We live in an age which enables us to work in any way we please. We can work from home; we can work from a far corner of the planet, from an exotic beach, or from the top of Kilimanjaro if we please (provided you can get Wi-Fi service, that is). All of this means we have a huge range of options in terms of how to organise a workspace and how to get the best out of staff, as well as cutting costs along the way.
Every single member of your workforce is important in their own way, but in terms of first impressions, your receptionist is probably the number one member of staff you need to be right on their game. If you make the wrong hire, you’re not only possibly losing business, but you’re giving visitors into your workplace the completely wrong impression of who you are as a business. Your receptionist is the face of your company, they are the first person any visitors will encounter when they walk into your building, and therefore they need to be polite, helpful, friendly, and always have a smile to greet people with.
Of course, you can have the best receptionist in the world, but if the reception area isn’t up to scratch, the whole situation is going to fall horribly wrong. Looking into top-quality reception office furniture is therefore vital, in order to create the right impression of professionalism and comfort.
Within this entire conversation, there is another sub-topic to think about - virtual receptionists versus traditional receptionists.
What is a Virtual Receptionist?
If you’ve never heard of a virtual receptionist, let’s cover what this is before we move on to which is the best choice for you. A virtual receptionist is someone who covers the reception duties, such as making appointments, taking calls, answering emails, and basically updating your schedule, without having to work actually in the office itself. Of course, they are unable to greet visitors from a virtual location, so this is something to think about when making your decision.
A virtual receptionist is very similar to a virtual assistant, i.e. it is someone who can work from any location in the world, provided they have a high-quality internet connection and they are available to work the hour/time zone you require them to cover. We’re going to get into the pros and cons of each shortly, but from that description you can get a vague idea of what this type of worker really is, and the limitations and plus points.
Of course, a traditional receptionist is a person who will sit at your reception desk, greeting visitors, taking calls, and running your diary, answering emails, etc, and will work a set number of hours each day and week. We should point out that both types of receptionists are employees of your company; however, a virtual receptionist can be a freelancer, so they may not be subject to the same company benefits as a hired, traditional receptionist, such as pension, etc.
The Pros and Cons of a Traditional Receptionist
A traditional receptionist is the heart of your workplace. They are the one that everyone sees as they enter the building, and whether they smile or don’t will have a huge impact on the impression that person will get of your business. It really does come down to the attitude of your receptionist! Of course, it also comes down to their skills, so when you are hiring your receptionist of choice, you should be very careful indeed. A high-quality receptionist can be the difference between a happy and welcoming workplace, and one which literally scares visitors away!
For most businesses, a traditional receptionist will be the option of choice. In addition to this, ensuring your reception space and reception seating is top-notch will go a long way too.
Pros:
• You have a highly trained, professional receptionist who you can train up in your company’s values
• They are there, in person for the working hours you set - this means any problems can be resolved much faster
• Having someone at the reception area, to greet guests, is a major plus point
• You can see for yourself the standard to which your receptionist is working, which makes it easier to monitor any situations before they become a bigger problem
• You can set out a professional and welcoming reception area when you have a traditional receptionist in site, including an ergonomic space, which is not only comfortable for the receptionist themselves, but also shows a professional appearance
• Your receptionist is a physical part of the team, and can be trained up to cover other areas, if need be
Cons:
• It is more expensive to hire a traditional receptionist; because you need to pay salary and you also have the overheads, such as heating, lighting etc, of a reception area. In addition, there are the company perks to pay for, such as pension and holiday pay
• If you want your receptionist to work overtime, you will need to pay extra, usually at a higher rate
• Your reception area is only covered for set working hours, e.g. 9-5, and you will need to cover holidays and sickness with another receptionist. The hours issue might not be a problem if your office is only open during those times anyway
• Any personality clashes - with any physically present employee, there is always the risk of personality clashes with other staff members, which require conflict management skills to sort out
The Pros and Cons of a Virtual Receptionist
If you choose to employ a virtual receptionist, there are pros and cons to that choice also. The idea of having a receptionist who isn’t visibly present is a controversial one for many companies, especially those who have been established for a while. For a startup company however, this could be a great option, because it saves cash whilst covering the areas you need to be covered.
Pros:
• Lower cost - a virtual assistant is going to cost you less than a traditional receptionist because the salary is usually lower, you don’t have overheads to cover (heating, lighting, etc), and you don’t need to pay for holiday time. You can also negotiate the cost, by choosing a range of freelancers and whittling down your choice from there
• You can have uninterrupted cover, depending upon the time zone your receptionist is working from. Basically, you can have more than one if you want to, which means your cover for call and email answering is 24/7, if you really need that level of cover
• Ideal for a startup who doesn’t have a large workspace, e.g. those who are still working from home. This is obviously because a virtual receptionist will work from their premises or wherever they are in the world
• Virtual receptionists are likely to be au fait with various other technology software packages, whereas as a traditional receptionist will often only have experience in the packages you use within the office space
Cons:
• Issues are harder to resolve when the employee isn’t there in person
• If your virtual assistant is working from a different country, it could be hard to cover the time zone, or specific hours you need
• If your freelancer has an issue with their internet connection, you could lose contact with them for a short time, and therefore mean calls are missed/emails are missed, etc
• Training is harder, because the person isn’t actually there, and it is also harder to ensure they are fully on board with the company’s values and mission statement, simply because they aren’t immersed in the workplace, as a traditional receptionist would be
• The fact they aren’t there in person means they can’t greet visitors, only answer calls and emails
Who Wins Out?
Which one wins out for you? For most businesses, the traditional receptionist is still the option of choice; however the virtual receptionist certainly has a very important role to play too. Startups will find the virtual option a great way to save cash and get the cover they need, before possibly switching to the traditional version when a bricks and mortar workplace grows in size.
It is vital to remember that a reception area needs to be as perfect as you can get it, because it is the first impression any visitor to your office will have. Reception chairs need to appear professional and feel comfortable, and in terms of office space planning, you need to ensure this reflects the company and gives the right impression. If you’re looking for office furniture London choices, give us a call!
Have you ever used a virtual receptionist? What was your experience of it? Do you prefer the traditional version? What were your plus points and downsides of the experience? Share your views and let’s start a debate!