Final Job Memo
Receptionist
Being a receptionist has taught me lessons both professionally and personally. There is much more to do at the reception desk than just answering phone calls. Being a receptionist is a great entry-level job; it can supply one with professional experience without requiring much prior education or work experience.
The responsibility of a receptionist includes answering phone calls, greeting clients, and supporting communication throughout the company. Specifically for me, I was a receptionist at a hair salon. At this salon, I oversaw and coordinated 26 stylists' schedules. I would greet all the clients, serve beverages, clean up around the salon, and oversee deliveries, but most of all, I kept a constant flow of communication between stylist and their clients.
The three primary responsibilities I had while I was a receptionist at the hair salon were:
- Organization
- Customer service
- Multitasking
Below are examples of how I fulfilled these daily responsibilities.
Organization
Staying organized was vital for me as a receptionist for the following reasons:
- 26 stylists
- Roughly 65 clients a day
- Endless combinations
Each stylist had their specific preferences and requirements for taking clients. Some stylists did not take men's cuts, others did not do kids' cuts, some did not do a specific hair treatment, and the list goes on and on. I had to remain organized so I could easily recall each stylist's preferences so that when a new client called, I could pair them with a stylist who would accept them. If a stylist and client match, I would make sure the stylist is available on the right day at the right time. Also, each stylist had their own pricing, so I would have to keep track of each stylist's price and confirm that it worked for the client. There were endless combinations of stylists for different types of clients.
The phone was constantly ringing, but I managed to get through scheduling quickly because I would write notes for each stylist and organize the notes so I could see which stylist does braids, perms, or short hair.
Customer Service
Customer service is vital for a small business to survive. In customer service, I believe all people should show:
- Kindness
- Patience
- Empathy
I focus on good customer service and always treat each client with the utmost respect. Unfortunately, this was not the case for some of the stylists. Sadly, disputes would break out in the salon, and my responsibility was to keep the peace. Luckily, I have taken a nonviolent communication class (NVC), which talked about the four NVC pillars, and to my surprise, this concept worked wonders. I was able to diffuse multiple outbreaks by seeing the situation, confirming their feelings, addressing their needs, and following through with their requests. This tactic helped me professionally and personally, and now I have a method to settle any dispute that may arise.
Multitasking
Lastly, I gained the skill of multitasking. The primary responsibilities associated with multitasking in a hair salon are:
- Scheduling appointments while addressing a different issue
- Greeting clients walking in, while on the phone
- Pulling up stylist information while making an appointment
I worked in a large salon with two levels and many stylists. We had our hair washing station and kitchen in the back of the salon. Many times, when I was in the back, there was a line of customers in the front. I had no choice but to figure out how to be in two places simultaneously. And that is what I did; for example, if there was an issue in the kitchen and I was on the phone in the front, I would take the portable phone and continue making the appointment while resolving the issue in the kitchen.
With all things considered, being a receptionist is much more than just a person picking up phone calls. It is a job that requires quick thinking skills, empathy for people, and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. Overall, my time as a receptionist was a good foundation for my early career. I am no longer a receptionist at a hair salon, but I will always take the memories and lessons I learned there into my future business endeavors.
Hi Bella! I particularly enjoyed reading about how you applied what you learned in an NVC class to real life. I am unfamiliar with the "correct" way to go about nonviolent communication (and always kind of feel like I'm winging it) but this was super helpful for me! I also appreciated your awareness of all of the ways this job as a receptionist impacted you aside from the day-to-day tasks, and how you can apply this range of skills in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Bella,
ReplyDeleteI am very impressed with your organizational skills! The amount of variables you had to keep track of seems very overwhelming. Also, I never realized how useful receptionist-experience is because of all of the informal roles they have to take on. Very cool and I am sure that this experience will be useful for the future!
Hi Bella,
ReplyDeleteI also think a receptionist a perfect place to start an entry level job. It seems like you learned and were able to contribute a great deal of soft skills. These are the type of skills and experience that every job recruiter is looking for.
Thanks for the post Bella! Being a receptionist is a super underrated and under appreciated job. To be honest, I never thought too deeply about what the role entailed before reading this post—I also sort of wrote it off as just answering phone calls. Now its more clear to me that receptionists basically handle all of the administrative tasks of a business, which is hard work! Being able to juggle multiple tasks while still maintaining quality customer service is truly difficult.
ReplyDeleteHi Bella!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about your responsibilities as a receptionist! This job sounds like a very helpful job to have especially since it taught you organizational, social, and multitasking skills. My job also taught me good organizational and social skills and it has honestly been a game changer! Overall, this post was very thorough and well thought out, well done!
Hello Bella! Although I've never worked a receptionist position, I've worked some jobs in the past that were very customer service-focused, and I was able to relate to many of the things you mentioned. Working in such a position is certainly a great entry-level job, since it teaches you a variety of beneficial skills you can carry on to any career, such as organization and interpersonal communication. It was really cool to hear how you took a nonviolent communication class and used what you learned to diffuse conflicts both at work and in your personal life. I think it's something that everyone could benefit from. Wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteHi Bella,
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine handling that amount of clients and stylists when I get overwhelmed handling my own schedule sometimes. I think customer service is the most important aspect of a new or established business as customer service is what the client remembers, after the product of course. Developing those skills will prove to be useful in many settings and is a great first job.
I found this super interesting to read because I always knew that receptionists were a big backbone for any business; like the silent saviors. It was intriguing to see a different point of view from someone who was incoming into this line of work and honestly altering seeing the types of scenarios you explained alongside the work you did I can see why there is so much to be learnt. Your organization skills, conflict management, and general patience when handling all these facets of a business are truly impressive. I really liked how you structured your work. It was a good combination of presenting the company you worked for, the lessons you learnt along the way.
ReplyDelete