There are so many people that are integral to your office running smoothly, but none more. Important than the receptionist you have sitting on the front welcome desk of the building. Whether you have a reception desk at the front of the building as a whole or just at the front of your office floor, the receptionist that you choose is going to be a massive part of why your business runs smoothly. Sure, you may be the CEO and you may have an IT team and accounting team, a marketing team, and a team that helps with sales development, but none of those are going to be as important or as worthy of praise as the receptionist at the front.

Receptionists aren't just greeters who welcome people through the front door. They are the keepers of all of the information. All of the admin work that you have in your business goes through that receptionist. All of the phone calls that are fielded from you or given to you come through your receptionist. They know the ins and outs of what you need and what you want and they are able to preempt anything you don't want. Having a comfortable office reception desk and an office reception chair is just as important as making sure that they have somewhere. Whether technology is supported and they are able to do their jobs. Many people out there view the role of the receptionist as less important than the rest of the building, but it's so far from the truth that you wouldn't believe it. A receptionist is important to your business, and we've got all of the reasons why below.

A receptionist is your first impression

Whether it's a client or an employee walking through the doors, the first person that they will meet is your receptionist. They will be greeted, they'll be offered a drink, and they'll be asked to sign into the building and given an efficient visitors badge. And none of that would happen without the receptionist on the front desk. They are the brand ambassador for the business and they are often the first and last person who is there at the end of the day. The whole perception of your business comes from the way that the receptionist will greet people. If you have a sullen receptionist, they're going to have a negative impression of your business. But if you have a receptionist who is polished and professional and is happy to greet people coming through the door and ensure that they are comfortable, they are immediately going to get the impression that your business is the one that they want to work with.

You won't find anybody else more resourceful than your receptionist

It's not just about meeting and greeting clients. Receptionists have solutions for issues that come up even when you can't think of the solution. You have to remember that your receptionist is your eyes and ears. So while they may not be in the main office and listening to all of the conversations, they are there, listening to what's happening around them. They are making sure that everybody's schedules are on track, making sure that meetings are adhered to, they ensure that your travel arrangements are booked, the conference rooms are ready, and that the business itself is running smoothly. If you're looking for someone to run your business efficiently, then it's not the CEO or the leaders that you need, but the person at the front who's keeping track of all of the smaller details.

Receptionists are capable of doing anything

Receptionists have an in-depth knowledge of your business and what it does because they spend their days filled with questions and ensuring that your business is running smoothly. You can rely on the receptionist to be flexible and to adapt to new situations. Your receptionist will have FaceTime with every single person in your office, so if you are not familiar with the names of everybody on your marketing team, you can rely on your receptionist to be able to tell you because you can guarantee that they've delivered or signed parcels for that person. They get involved in every department and help out when necessary, which means that they always know what's going on. If you have a query to your receptionist, you can guarantee that they'll be able to answer it for you. This is not a person that should be on the lowest wage of the building because their job is one of the most important.

Receptionists are pros at organising

Their organisation skills are on point. When you are interviewing for a receptionist, one of the things you need to look for is their ability to reorganise. Receptionists shouldn't be just resourceful. They should be able to manage their time and their desk without any input from you. Reception work should be a pretty autonomous role, and it can be with the right person at the front. As long as you are ensuring that their workspace is as comfortable as yours, then you are going to be able to make sure that your receptionist never wants to leave. Receptionist should be able to organise packages and find phone numbers for you at the click of the button and there should be no scrambling. Your receptionist is going to keep you organised and as the head of a company, that's exactly what you need.

Receptionist will communicate with everybody in your business

One of the biggest assets in a receptionist is the ability to speak clearly and professionally to everybody who comes through the doors and who works behind the scenes. They're good at making people feel at ease and they are equipped with a great smile. They are there to find out all the information possible that is necessary, and they will be able to field phone calls. If you don't want to speak to a particular someone, they are your gatekeeper, they are the information keeper and they are the organiser. So when you hire the next receptionist, make sure that you have somewhere impressive for them to work, because you have to remember if they are organising your business then they are also organising you.