When you walk into an organization, such as a hotel, the first person you’re likely to meet is a front desk receptionist. But have you ever wondered what these set of people do, apart from receiving visitors and, well, making calls? Here’s all you need to know about the job description of a front desk receptionist, and the salary range.
What Is The Job Description Of A Front Desk Receptionist?
In a large company or office, the front desk receptionist is the first point of contact. A front desk receptionist’s daily duties and responsibilities include greeting and signing in visitors, receiving and sorting mail, scheduling meetings, and coordinating office activities. They are also responsible for answering calls, fielding caller questions, operating a switchboard, and relaying messages to office employees. Receptionists at the front desk may also be asked to update appointment calendars, validate parking tickets, or perform filing and clerical duties.
How Do You Get a Job as a Front-Desk Receptionist?
A high school diploma or equivalent is usually all that is required to work as a front desk receptionist. Employers, on the other hand, prefer candidates who have worked as office administrators, phone receptionists, or customer service representatives. Candidates who are familiar with Microsoft Office Suite and appointment scheduling software may have a competitive advantage in the hiring process. Front desk receptionists should be able to multitask, manage their time effectively, and communicate effectively.
What Are the Career Options for Front Desk Receptionists?
Front-desk receptionists can advance their careers in a variety of ways. Because of their experience in fast-paced, client-facing work environments, many receptionists can easily transition into sales roles. They may also find work on marketing teams, where their knowledge of company image and customer preferences will be useful. Front desk receptionists may be strong candidates for office manager positions due to their knowledge of office policies, schedules, and activities.
What Is the Job Description of a Medical Front Desk Receptionist?
In a medical facility or doctor’s office, medical front desk receptionists are the first point of contact. It is their responsibility to welcome and check in patients, collect patient information forms, and facilitate copay transactions. When an appointment is finished, the medical front desk receptionist must check the patient out and schedule follow-up appointments. Medical front desk receptionists also answer phones, manage doctor’s appointment schedules, and perform filing and clerical duties for the nurses and doctors on staff.
What Are the Advantages of Working as a Front Desk Receptionist?
There are numerous advantages to working as a front desk receptionist. As a front desk receptionist, for example, you will gain valuable skills in customer relations, multitasking, and time management. You will also gain knowledge of all business practices and operations, such as meeting and appointment scheduling, as well as administrative work. These abilities make a front desk receptionist desirable for a variety of jobs involving office work or client-facing responsibilities. Furthermore, front desk receptionists usually keep a consistent office schedule and may be eligible for direct deposit, paid vacations, or health benefits.
Sample Front Desk Receptionist Job Description
You can get a good idea of what employers are looking for when hiring for this position by reviewing this Front Desk Receptionist job description sample. Remember that each employer is unique, and each will require different qualifications when hiring for a Front Desk Receptionist position.
Job Description
Our office is looking for a Front Desk Receptionist to welcome visitors as they enter the building. Other administrative duties will include answering phones and emails, filing and scanning important documents, and scheduling and documenting calendar events for office members. Our ideal candidate has previous administrative experience, excellent communication and customer service skills, and is well-organized. You must also be familiar with the Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook and Excel.
Responsibilities and Duties
- Answer phone calls and emails from clients and greet them as they arrive.
- Keep track of calendars for the office and your coworkers.
- Keep important documents organized by filing them.
- Perform any other clerical tasks that are required to keep the office running.
- Qualifications and Requirements
- GED certificate or high school diploma
- Administrative knowledge
- Microsoft Office knowledge
- Excellent communication abilities
- Organizational skills
- Data entry abilities
What is The Average Salary of A Front Desk Receptionist?
In the United States, the average salary for a front desk receptionist is $31,050. Salary ranges for front desk receptionists typically range from $24,000 to $39,000 per year. Front desk receptionists earn an average hourly wage of $14.93.
The salary of a front desk receptionist is affected by location, education, and experience. Receptionists at front desks earn the most in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and New York.
Points To Note
- In the United States, the average salary for a front desk receptionist is $31,050. The average salary ranges between $24,000 and $39,000.
- Front desk receptionists in the United States typically earn between $11 and $18 per hour.
- The average salary for a front desk receptionist in Alaska is $41,750, $41,591 in Washington, and $39,016 in Oregon. These are the three highest-paying states in the United States for front-desk receptionists.
- The average salary for front desk receptionists at SightMD is the highest.
- Government is the highest-paying industry in the United States for front-desk receptionists.
States With The Highest Pay for Front Desk Receptionists
The average salary for a front desk receptionist in the United States is around $31,050 per year or $14.93 per hour. Surprisingly, front desk receptionists earn the most in Seattle, WA, at around $41,715 per year. The average entry-level salary in Seattle, WA is $33,000 for those just starting out. Furthermore, front desk receptionists earn more than the average salary in Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, California, Washington, DC, New York, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts. Front desk receptionist salaries are highest in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts on a broader scale. Tennessee, West Virginia, and Arkansas, on the other hand, have the lowest front desk receptionist salaries.
Job Description for a Hotel Front Desk Receptionist
A Hotel Front Desk Receptionist is a trained professional who is in charge of greeting guests in a timely and courteous manner. The Hotel Front Desk receptionist is the first person many people see when they arrive at the hotel. They check guests in and out of their rooms, distribute room keys, answer questions, and process payments for hotel services.
Responsibilities of a hotel front desk receptionist include:
- Performing all check-in and check-out tasks
- Managing reservations via phone and online
- Informing customers about payment options and verifying credit card information
- Registering guests and gathering necessary information (like contact details and exact dates of their stay)
- When guests arrive, greet them and assign them rooms.
- Give information about the hotel, including available rooms, rates, and amenities.
- Respond to client complaints promptly and professionally.
- Work with the housekeeping staff to ensure that all rooms are clean, tidy, and fully equipped to meet the needs of guests.
- Confirm group reservations and plan personalized services for VIP clients and event attendees, such as wedding guests.
- When appropriate, upsell additional facilities and services.
- Keep accurate records of bookings and payments.
Qualifications and abilities
- Work experience as a Front Desk Agent, Receptionist, or other similar position in a hotel
- Knowledge of hotel reservation software such as Cloudbeds and RoomKeyPMS
- Understanding of how travel planning websites such as Booking and TripAdvisor work
- Attitude toward Customer Service
- Outstanding communication and organizational abilities
- A degree in hotel management is preferred.
What Is The Difference Between A Receptionist And A Front Desk Receptionist?
The distinction between the front desk receptionist and the receptionist is one of the scope of responsibility. A receptionist is more concerned with answering phones and dealing with customer inquiries, whereas a front desk professional is more concerned with check-ins, check-outs, and reservations.
Having said that, there may be a lot of overlap between the two positions. In fact, in some smaller businesses, both positions are filled by the same person.
Larger businesses typically require both a front desk agent and a receptionist. Except in large hotels, the person at the front desk is the one you see at check-in and who typically handles calls to the front desk.
A front desk employee’s primary responsibility is to handle all check-ins, check-outs, and reservations. A hotel receptionist, on the other hand, is primarily in charge of handling all incoming calls, answering questions, and routing calls to the appropriate department or individual. A receptionist, for example, may route a reservation request to the front desk.
Companies with a dedicated receptionist position, such as hotels, typically imply that the company receives a high volume of incoming calls throughout the day. The receptionist and front desk agent are usually combined into one position in small to medium-sized hotels.
How Should I Prepare For A Receptionist Interview?
Anticipating the questions that will be asked of you is one of the best ways to prepare. Some questions will be general, such as “Why should we hire you?” or “What are your strengths?” Other questions will be specific to the position for which you are applying. Make sure you’ve done your homework on some of the most common questions and are prepared with appropriate responses. Here are some common front desk receptionist interview questions and answers to help you impress your interviewer.
#1. What characteristics distinguish a good receptionist?
A good receptionist is detail-oriented, capable of juggling multiple projects at once, organized, and a good communicator. Because receptionists must be familiar with telephone systems, having that experience as well as a pleasant phone voice is essential.
#2. How should you dress for a receptionist interview?
The attire you wear to a receptionist interview is determined by your industry. A receptionist at a law firm, for example, would dress differently than a receptionist at a tech company. Look at the company’s website for a sense of their dress code, or ask your recruiting contact about appropriate attire. If everything else fails, business casual is the best bet.
#3. What exactly do you do as a receptionist?
Receptionists answer phones and greet visitors. They also manage the company directories and provide guidance to visitors and vendors as needed. They frequently accept packages, order office supplies, and restock the kitchen at their workplace. Any additional receptionist duties will be determined by your industry and the company for which you work.
#4. Why is a receptionist important to a company?
Receptionists are the first people most people see when they enter a business. As a result, their role is to manage communication from outside sources such as vendors, visitors, and other office personnel. A receptionist’s job requires a variety of hard and soft skills, but being organized and friendly are essential.
These frequently asked and answered front desk receptionist interview questions and answers should help you better prepare for your next interview. A successful face-to-face interview will increase your chances of being asked back for a follow-up interview.
What Is an Another Name for a Front Desk Receptionist?
Front Desk Representative, Office Manager, Customer Service Specialist, Concierge, Cashier, Barista, and Office Associate are all examples of customer service positions.
What Are the 10 Qualities of a Receptionist?
- Communication
- Multitasking
- Social abilities
- Organization
- Technical abilities
- Stress resistance
- Resolving issues
- Empathy
- Reliability
- Visitor administration
How Should Receptionists Answer Calls?
- Thank the caller after greeting them with “Hi” or “Hello.”
- Recite the company’s name.
- State your name.
- Inquire about how you can assist.
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