Course Outcomes
This course for receptionists and other front-desk staff will:
- Give clear guidelines for presenting a professional image and making a positive first impression.
- Provide tips related to improving productivity.
- Offer guidance for dealing with surprises that occur at the front desk.
- Outline best practices for staying safe at the front desk.
Course Overview
In most workplaces, the staff at the front desk are largely responsible for the image customers, employees, and vendors form about the organization. Conduits between the inside and outside of a business, the people at the front desk wield tremendous power over an organization’s brand.
This two-part course is designed to give anyone who occupies a receptionist’s chair: dedicated front-desk staff, security guards, and people who usually perform other roles. The program addresses professionalism, communication skills, ideas for staying organized, de-escalation strategies, and safety. Each course segment is instructor led, taught in a virtual format, and lasts about two hours. Sessions may be run on the same day or spaced apart.
Note: We offer a similar program in an in-person onsite format called Welcome!: Front Desk Professional Image Building.
Segment One Objectives
At this session’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Discuss the components of a professional image at the front desk.
- Describe how checklists and procedures can help deliver a consistent experience.
- Implement best practices for interacting with visitors.
- Address the nuances of nonverbal communication – body language and tone.
- Manage telephone communication with clarity, accuracy, and courtesy.
- Actively listen to customer concerns.
Segment Modules
- Image and Impressions: The First Chance
- Checklists and Procedures: On Task and On Track
- Interacting with Visitors: Professional Exchanges
- Nonverbal Communication: What You’re Saying When You Don’t Speak
- Telephone Etiquette: Best Practices on the Wire
- Active Listening: A Powerful Tool
Segment Two Objectives
At this session’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Communicate with confidence and credibility.
- Differentiate between passive, aggressive, and assertive communication.
- Avoid blunt wording that creates resistance and defensiveness.
- Minimize interruptions in a tactful way.
- Deal politely with discourteous, demanding, and dissatisfied visitors.
- Outline strategies for staying safe at the front desk.
Segment Modules
- Four Approaches to Communication: Your Choices
- Rephrasing Blunt Wording: Your Filter
- Diplomatically Declining and Disagreeing: Tact Counts
- Dealing with Difficult Customers: How to Handle Almost Anyone
- Defusing Anger: De-escalation
- Front Desk Safety: No Chance for Error
By the conclusion of this course, participants should understand what it takes to manage the front desk and have tools they can apply to make the process easier.
