The first face a customer will see; the first voice a customer hears; one of the most significant people in your entire organization is the receptionist. Often the receptionist is overlooked or dismissed as an insignificant person, when in fact they may be the most valuable person in your entire organization. Think about what the receptionist represents and all they offer.
The receptionist is the coffee maker
the scheduler
the “fibber” (when you’re hiding from callers)
the “google map”
the planner and the organizer
the mediator/calm voice (dealing with irate customers)
the main representation of professionalism
the “hello” and the “good-bye”
Your receptionist is also the one who often knows the most about
the people; internal and external. They know how customers feel about the organization; how employees feel about where they work and how workers interact with each other. He or she knows the “inside cliques”, office secrets, the gossipers, when you’re hiring and when you’re firing. Just about everything there is to know about a 
company culture is learned by the receptionist. How so? Because people say a lot around the receptionist thinking they are not paying attention or don’t hear their conversations in passing. A little note: they hear you!
Take some time to build a loyal relationship with your receptionist. Keeping the receptionist happy is important because they deal directly with your customers. Having the same pleasant voice/face present when customers interact with your business creates the image of stability and consistency. If your receptionists’ change often, it gives the impression that either your organization has a hard time keeping employees happy or the job is too stressful. Either way, it’s not a good look for your business.
Never neglect to recognize your receptionist for good work because that receptionist can either create more opportunity for your organization or contribute to damaging its reputation.
Mary V. Davids is Principal Consultant at D&M Consulting Services, LLC. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management. Mary has over a decade of experience in cultivating employee engagement, enhancing employee motivation and workplace performance, leadership coaching and training & development. She also serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the South Florida Chapter of the National Association of African American’s in Human Resources. Book Mary to speak at your next event or hire Mary for leadership & professional development consultation today. Follow Mary on twitter @MVDavids.
Mary, You are even a customer service Advisor in HR and Business Development. Nice of you. Good article. Keep it up