Are You Making the Most

of Your Receptionist?
Receptionists are pros at juggling many
responsibilities—from operations, to By the end of 2020, customer
marketing/communications—with few experience will overtake price
resources. And yet, businesses may not and product as the key brand
differentiator 1.
be maximizing receptionists’ biggest
value-add: crafting customer experiences.

Today’s consumers expect seamless,

personalized experiences every time they
interact with a business—whether it’s
in-person or virtually. As the face of the
business, receptionists are critical in
delivering these experiences, but few
have time to invest.

Think about it: receptionists have to…

Call or send appointment reminders Keep track of inventory.

to clients.
Today’s consumers expect confirmation
when they book an appointment. More
importantly, businesses rely on
confirmations to reduce no-shows.
Receptionists must keep tabs on which
items are in stock and which need a new
shipment, so shelves are never empty.

Book appointments – in person and

Manage employee schedules.
Receptionists have to keep track of
employee vacation days, if they have a
last-minute conflict and more to ensure
there are always enough people on the
floor.
over the phone.
Receptionists must review the master
calendar to strategically book the most
convenient time for both the customer
and employee, while distributing
appointments across stylists.

Check out customers and process Greet and check in guests.

Receptionists welcome customers and
payments.
let stylists know they have arrived.
Using multiple systems, receptionists
have to manually tally up services and
add-on products, manage tips, issue
cancellation fees and oversee member-
ship billing.
Record important client information.
It’s important take note of client
preferences, history and specifications
(e.g., allergies) so stylists have the
Answer the phones. background they need to deliver
Customers are constantly calling to ask for personalized service.
standard information like store hours or
personal inquiries that require pulling
historical account information.

With all this multitasking, even the best receptionists struggle

to answer every call, book every appointment and tend to
every customer on the phone or in the store. As a result, the
business can be impacted in a few ways…

Information falls Human Sales opportunities

through the cracks errors occur are missed

$
Customers feel neglected— No-shows result in
impacting loyalty and lost time and
online reviews money

To solve for this, business owners need to equip receptionists

with what they need to succeed. Technology can automate
time-consuming, mundane tasks and free up receptionists to
be more customer-facing. Invest in features like:

Check-in Kiosk Text Confirmations

Integrated Payment CRM Database

Processing

Online Booking Automated Marketing

Chatbots Reporting

With software at the front desk, receptionists can focus on

what they do best—delivering excellent customer service—
and drive value to the business.

1
Walker, “Customers 2020” report