| There are many benefits to having a live, | | | | people just take natural pleasure in assisting |
| professional receptionist answer telephone calls for | | | | others. You want to engage a receptionist who |
| your small business. Among them are enhanced | | | | derives satisfaction from lending assistance and |
| professional image, improved customer service | | | | makes it their mission to see every call through |
| and the ability to manage your workload more | | | | to its best conclusion. If your receptionist does |
| effectively. As with anything, there are certain | | | | not have the caller’s best interest at heart, |
| people who are naturally predisposed to doing | | | | this will come through on the phone. Not unlike a |
| certain work and the receptionist is no different. | | | | top salesperson who must be customer focused |
| When it comes to telephone reception, whether | | | | to succeed, your receptionist should channel all |
| you are looking to hire a full-time receptionist for | | | | their skill and knowledge into understanding what |
| your office or outsource your telephone | | | | the caller requires and finding the most |
| answering to a virtual receptionist service | | | | expeditious manner to deliver it. |
| (sometimes called off-site or remote receptionist), | | | | 3) Coachable — Another key quality |
| there are several key qualities you will want your | | | | you want your receptionist to possess is to be |
| receptionist to posses. | | | | coachable. This means they are willing to learn |
| 1) Strong telephone personality — As | | | | and adopt those systems you have in place for |
| effective a communication tool as the telephone | | | | your business and execute them effectively. By |
| can be, it is a somewhat narrow channel. By this | | | | definition, the receptionist is not charged with |
| I mean that messages and meaning can only be | | | | developing the experience you want your callers |
| conveyed verbally and are only received using | | | | to have. As a business owner, you must |
| one of our five senses. The result of this is that | | | | develop the systems you wish to employ for |
| the caller must rely solely on the voice coming | | | | converting callers to clients and repeat |
| through the phone line to interpret the | | | | customers. The job of the receptionist is to |
| communication effectively. This necessitates | | | | learn these systems and follow your instructions |
| having a receptionist whose natural speech | | | | to take the caller down the appropriate path in |
| pattern is animated and friendly. Without the | | | | the most amenable fashion. |
| benefit of the non-verbal cues that dominate so | | | | While many of the skills necessary to be a good |
| much of face communication, meaning can easily | | | | receptionist can be taught, you will find that if |
| be misconstrued if not delivered articulately and | | | | your receptionist has these key qualities, they will |
| with appropriate emotion. | | | | naturally excel in this important role. |
| 2) Genuine desire to help — Some | | | | |