Why are Receptionists so Important to Businesses?

A professional receptionist should be a cornerstone of your business. If you don’t already employ someone in this role, then it’s time to start thinking about it seriously. Not only can a receptionist free up time for you or your employees to focus on other tasks, but they are also responsible for giving a good first impression to prospective customers or clients.

There are really two options: a virtual receptionist or an in-house receptionist. This isn’t necessarily a case of either/or, however: if you have a particularly large number of incoming calls, for example, then hiring both types of receptionist could be to your advantage. So, what are the benefits of hiring a receptionist?

Hiring a Virtual Receptionist

Employing a full-time receptionist, however, can be quite a large expense for a small business. Another option is to buy a virtual office in London. A virtual receptionist can offer your company a number of advantages:

• Cheaper than an in-house receptionist – Booking a virtual office is cheaper than hiring a full-time employee. Services can start from just £50 per month.
• Prestigious office address – As these locations are unbranded and receptionists will answer with the name of your business and information about it, a virtual office can give your business the advantage of an office address in the heart of London, without the overheads associated with traditional renting or leasing.
• Phone answering – All of your phone calls will be handled in a professional manner. A receptionist will take messages for you and forward calls to specific individuals in your organisation. Messages are then forwarded to your email inbox or sent in an SMS, making them easy to receive and organise for future reference.
• Filter out spam – A virtual receptionist will filter out spam calls to make sure that you don’t waste your time with many unwanted messages.
• Mail handling – Virtual office services often come with a mail handling service. The receptionist will collect your mail and forward on to you, at least once a week – more frequently if desired, although this costs extra.

All of this means some peace of mind – you know your calls are being handled in a professional manner, with no unwanted calls getting through to you. This gives you and the rest of your staff more time to get on with your day-to-day tasks.

The Benefits of Hiring a Receptionist

A good reception can provide a fantastic first impression – Photograph by Michael Coghlan

• A receptionist is a professional – A specialist in their field. This means that they know what clients and prospective customers are looking for. That could give you the edge when trying to make that all-important first impression.
• Swift responses – They devote their time to tasks like answering the phone, meaning that customers and clients get a speedy response when they try to contact you. This is very important to keeping people happy. And no, an answer phone is not a suitable solution to this.
• Manage wanted and unwanted guests – An in-house receptionist will usually be the first person who visitors meet when they arrive at your building. They can help schedule appointments, deal with unwanted guests in a professional way, look after visitors who need to wait around for any reason, and give visitors directions and information which they need.

Does your company hire or employ a professional receptionist? Have they been a benefit to your business? Let us know in the comments section below.