The Complete Guide to Greeting Office Visitors

Every visitor that walks into your office building has a Purpose. They could be in your office for a meeting, headhunting for a new position or even wanting to catch hold of your CEO — “ To nail the perfect elevator pitch” of course. The reason could be any. The key takeaway here is that there is and always will be, a reason for their visit. Once you understand that, the answer to “how to welcome a visitor in the office” becomes a breeze.

Personally greeting office visitors not only reflects professionalism but also helps visitor’s fulfill their own purpose of visiting your workplace. But, the question is why should you do it? Read the answer below.

The significance of Greeting Visitors at your Office

A greeting is one of the most basic functions of communication and triggers positive conversations. A warm, genuine, and sincere greeting can cause even a stranger to open up, break down defensive walls, and be comfortable at a new place. Such is the power of greeting.

Imagine a potential business partner entering your office in a grumpy mood and your greeting changes how he feels and makes him feel warm and welcome. Yes, get ready for a raise because you’ve just been blown over by the power of a greeting.

Your Front Desk is where you welcome the office visitor and they have the initial contact with your company. If you are looking to hire a receptionist or even if have a good hardworking receptionist, then you know that you need to be providing the right kind of administrative support services for your business.

In order to do this, do share this simple 5 pointer checklist as a primer on first impressions with your staff.

5-step checklist for Greeting Office Visitors

1. Be Audible.

Saying “Good morning, Welcome to @CompanyName” in a steady audible tone imparts an air of capability and is acknowledged by all office visitors.

Not only does capturing visitor information helps the host address the visitor quicker and more efficiently, but it also guarantees a sense of security in your premises.

2. Capture Visitor information.

Not only does capturing visitor information helps the host address the visitor quicker and more efficiently, but it also guarantees a sense of security in your premises.

3. Inquire about their Purpose of Visit.

Assuming a guest is there to see the wrong person suggests inefficiency, something no one in your business wants that person to feel going into a professional exchange with your company.

4. Project Professionalism at all times.

The receptionist/front desk executive is the face of a business and is also often charged with giving visitors their first taste of the office culture. So make sure your front desk staff is at their best at all times.

5. Keep them Informed.

After a receptionist has notified a host that their visitor has arrived, they should let the visitor know they’ve done that. For example, “Mr. John will be with you shortly.” or “ Mr.John, is still in a meeting and said he would be with you in another 15–20 minutes.”

Find this same checklist in the form of a cool image. You can even save it, take a printout and hand it down to your front desk folks.

Additional Tips to keep your Office Visitors Happy

• Get Rid of Visitor Log Books
  Unkempt visitor logs take up most of the front desk space and are often a turn-off for visitors who expect to step into a 21st-century office space. You can always switch to an Interactive & Secure Visitor Management System that takes care of signing-in/signing-out visitors all by itself.
• Ask your guest to sit down
  Gesture if you want your visitors to be seated at a particular place. You don’t want your office to look like a fish market.
• Keep your desk uncluttered at all times
  Another great thing about getting rid of visitor books is that you have more free space which can be put to good use. Having just the essentials; a pen, a notebook and a small printer for visitor badges could do the trick. You can even add small indoor plants on your desk to make it look more welcoming.
• Put away confidential information
  If you have information that you don’t want others to see -Don’t keep it at your desk. Hide all confidential information and do so in advance as it can be awkward watching you frantically hiding stuff.
• Automate Redundant Tasks
  Use the same visitor management tool to take care of all menial tasks so that you can focus on more important things at hand such as addressing the needs of the agitated visitors. You get more time greeting office visitors, and visitors are happy to have someone helping them.
• Keeping your Cool
  Being the first contact with the company it is highly likely that you might come under the occasional “stressful” situation. Multiple visitors at a single time, several phone lines ringing simultaneously; questions you might not have the answers to, can cause a lot of stress and demand you to flip out. Remaining calm throughout any situation is key to providing top-notch assistance.
• Know when to ask for help
  You cannot do everything on your own and that’s okay! Hence always ensure that there are other colleagues in case you need to step away from the area or need assistance in handling necessary demanding situations. Sometimes, just knowing that backup is available can help you perform your job more capably.

If you have any other useful tips please feel free to add them in the comments section below!

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— — — -Originally published at https://getara.co on April 11, 2018. — — — —