As your business starts to grow, you’ll hit a point when you can’t do everything on your own. You need help. A receptionist or personal assistant can help make sure you get everything done without having a nervous breakdown.
How you know it’s time to hire a receptionist
If you’re like many business owners, you started out doing everything. everything. You answered the phones, you made appointments with clients, you created invoices.
But you’re starting to outgrow that model. Your phones go to voicemail more often than not. Clients complain that they can’t reach you. You’re behind on invoicing. Or worse, you’re staying up late into the night and waking up early to get it all done.
When your service, dependability, or personal health start to slip it’s time to hire a receptionist. In fact, you should have done it already.
Character traits and skills to look for
If you’ve never hired a PA or receptionist (or never hired anyone at all) you might be anxious about finding the right person. Everyone has heard horror stories about nightmare employees that disrupt your business, cost you money, and generally misrepresent you.
However, if you know what to look for, finding the right employee probably isn’t as difficult as you feared. Look for these traits and skills.
Communication and Interpersonal Skills
The ability to communicate is the number one skill your receptionist needs. You want a receptionist who knows how to communicate on the phone, online and in person, since that’s the biggest portion of the job. Look for someone with a professional phone manner and solid writing skills.
When hiring, pay attention to how the person talks to you on the phone and how they communicate through email as well as their demeanor during the interview.
Professionalism (and contacts)
Your receptionist should be a professional. Someone who takes responsibility for the work, completes tasks on time, and speaks and dresses appropriately (whatever that means for your industry).
Pay close attention to how quickly candidates get back to you, whether they keep their appointments, and how they deal with challenging situations during the hiring process.
Investment in your Business
Finally, you need someone who is invested in the success of your business. Your receptionist needs to be proactive, always working to improve your administrative operations. Look for someone who asks questions about why things run the way they do and who is willing to do tasks that fall outside the job description when the situation calls for it.
Consider Cost
How much room do you have in the budget to pay for a receptionist or PA? Can you afford a full-time employee or might you need to look for other options? Keep in mind that hiring a full-time employee means paying their salary and all associated costs like payroll taxes.
You can hire a receptionist to work part-time to keep costs down, but that means you’ll still be responsible for answering phones and interacting with clients the rest of the time.
At College Park Executive Suites, we take that expense off of your books. When you rent an office you don’t just get a well-appointed reception area, a private office to work in, and convenient meeting rooms. You also get a built-in receptionist. Jackie is at the front desk most of the day to answer phones, accept packages, and greet your clients when they walk in the door. The only person more invested in your success is you.
So save the headache of finding and hiring the perfect PA and contact Jackie today.
