Personal Dress and Presentation

The first impression visitors recieve when entering the reception area determine to some extent their impression of the business. Reception is the "shop window" of the business. So, the reception area should have:

• a welcoming atmosphere with attractive decoration
• modern furniture and comfortable chairs
• a cofee table with magazine and pot plants
• tea and cofee facilities

Factored into the corporate image is your personal appearance at reception. In today's climate of equal opportunity and affirmative action, if woman to be considered on an equal footing with men it is important that they follow the corporate rules and regulations by which men are bound. In the service sector of industry, men are expected to turn out in smart business suits. Particularly in sales, details of personal presentation, such as the colour and style of business suits, shirts and ties, and the lenght of hair, are strictly controlled. How you dress outside the office is your own business, but how you dress in the office, and in particular in the reception area, is part of the corporate image. So.....??

Dress
In large company there is often a formal code as to how personnel should dress, depending on the type and size of business you are working for. In some company, such as banks, airports, hospitals, etc, you might be required to wear a uniform. In other business, youn would need to follow how other personnel dress. Some businesses like to project a modern image and will be more casual with their dress code than conservative businesses, such as law and accouunting firms.

Resource: Horsfal, M & Turner, S (2010) Office Skill: a practical approach. McGraw Hill: NSW, Australia.     

Establish Contact With Customers

Greeting Customers at Reception

There are many tasks a receptionist performs, apart from answering the telephone and greeting callers at the reception desk. Some of these are listed below. In order to perform all these duties effectively, you will need a number of resources to assist you in scheduling appointment, taking messages, and recording mail items and the movement of internal personnel.

Establish Contact With Customers: Acknowledge and Greet Customer

A receptionist is the first point of contact for anyone from outside the business, either on the telephone or in person. All clients or customers are crucial to your organisation: without them there would be no business. Therefore, the top priorities of a receptionist, and of all other personnel in the organisation, are to keep present external customers happy and to attract ne ones.
The other reason why a receptionist is so imporant is because they are the link between personnel in all internal departements and customers outside the business. How the receptionist receives visitors can have a significant impact on the public relations of the organisation, and can create either a positive or negative corporate image.
Also, how the receptionist provides a service to other members of staff in all departements can have a positive or negative effect on how they deal with external customers. For example, if the receptionist does not answer the phone promptly and transfer calls to the appropriate person, or they forget to pass on a message immediately, or they are impatient with requests, the job of to other personnel in the organisation is made more difficult.

Total Quality Customer Service For Business Improvement

Quality customer service is achieved by clearly defining the types of customers and ascertaining their needs; communicating regularly with personnel within the organization; and obtaining feedback on the service from customers. Customer service is the process of being of help or assistance to customers. All employees in an organization should work to achieve a total service package addressing the needs of customers. This can be achieved only where there is:

1. a knowledge of market demand
2. an understanding of the customer's needs
3. a commitment by all employees to the organization's goals and strategies
4. a capacity to put into place workable practices tp establish a quality customer service
5. the provision of the necessary resources to maintain the customer service culture
6. a willingness to decide when change should be made
7. a capacity to review and improve customer service
8. the ability to advise customers about the improved customer service 

Effective Customer Service

The caracteristics of effective customer service  are:

1. Honesty
2. Empathy
3. Delivering on promise
4. Owning the problem

Reference:
Horsfall, Margaret & Turner, Sharon.2010. Office Skills: a practical approach. McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Limited: North Ryde NSW.