What skills do you need to be a front desk receptionist?

The skills you need to be a front desk receptionist encompass a wide variety of technical and interpersonal skills. To help break it down, we have compiled a list of the top nine skills needed to be a successful front desk receptionist.

1. Interpersonal communication

   A front desk receptionist is the face of the company and interacts with a variety of people each day, including upper management personnel, coworkers, customers, or business clients.

   In many cases, a front desk receptionist is the first impression a customer has of a company, and therefore being able to effectively speak and connect with people from various backgrounds and, in doing so, represent their company in a positive way is the key to success.

2. Written communication

   When you work as a front desk receptionist, you will be expected to write emails, memos, and other business documents with proper grammar and spelling, tone, and language.

3. Active listening

   Active listening is an essential skill for providing customer service and receiving instructions about job duties. A front desk receptionist interacts with customers and company personnel on a daily basis.

4. Attention to detail

   Attention to detail is an essential soft skill for front desk professionals as they perform various tasks such as relaying information to management or company employees by taking messages from callers over the phone. Front desk assistants also need keen attention to detail to input and review digital schedules to ensure the correctness of dates and times.

5. Scheduling

   Scheduling is a technical skill that front desk professionals use to create, update and maintain digital planners or schedules for company operations. They work closely with the office manager to determine the dates and times for upcoming company meetings, business trips, inventory deliveries, performance evaluations, and candidate interviews.

6. Stress management

   Front desk professionals have a variety of job duties to complete each day. They also need to help office visitors or hotel guests with their questions. Therefore, individuals in these roles need to have superb stress management skills.

7. Problem-solving

   As a front desk professional, you must have the ability to identify problems and use problem-solving skills to provide solutions. This is an important skill as it ensures the continuation of normal business operations.

8. Customer service

   Front desk receptionists need to have excellent customer service skills to maintain customer or client satisfaction. For example, a receptionist receives a call from a confused customer who needs help updating the software program they purchased from their company. The receptionist must be able to assist them in this regard.

9. Computer literacy

   With the increased use of computer systems to complete work tasks, front desk professionals need to know how to use them to achieve their job duties. This means understanding how to use specific computer systems or software programs.

   For example, front desk receptionists may use computer software to enter schedule data into a digital spreadsheet or word processing software to compose documents, as well as manage digital filing systems.