Business Administration Level 2
Extra-Meet and Welcome Visitors
Understand procedures for meeting and welcoming visitors
A receptionist is the public face of your organisation to all those who come to visit it. You are also the very first person to meet and welcome all visitors to the business. This is a responsible role which requires certain knowledge and skills if you are to present a professional image of both yourself and the business. In this section, you will investigate the main aspects of dealing with visitors to your business. You will also learn key ways of handling difficult situations, which will make you more confident when you come across similar situations in your job.
Reasons why people visit a business, their requirements and how their needs may be met
Virtually all businesses have visitors who need to come to the business premises. Some may come regularly, others only for special one-off visits. For this reason, businesses must plan out their reception area in such a way that it is appealing to and comfortable for the visitors.
Why people visit businesses
People visit businesses for many reasons, including: sales representatives from other companies wanting to sell products to the business clients of the business who may need to have progress meetings with the team looking after them members of the public who may need to visit businesses such as solicitors’ offices, insurance offices, council offices, shops and car dealerships candidates for job interviews maintenance or building contractors in order to carry out work to the premises. There are many different reasons why people might need to visit a business. Depending on who these visitors are and the reason for their visit, they will also have certain needs which the organisation should cater for. You will look at these next.
Requirements of visitors to businesses
When people arrive at a business premises, they may have travelled a long way, they may be feeling anxious, they may have children with them, or they may be upset and waiting to complain to somebody. So there are a range of needs which visitors to a business will have while they wait to be attended to in reception. For example, visitors may need: a comfortable place to sit something to do to pass the time while they wait somewhere to work while they wait – business visitors may need to be able to check their email or contact their own office via the Internet a way of entertaining small children somewhere to freshen up after a long journey. Refreshments. In addition, some visitors may need to be able to speak in confidence to the receptionist. Visitors with disabilities may require additional assistance such as ramp access to the main entrance, space for a wheelchair in the waiting area or specialist equipment to assist with hearing impairments.
Ways of meeting the needs of visitors
Whatever the type of visitor to a business or the reason for their visit, there is a range of basic facilities which a business should provide in the reception area to look after them while they are on the premises. A reception area should provide: a pleasant, warm, spacious seating area located away from the main walkway and free from draughts and noise if children visit a play area containing some games and activities which are safe for young children to play with and which will keep them entertained while they wait with their parents, Clients – a business’s customers. Key term 4 Meet and welcome visitors access to refreshments, such as a water fountain, or tea and coffee facilities access to Wi-Fi for business visitors, so that they can check their email or contact their own office via the Internet while they wait an area which allows people to speak in confidence to the receptionist.
Deciding on which facilities to provide
The facilities which a business provides in the reception area will depend upon the types of people who visit it. For example, a GPs’ surgery would require an area where patients can speak in confidence to the receptionist and a children’s play area equipped with a selection of toys, books and games. A leading advertising agency, on the other hand, would need to cater for business executives from other major companies in the UK as well as abroad, so it would probably offer free Wi-Fi for executives to be able to keep in touch with their office, an extensive refreshments selection and rooms for visitors to hold meetings and to store their belongings.
Dealing with visitors promptly and courteously
When meeting visitors in your organisation for the first time, it is essential to deal with them professionally and tactfully. This means finding out who they are, why they are visiting and arranging for them to be attended to by the relevant member of staff. In order to carry out these tasks, you need to be both prompt and courteous.
The purpose of dealing promptly with visitors
To deal with a visitor promptly means not to keep them waiting. So, if you are at reception when a visitor arrives, do not simply carry on with your work. Stop whatever you are doing, greet the visitor with a smile and ask them their name and the reason for their visit. If they are there to meet with a member of staff, phone this person right away and let them know about the arrival of the visitor. If there is a delay before the visitor can be seen by the member of staff, inform the visitor and show them to the waiting area. Make sure that they sign the visitors’ list, and if visitor badges are used in your organisation, issue them with one. There should never be a situation where somebody visits an organisation and they are simply left waiting at reception without being attended to. This gives the impression that the business does not care about its visitors. If someone is waiting in reception, remember to speak to them every so often and, if they are left waiting longer than planned, you should chase up the member of staff who is meant to be meeting them. Keep the visitor updated about how long they may have to wait. This will prevent them from becoming frustrated.
The purpose of being courteous to visitors
Perhaps the most important skill of all for you to learn is to be able to deal courteously with visitors to the business. Courtesy means politeness or good manners – you need to show politeness at all times when you are working on the reception desk.
Top tips
In order to avoid visitors waiting for too long, businesses need to have systems to ensure that appointments run on time. If more time is required for a visitor who is currently being seen, a further appointment needs to be scheduled rather than running over the current time slot. Where appointments routinely take longer than the allocated time slot, the business may well need to consider lengthening the time allocated to each appointment in order to resolve this problem. Businesses should also ensure their reception areas are suitably equipped to meet the needs of their visitors. Providing a selection of suitable toys and games would be a simple addition which would keep small children entertained.
The purpose of presenting a positive image of yourself and the organisation
When you deal with visitors to your organisation, you represent the company. As the public face of the business, the way in which you behave towards visitors is likely to make a lasting impression upon them – and this is the impression of the business that they will take away with them. If you are well mannered and professional towards visitors, they will believe that the business is a professional one. If, on the other hand, you are too busy to deal with them, ignore them for 5 minutes before you ask them the purpose of their visit, and then forget their name, this will leave them with a negative image of the business – and of you.
Ways of presenting a positive self-image
To present a positive image of yourself, it is essential that you are business-like, well-mannered and efficient in all of your dealings with people coming into your organisation. Imagine that each visitor is an undercover manager investigating the true behaviour of staff – that will give you a starting point for considering how to conduct yourself at work. There are several ways in which you can act to ensure that you give the best positive image of yourself.
Make sure you are always well presented. This means that you are smartly dressed, well groomed, and have generally taken good care with your appearance.
Make sure that your body language says the same as your voice. This means that you have to act in a way that shows you mean what you are saying. For example, if you say ‘Hello’, but without even making eye contact with a visitor, this tells them that you do not really care very much about them.
Make sure that you follow through on what you say. For example, if you know that somebody is waiting to see Mr Brown from the sales department and Mr Brown has failed to turn up at the scheduled time, be sure that you contact him promptly by phone to remind him that his visitor is still waiting in reception. It is a good idea also to let your visitor know that you are trying to contact the missing member of staff. This way, they can see that you are doing all that you can in the situation.
Ways of presenting a positive image of the organisation
If you succeed in presenting a positive image of yourself at work, then you are very likely to present a positive image of the organisation too. For example, if you always act with professionalism and are efficient when dealing with visitors, this will not only be good for your own image but will also demonstrate to visitors that the organisation treats everyone with appropriate courtesy. The visitors whom you deal with will see that you are attentive and caring and this will filter through to their impression of the company.
Actions and behaviour to avoid
Remember that you are always on show to people from outside of the organisation and that visitors may include very senior and important figures in your industry. When you are on the reception desk, people can see exactly what you are doing, so avoid: chewing gum staring blankly out of the window doodling emailing your friends chatting idly to people about non-work issues texting on your mobile phone watching YouTube videos on your computer.
The golden rule is: never act or behave in a way that you would not like to see in others if you were a visitor to another organisation.
Health, safety and security procedures when dealing with visitors
Businesses where visitors enter the premises need to satisfy certain legal obligations to ensure that visitors, as well as staff, are kept safe from harm. They also usually have their own organisational policy and procedures which detail what staff and visitors must and must not do and the procedures which are to be followed when visiting the business.
The purpose of health and safety procedures
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that businesses must make provisions to their premises to ensure that all visitors are kept safe from harm.
What this means in practice is that the business must ensure that all areas in which visitors enter are kept clean, well maintained and clear of hazards. The legislation also places responsibility on employees to make sure that these requirements are met. Those with specific responsibility for dealing with visitors to the organisation may have additional responsibilities in this area. Any specific responsibilities relating to your work may be found in either your job description or the company’s health and safety procedure. Ask your manager if you are unsure of any aspect of your responsibilities. It is very important that you are fully aware of these because you need to know that your actions in relation to visitors comply with the law. The relevant health and safety requirements will largely depend on the type of visitor as well as the type of premises. For example, a sales representative visiting an office would only have minimal health and safety procedures to be aware of, such as the fire or incident procedures which they must follow if necessary. In contrast, a technical subcontractor visiting a hazardous production facility may have to comply with more stringent requirements. They may have to watch a visitor induction video describing the protective equipment to be worn, entry and exit procedures to the facility, hazards present and how to avoid danger to them while on site, plus any other details specific to the facility.
The purpose of security procedures
Security procedures are needed where visitors enter business premises in order to protect: staff who work for the business the visitors themselves the business – to make sure it operates within the law and protects its own premises. The type and extent of security procedures will depend on the nature of the organisation as well as the type of visitor. Here are some examples of the types of security measures which can be put in place by businesses.
Visitors may be required to show identification before being allowed to enter premises in order to confirm that they have the right to be there.
All visitors to business premises in the UK must sign in as they enter and sign out as they leave, as there must be a record of their visit. This is also required for monitoring the numbers of on-site personnel present at any one time. If there is an evacuation, the Fire Service will need to see the list so that everyone is accounted for. Some organisations will not permit visitors without a prior appointment. Some organisations require that the person whom the visitor is coming to see must be present to meet them upon arrival at the premises. Certain lower grades of staff may not be permitted to receive visitors – this is sometimes restricted to more senior staff in certain organisations, such as hospitals.
Staffs that are responsible for visitors must monitor their conduct to ensure they behave in accordance with company procedures at all times, for example, by observing the no-smoking policy, eating only in permitted areas.
In addition to the above, if a visitor to a business is a contractor – they are there to perform work tasks such as maintenance of machinery – they may have to observe some of the following procedures in order to be able to carry out their work on the premises. They may have to provide a risk assessment to the organisation before they are allowed to enter the premises.
Contractors are responsible for the safety of themselves and others while on site and must ensure good housekeeping while they are there, including tidying up after themselves, not leaving tools lying around where people may trip over them.
Contractors may be shown an induction video before they are allowed on site, which will detail all of the rules to follow, such as fire alarm procedures and assembly points, the no-smoking policy, where and when they can eat, as well as things which are not allowed, such as the use of cameras, video recording equipment or mobile phones.
Questionnaires may be given to contractors after watching the induction video to make sure they have learned all of the security procedures. Some businesses insist that visitors are escorted at all times while on the premises.
Types of problems that may occur with visitors
When you are responsible at work for looking after the visitors who come into the business, there will be times when things do not run smoothly, despite your best efforts. Problems may arise through no fault of your own. For example, visitors may: arrive late for their appointment or on the wrong day, or not know who they are due to meet be upset or angry with the company.
Arriving late for an appointment
There are several reasons why visitors arrive late for their appointment, which may or may not be their fault. They may not have left enough time for their journey, or they might have got caught in traffic or experienced travel problems which were beyond their control such as a train being delayed or even cancelled. Whatever the cause of the visitor’s late arrival, it is likely that they are now quite anxious as a result of their experience.
Arriving on the wrong day
Sometimes visitors get the day of their appointment wrong. They may have misheard it during a phone conversation, for example, or they may have incorrectly written it down or remembered it. In either case, they are likely to react by being upset or even angry once they are made aware of the mistake. This is especially likely where a visitor has taken a day off work or travelled a long distance to get to the appointment.