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Front Office Manners
1. Welcome every visitor with a smile. A picture paints a thousand words and your body language is very critical. Therefore, you will need to take the time to speak clearly, slowly and in a cheerful and professional voice while greeting every visitor.
2. Use your normal tone of voice when greeting a visitor. If you have a tendency to speak loud or shout, avoid doing so while greeting the visitor.
3. Address the visitor properly by his or her title. (i.e. Good morning Mr. John, Good afternoon Ms. Kumar, How are you today, Dr.Raj). Never address an unfamiliar visitor by his or her first name.
4. Do not use Poor Language. Respond clearly with "yes" or "no" when speaking. Never use swears words.
5. Listen to the visitor and what they have to say. The ability to listen is a problem in general but it is very important to listen to what the visitor has to say. It is always a good habit to repeat the information back to the client when you are taking a message to verify that you have heard and transcribed the message accurately.
6. Do not eat or drink while you are at the desk. Only eat or drink during your coffee break or lunch break at the designated cafeteria.
7. Be patient and helpful. If a visitor is irate or upset, listen to what they have to say and then refer them to the appropriate resource. Never snap back or act rude to the visitor.
8. Always ask if the visitor has the time to wait. If you are responsible for handling multiple visitors at once, always ask the visitor politely if you may make them wait. Remember that the visitor could have already waited several minutes in a queue before reaching you may not take lightly to being asked to wait. Once the visitor agrees to wait, follow up with the concerned regularly to ensure that the waiting time is not long.
9. Always focus on the visitor. Try not to get distracted by people around you. If someone tries to interrupt you while you are attending to the visitor, politely remind them that you are attending to the visitor and that you will be with them as soon as you are finished.
10. Assist visitors while filling out visitor passes. If your company has a detailed procedure for filling up visitor passes, assist the visitor in the process. It is not advisable to make the visitor spend a lot of time at the front desk filling up the pass, while the time can be utilized by the visitor in a constructive business meeting.
11. Innovate the Visitor pass entry. Where there is a manual visitor pass register available at the front desk, you can get innovative yourself by implementing methods that will reduce the waiting time at your desk. Alternatively you can also suggest to your management the benefits of automating the visitor pass process. Many such visitor management solutions are available today at competitive prices.
