First impressions don’t always last a lifetime, people can change. A businesses reputation is often as important as the goods or services you provide. In business the initial impression you make on a potential client or customer will affect your future dealings with them in a significant way.
In today’s interconnected world, your receptionist is often the first point of contact between a business and a customer.
Here are 7 traits we always look out for when hiring a new virtual receptionist:
- A bright and friendly voice
- Attention to detail
- Common sense
- Efficiency
- Able to retain information and learn quickly
- Communication skills
- Reliable and hard working
A Bright and Friendly Voice:
A brand won’t inspire a customer if it cannot inspire the person who is trying to sell it. Make sure the personality of the company is reflected in the attitude of your receptionists. A bored or tired-sounding receptionist is a promoter for your competition.
You must ensure they can maintain a positive attitude in either good or stressful situations. Positivity is contagious, both customers and fellow employees can feed off the positive energy of a receptionist. A positive-sounding receptionist will help everyone win.
Attention to Detail:
A receptionist is also a reference point for collecting and distributing information where necessary. I once phoned a hotel to make a booking for a New Year’s Eve vacation I was planning on taking. On the 31st of November that year I received a call from the hotel saying that my room was ready and they were eagerly anticipating my arrival. The receptionist misheard me, he booked me in a month early and by this time they were fully booked up over the festive period.
I realised I would once again be spending New Year’s Eve with my dog. I have never even considered booking with the same hotel chain again. A receptionist that lacks attention to detail can hurt the company’s reputation and hinder its progress.
Common Sense:
You’d be surprised how uncommon it is. A key part of any receptionist’s duty is being able to carry out a conversation as comfortably as possible. He/she must say the right things and perform the right actions promptly, even in situations where they have no instructions.
They must ensure that any information they are relaying to the customer is accurate and in line with their queries and expectations. Leaving a customer on hold repeatedly, because you don’t have the right info on hand is extremely unprofessional.
Efficiency:
Answering the phone is a busy job and an effective receptionist has to be able to multitask and move quickly between different tasks. This is especially true in our case as you may find yourself calling and answering the phone for a multitude of companies.
Fast and accurate keyboard skills are also a must for any efficient receptionist as you will often have to collect and distribute information simultaneously.
Able to Retain Information and Learn Quickly:
We look for people who can apply what we teach or show them as quickly as possible. We work in an industry where time quite literally equals money and a receptionist that cannot function as the industry demands will only hurt the business as well as themselves.
Communication Skills:
A great virtual receptionist should be capable of communicating effectively in both a written and verbal sense. They should take initiative during a conversation and direct it towards an effective outcome for all parties. A receptionist must also be able to convey a message so that it can be fully understood and interpreted in writing.
Reliable and Hard Working:
As in any field of work, the work ethic of your virtual receptionists is vital to the functionality of the whole team. We regularly measure the performance levels of our receptionists against the goals and expectations of the company. Keeping a log of calling stats and making changes where necessary is of utmost importance.
