Evaluating Your Front End Receptionist
Who sits at the front of your business? I’ll bet its your receptionist or secretary who greets most people when they walk in. Did you know that everyone’s impression of them is from you. If they are having a bad day so will your company.
I remember walking into a company and being asked about their receptionist. Well they looked busy, overwhelmed and distracted. Were they friendly-No!
The FACE of your company is really solely that front end person. Maybe it is a sales representative that goes out to meet and greet the public.
Their number one priority when someone enters through your door should be to WOW them. Good business always begins with a warm fuzzy. How is your day? Did you find a place to park, need any extra quarters? I have some coffee, tea, soda etc. How about a seat?
But beyond that you need someone guarding the front gate of your business who is primarily a people person. Someone who is warm and can make strong connections with people. Someone with common sense enough to pick up on things and handle complaints.
I rarely see businesses that excel at this. Some businesses have friendly people but don’t place enough emphasis on the meet and greet. You can lose someone in a moment.
Once when traveling to Chicago I stopped in a chain restaurant on the way to a job interview. I will never forget the lady who greeted me, asked about my day and where I was going. She made my day by taking the time to confirm my directions and give me a word of encouragement about the interview. When I left I felt WOWED.
I thought to myself does this chain of restaurants hire only extroverted people. Whatever, it worked for me enough to change my habit of business. Now when I go through Chicago I always stop at this restaurant. They gave me a reason to come back.
People are frantically busy in today’s world. If you make a strong connection with them you have SOLD a customer for life on your business.
Consider being mystery shopped by a business coach and have your front-end evaluated.
Marianne loves to help people reach their goals: through direction, accountability, and years of experiencing what works and what doesn't.
"Her drive and enthusiasm shows how passionate she is about coaching and in empowering and helping others move forward." -- Carole Cowperthwaite O'Hagen, Executive Coach and Trainer