Reception reflection – what makes us #hospitalityheroes?
OK, someone needs to say it, so here it goes, being nice to people all day, everyday is TOUGH, right? Right.
It definitely takes a certain type of individual to do it, flawlessly, exceptionally, DAILY. So what motivates us to deliver in our roles? For me, its as simple as making a person smile.
I want to talk about the easy steps we can take in order to motivate and develop ourselves, working towards becoming the best there is in our field, a true hospitality hero, and as a starting point I will say 3 words, back to basics.
Most of us work for and represent financial or legal institutions, which can be stressful environments for many people to work in or visit, guests and staff members included. Realising the impact we have on anyone who walks in through the reception door is a vital. For example, smiling when someone walks past, a warm hello or even something as seemingly insignificant as a quiet and calm reception area providing sanctuary from a busy street or a dealing floor.
The services we deliver can have an effect on every individual we come into contact with throughout our day, in some cases it may be something WE do that has an hugely positive effect on someones entire day, therefore positively impacting on the quality of their work (big tick for the business) and their well being in general and maybe even their home life (big tick for the individual).
Remember how it feels when you have a positive interaction with a stranger at any time throughout your day? Such as someone holding the door open for you, moving their bag so you can have a seat on the train, its a nice feeling isn’t it? In our role, we have the power to deliver that feeling to everyone we come into contact with and keeping hold of that thought can really help us continuously deliver something really special.
Businesses understand the value of a brilliant front of house team, it’s a competitive world out there, especially on the streets of the City or Mayfair and having a reputation of a exceptional reception and hospitality team is highly sought after. Businesses want visitors to come in to their reception, have meetings in their meeting rooms, eat their food and drink their coffee and walk away thinking, ‘wow, that’s the best hospitality experience I’ve ever had, and we want to replicate it’. What a compliment! But that’s exactly what we should all be aiming for and sometimes the most subtle touches can be the most powerful.
There are, as we all know, many tricks of the trade that we use to impress, fancy hand soap, eye catching flower arrangements, quirky biscuit selections but I think the best customer service tool we have, especially for building relationships, is to be yourself.
It’s so easy to overlook the impact you have on people when you are in a hospitality role, but I guarantee you if you keep the above in mind, it will be a positive one, and that for me is reason enough to be immensely proud of the job you do. #hospitalityhero
By Rebecca Davies
Click here to read our full RECEPTIONIST GUIDE BOOK
If you are looking for a receptionist job or FOH Management vacancy see our listings here… Receptionist Wanted!
RELATED POSTS:
Front of House Staff Secrets – Tips and Tricks
When the PA’s or Catering Team Clash with Reception
Is Reception really that hard?