Profession receptionist

  • receptionist

Receptionists receive and direct visitors and telephone calls, answer enquiries and provide basic information about the establishment.

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Personality Type

  • Conventional / Enterprising

Tasks receptionist

  • Greet visitors, determine nature and purpose of their visit, and direct to appropriate persons or destinations.
  • Record details of visitors and issue security passes if necessary.
  • Answer, screen and forward calls, and take messages.
  • Deal with enquiries, e.g. by providing basic information or brochures about the establishment, and record details of enquiries.
  • Hear and handle complaints, e.g. from customers or the public.
  • Make reservations, schedule appointments, and maintain appointment calendars.
  • Receive payments and record receipts.
  • Maintain the reception area, provide refreshments, and make sure that the employer's safety and security prodecures are followed at all times.
  • Perform administrative support tasks such as proofreading, word processing, mail handling, banking, filing and maintaining pay records, invoices, balance sheets and other documents.
  • Communicate with others in the establishment, e.g. to exchange relevant information.

Related professions reception, telephone

  • Telephone switchboard operator
  • Telephonist

Knowledge

  • Customer service

    Processes and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer's or service user's satisfaction.

  • Company policies

    The set of rules that govern the activity of a company.

Skills

  • Communicate with customers

    Respond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.

  • Use microsoft office

    Possess the ability to work with the standard programs contained in Microsoft Office at a capable level. Create a document and do basic formatting, insert page breaks, create headers or footers, and insert graphics, create automatically generated tables of contents and merge form letters from a database of addresses (usually in Excel). Create auto-calculating spreadsheets, create images, and sort and filter data tables.

  • Communicate verbal instructions

    Communicate transparent instructions. Ensure that messages are understood and followed correctly.

  • Adhere to organisational guidelines

    Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

  • Disseminate messages to people

    Receive, process, and pass messages to people coming from phone calls, faxes, postal, and emails.

  • Communicate by telephone

    Liaise via telephone by making and answering calls in a timely, professional and polite manner.

  • Greet guests

    Welcome guests in a friendly manner in a certain place.

  • Maintain reception area

    Take care to organise and maintain the reception area to keep up appearances for incoming guests and visitors.

  • Administer appointments

    Accept, schedule and cancel appointments.

  • Maintain logbooks

    Maintain the required logbooks according to practice and in established formats.

  • Disseminate internal communications

    Disseminate internal communications using the different communication channels that a company has at its disposal.

Optional knowledge and skills

handle customer complaints process payments respond to customers' inquiries file documents handle mail issue sales invoices office administration use different communication channels keep personal administration maintain correspondence records use office systems organise facilities for office personnel handle petty cash accounting techniques process data allocate badges process booking develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements deliver correspondence

Common job titles

  • Client services receptionist (3 openings)
  • Front desk/customer service representative
  • Front desk receptionist, part time
  • Receptionist
  • Front desk administrative associate
  • Office assistant
  • Registration clerk
  • Front desk reception
  • Medical receptionist
  • Receptionist