On May 13 we celebrate the overworked and underappreciated office workers across the world. They are the gatekeepers to businesses, often the person who makes the first and lasting impression, the person that wears many different hats – the office receptionist. Tomorrow we celebrate National Receptionists Day!
History of the receptionist
This position has evolved so much since it was first created. And for starters, let’s clear the way by saying that receptionist is no longer a female-centric job title. Administrative assistant is the more modern job title and can be held by both men and women. But for the sake of celebrating this national holiday, we refer to a still commonly held job title name of receptionists.
The role has been around for ages
Recordkeeping and assisting have been essential jobs since ancient times. Secretary is derived from the same Latin word as secret, meaning that this was a position of great trust and could be found in government-related titles. Think secretary of state. These secretary roles were incredibly important.
Jump forward to post-war and Industrial Revolution, office jobs were popping up everywhere. Women were educated (secretarial schools were a popular secondary education choice) and swiftly stepped into the role as receptionists.
Moving into post World War II times, women in the workplace was becoming the norm and women had more options for choosing jobs. But booming post-war business meant there were many receptionists jobs that had gotten harder to fill. In response, a greater appreciation for receptionists was born, with days or – at one time a whole week – show gratitude toward this immensely important role.
Technology is encroaching on the role
The demand for receptionists has started to dwindle as business rely more and more on technology for customer service. With automated check in systems and automated phone systems that prompt callers through a menu to reach someone, that human touch, the person who sits at the helm of the business is being lost. But consumers will want to interact with a real person when they reach out to a business. So what’s the solution?
Virtual receptionists are the answer
Virtual receptionists are a perfect blend of technology and the human touch. You can hire a team of virtual receptionists to answer your calls, for a fraction of the cost of an in-house receptionist. While receptionists are still in demand, being able to have your calls handled remotely versus in house can save you an incredible amount of money.
What do virtual receptionists do?
At the most basic level, virtual receptionists will answer your calls, take messages and send the messages to you. If you’re looking for your virtual receptionist to do more tasks of a traditional, in-house receptionist, look for a service that also offers call forwarding, order processing, customer/client intake and emergency dispatching. If you’re looking to serve a broader customer base, some virtual receptionist services offer bilingual operators.
VoiceNation’s virtual receptionists
Our virtual receptionists are trained to take payments, perform legal or medical client intake, answer frequently asked questions, take detailed messages and send them directly to you through text, email and the VoiceNation mobile app. Call forwarding and bilingual operators are also part of your pricing plan.