of information and go to point. That first point of contact for the guest, a first impression, can make or break a deal, a decision, a return customer. A great receptionist is highly sought after by intelligent businesses due to this, they understand the value of great customer service.

Another function of a Receptionist is to provide coordination between the front of house and the rest of the business. For example, announcing guest arrivals, checking guests into the correct rooms, directing switchboard calls, dealing with couriers and any other business that may present itself at the reception desk. Without this faultless coordination, day to day running of certain areas of the business would fail, so having confidence, the ability to multi task and a flexible approach at all times is vital as a receptionist.

One of the most important functions of a Receptionist is to keep the reservations/bookings up to date and as accurate as possible. Whether you work as a receptionist in a medical centre, where appointments have a tight turn-around time to a exclusive private bank, where a room which has been booked for 60mins only, is still in use 3 hours later. Understanding your clientele, and each individual client/customer is imperative to managing the service delivered.

Managing appearance is an integral function of a receptionist. I don’t necessarily mean personal appearance, although of course it is incredibly important to be impeccably turned out. I mean the reception area, the hotel rooms, the meeting rooms, the guests bathrooms etc. Having a keen eye for detail is essential. Most people wouldn’t notice a slightly lopsided blind, or the choice of magazines on the coffee table being slightly messy, but a receptionist should. Once again, this all links to that all important first impression. Making sure your hotel rooms have been turned round by housekeeping, ensuring the catering team have put the correct amount of cups and saucers in the meeting room or even something as simple as cleaning up dirty footprints from the floor, a good receptionist should always be on the lookout.

I have only covered 4 basic functions of a Receptionist in my list, each function listed can clearly be split down into a number of different skills and further functions and duties; these to follow in upcoming articles, so do check in again.

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