The receptionist, visitors, documents at reception and telephone handling

The reception is the area of an organisation where visitors are first received and attended to, and where enquiries by telephone or in person are first handled. It is usually near the main entrance and is staffed by a receptionist, sometimes supported by security staff.

The reception is often described as the “shop window” or “face” of the organisation, because visitors form their first impression of the whole organisation there. A clean, organised reception with a polite receptionist suggests an efficient organisation; a dirty, noisy reception with an unhelpful receptionist suggests the opposite.

Importance of the reception

1. First impression and public relations: creates goodwill for the organisation.
2. Control of visitors: visitors are identified and directed, so they do not wander into offices and disturb staff.
3. Security: suspicious people and items can be stopped at the entrance.
4. Information centre: visitors and callers get answers and directions quickly.
5. Saves the time of officers: unexpected or unnecessary visitors are filtered.
6. Records: the visitors’ register and message records provide evidence of who came and when.
7. Coordination: mail, deliveries and telephone calls pass through one point.

Features of a good reception area

• Located near the main entrance and clearly signposted.
• Clean, well lit and ventilated, with comfortable seats for waiting visitors.
• A desk or counter for the receptionist with telephone or switchboard, computer and registers.
• A directory board showing departments and their locations or floors.
• Reading materials: the organisation’s brochures, newsletters, newspapers and magazines.
• Toilets nearby and drinking water.
• Security features: CCTV, walk-through or hand-held metal detectors in high-security buildings.
• Facilities for people with disabilities: ramps and accessible seating.

Banks in Nigeria, for example, combine a security door at the entrance with a customer-service desk inside that performs reception duties; hospitals have a records and reception counter; hotels have a front desk that also handles bookings and payments.

Who performs reception duties?

In a large organisation, a full-time receptionist staffs the front desk. In a small office, such as a pharmacy in Ilesa or a law firm with three lawyers, the secretary or a clerk combines reception with other duties. In a hospital, nurses and records officers at the out-patient counter perform reception work, while in a hotel the front-desk officers combine reception with bookings and billing. The principles of courtesy, identification, recording and direction are the same in all of them.