Lily Shippen Recruitment Agency | 4 reasons to hire a receptionist

A common misconception is that being a receptionist is an easy job. We strongly disagree and believe a receptionist can become a pivotal member of an organisation.

Here are our 4 key reasons we believe you should hire a receptionist if you are office-based;

First impressions

First impressions are everything, whether it be over the phone or face-to-face. A receptionist is likely to be the first point of contact that a client visiting your office will have and having a polite and friendly receptionist greet them can make a huge difference to potential business. We work with a prestigious client who describes their receptionist as someone who adds a “sprinkle of fairy dust” for their clients visiting, ensuring that if that client likes a particular bottle of water or type of tea, it is in a meeting room for them on arrival. Whilst obviously this isn’t crucial to every reception role, adding a personal touch can go a long way.

Extra support

This depends on how busy your reception desk may be and how many clients typically visit your office but most receptionists are willing to take on additional responsibility in order to gain experience and stay busy. Whether it be assisting with administration work, sending out invitations or doing research, they not only create a good first impression but also assist you with extra work.

Meeting rooms

Part of a typical receptionists duties will usually be managing internal meeting rooms. If you tend to have a lot of clients visiting, this can become quite a time-consuming task that as a business owner, you probably don’t have time to do. A receptionist will ensure that all meeting rooms are presentable at all times and save you the time and embarrassment of trying to find a meeting room when a client visits last minute.

Hiring internally

Having a receptionist join your business is a great way of them understanding how your company works and you identifying future roles that may suit them. We see a lot of candidates progress into more senior roles in the companies that they work for which not only looks great for your company retention and staff development but also saves you recruitment fees too.

If you are looking to expand your client base or have recently moved offices and need a receptionist, get in touch with our London or Manchester team to discuss how we may be able to help you with your next important hire.