We all know that front desk receptionist duties include the “hard” skills like data entry, billing and invoicing, accounting, and telephone skills. What’s harder to come by when hiring an all-star front desk team are the “soft” skills—things like problem-solving capabilities and effective collaboration. Let’s take a closer look at four of the most important soft skills for receptionists:
Flexibility
Front desk receptionist duties vary widely, even from hour to hour. That’s why flexibility is such an important part of your receptionist team’s skill set! Team members just can’t know exactly what the job might throw at them next, so an innate sense of adaptability makes things a lot easier.
Time Management Skills
A great sense of time management is another important thing to look for when considering front desk receptionist duties that go beyond the hard skills. After all, your front desk is where all appointment setting happens, creating the timeline for your business’s entire schedule.
When interviewing candidates for the front desk, ask how they will incorporate their time-management skills into their front desk receptionist duties day to day. Their answer can help you find the best candidate for the job!
Multitasking Ability
If there’s one talent a great receptionist must have, it’s the ability to multitask. It’s a part of front desk receptionist duties that simply can’t be ignored! Incoming phone calls, client histories, tending to people in the waiting room, entering insurance information… a receptionist has to juggle multiple responsibilities at the same time.
Front desk receptionists who don’t have the ability to tackle multiple tasks at once will only slow things down. Consider implementing a small test as a part of your business’s receptionist hiring process—it’s a great way to evaluate multitasking ability and the other front desk receptionist duties that you’re looking for.
Empathy
Another soft skill that’s an important part of front desk receptionist duties—and one that can’t be taught—is the quality of empathy. Receptionists must demonstrate an understanding of what the customer’s problem is, and be able to impart a sense of commiseration and consideration during those crucial interactions at the front desk.
Serving as a receptionist in a busy facility is no easy task, and front desk receptionist duties go far beyond the hands-on responsibilities of every shift. Some of the most important qualities of a great receptionist are based on personality and disposition, not computing ability or software training! Hire with that in mind, and your front desk team will be unstoppable.
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