Receptionist – Job Description
Simon Thompson on Receptionists are the face and voice of an organisation – the first person a potential new client will see or hear. It is a vital, if often under-estimated, role that can be a real deal-breaker if it’s not done correctly.
The front-line roles are the obvious ones such as answering the phone, liaising with couriers, meeting and greeting clients and ensuring the reception area creates exactly the right impression. Other tasks can include booking meetings and sorting the post.
Receptionists also need to be clued-up about what’s going on in an organisation – they need to know who’s not taking calls that day or who’s covering when someone’s off sick.
GCSEs in maths and English and excellent IT skills are always valued by employers, as are NVQs or SVQs in customer service and business and administration. But being well-organised, efficient and a great communicator who can be firm, friendly and polite are the key skills.
Browse our current vacancies in:
Other recommended resources:
Institute of Customer Service
The portal for customer service in the UK, the ICS performs research, offers continuing professional development and allows you to become accredited to ensure your career stays exactly on the track you want. They also keep you updated on the latest news and events within the industry and offer case studies for those wishing to learn more about customer service.
Customer Service Network
An organisation dedicated to promoting excellence in the customer service world. Bank cashiers can ‘cash in’ on the CSN resources to learn and improve and ultimately offer the highest standard of customer service within their role – which is a ticket to success.
Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators
With events, training, a regular magazine publication and a number of online information resources, the ICSA offer administrators and secretaries all that they need to become successful within their role and continuing professional development to help them ascend beyond it.
Association of Medical Secretaries, Practice Managers, Administrators and Receptionists (AMSPAR)
If you are interested in a receptionist position with the world of healthcare, AMSPAR can help provide more specific information, guidance and qualifications.
Pitman Training
Offering a wide range of training specifically aimed at administrators, clerks and secretaries, Pitman cover all of the basics for an admin role. Attending seminars and achieving diplomas can supplement an application and see you ascend within the role.
LCCI
Providing globally recognised business-related qualifications, LCCI can help administrators and clerks train and develop to perform to their highest potential and set themselves on track for higher positions. They specifically host a section on to get you started
