In previous articles I have inferred that many businesses
hold to the creed that any warm body can be a receptionist
or secretary.
This is like believing all liquids are water.
It is vital that one take extra care in filling "front
line" positions. It very much the difference between
success and failure.
Receptionist
The receptionist who makes the visitor feel welcome does
more for company than a discount.
People do not want to go where they do not feel welcome.
They despise standing in a lobby until if/when the
receptionist notices them. If they must wait they
want to be treated as a guest, not a pest.
Being a receptionist requires exceptional inter-personal
skills.
One needs to be alert, helpful, warm, friendly
and the rare ability to put others at ease.
The genuine smile, the honest, "Can I Help you?" is the
most effective advertisement you have.
The belief this is "my" company needs to be ingrained in
the Front Line. The impression that the visitor to the
office is as important as a visitor to her home, must be
apparent.
Answering a phone may be part of the job, but engaging
with those in her presence takes priority.
I have seen possible clients walk out without a word when
the receptionist is fascinated by the phone call she is on,
and becomes blind.
Being able to say to the caller, "Please Hold," and dealing
with the person in front of her should be instinctual. There
is absolutely no need for a receptionist to engage in long
discussions with anyone on the telephone.
Voice Mail can deal with rates or product lines.
If question
are being asked about various aspects of the company, she
should immediately route the call to another member of staff
and deal with those before her.
If there is no one in the room, fine, but if one visitor
is present, her priority must be the visitor.
Secretaries
Secretaries have access to the same documents and private
information as their bosses. To treat them as if they don't
know what is going on, as if they have no part in the scheme
of things is grave digging.
Tossing secretaries at executives is a mistake. The executive
must sit in on interviews so that s/he has an input into who
will be hired. Tossing two people in a near intimate
relationship and hoping they can function together belongs
in a gambling venue, not an office.
Mutual respect is vital. The boss must be able to depend
on the secretary, the secretary dedicated to insuring the
boss looks good.
Good secretaries are actually personal assistants, whether
given the title or not. In large companies by making their
boss look good they can rise with him. By not helping, they
can insure his/her demise.
The power of a secretary to screw up can never be
underestimated.
It isn't the money in the pay packet, it is the respect
she gets in the business. If her boss treats her as a
flunkey she might practice flunkey behavior so he flunks.
If an employer gives her a authority and respect she will
see the works produced as "her" work. And no artiste
can take more pride in her/his work, than the secretary.
At one company, a particular manager's secretary handled most
labor problems.
The workers liked her and no matter what the
problem was she seemed to be able to solve it.
The Owner, learning he had no "professional" negotiator at
the branch shipped a University Graduate. This caused chaos.
There were strikes and sabotage which could be traced to the
simple fact that the "Professional" played "hard ball", where
the secretary was likely to say;
"John, I know there's a problem with the overtime,
can you give me two days to sort it out?"
Where The Professional had said;
"Everything is on computer, there can be no errors."
Hiring the right person is crucial not only at the top but
also at Entry. The first person the potential client will
see is the receptionist. She will set the tone for the
subsequent business encounters.
The first "taste" of the executive will be via the secretary.
The bad taste put in the mouth of the visitor who was ignored
by the receptionist or disdained by secretary while they
blathered on the phone or shuffled paper will make the client
feel unwelcome and s/he will take their business elsewhere.
The business could be great, the executive world class, but
the impression of a poorly run concern will not be displaced.
Always remember, if your Front Line doesn't hold, your
cause may be lost.
