Customers are the lifeline of every organization. They hold up an organization and propel it to the direction it seeks to go. This clearly emphasizes the important role that customers play in any business. Customers come in different shapes; these are the Good, The bad and the Ugly. The good customers are those that friendly, kind and easy to relate with and they are usually the majority. The customers that come with a bad attitude and are impatient can be categorized as the bad, but those individuals in this category can easily be pacified and turned into good customers. The last g
roup of customers is the ugly and these are the minority in any organization. They are usually very aggressive, egotistical, rude and very difficult to handle. All these customers come from different backgrounds, beliefs and cultures and the receptionist always has the hard work of streamlining all these varieties of people to ensure the smooth running of the office.
Receptionists are generally ambassadors for their organizations. How they carry themselves and interact with their customers speaks volumes about the Organization at large, its core values and its Customer Service. An organization that does not value its customers will have a receptionist who will easily portray this to the public and this will eventually be the death of this organization. For receptionists to be able to carry out such a huge task, they need to be thoroughly equipped. Having credible certificates that they can show for their professionalism is not enough. They also need to possess some traits that will see them through the different kinds of customers that they handle. They need to be able to understand their client thoroughly, understand where the client is coming from and by that be able to deal effectively with the client.
Patience and Empathy are traits that every receptionist should cultivate in themselves. This is because they will have to deal with cases that expect them to identify with the feelings of their client and thus be of help to them. As much as they understand the importance of identifying with their clients feelings they should also be firm and hold their gr
ound. This means that they know where to draw the line and not be gullible to their clients. This calls for assertiveness and not aggressiveness. There is a thin line between the two and an irate client can easily push the boundaries but it is always important to not argue back but to just hold ones ground respectfully.
Accurate Communication skills are very important because if a message is communicated in the wrong manner a lot of damage can be caused. Information will always be passed in a top down approach and for the receptionist to be handing it out it is merely a duty and this means that the message is not directly from her. Relaying the message to the customer should be done in a confident way that speaks authority from the organization and meets the needs of the customers.
Word of advice to the receptionists as they deal with the good, the bad and the ugly: It is always important to remember that when a client vents out at you, it is not personal but it is directed to the receptionist post that you hold! So do not take it personally, hold your head up high and confidently be the best ambassador ever!