Receptionist

Receptionists act as the first point of contact in an organisation, greeting people and attending to enquiries made by phone or in person.

Receptionists may perform the following tasks:

greet visitors and telephone callers and find out the nature of their enquiry
operate telephone switchboards and consoles to connect, hold, transfer and disconnect telephone calls
provide information to assist clients or refer them to appropriate contacts, either in the organisation or elsewhere
arrange appointments for callers or for people working in the organisation and keep records of these
carry out word processing, filing, mail-outs, bookkeeping and banking as required
send out accounts, receive payments and order stationery and office supplies
open and deal with incoming mail, and organise outgoing mail and postage
if working in hotels or motels, make reservations, check guests into and out of the hotel, give information on facilities available and advise visitors about places of interest
if working in surgeries, salons or similar places, organise appointments, deal with changes in schedules, present accounts after treatment and handle money
if working in sales areas, assist in the promotion of products and give prices and details to customers.

Specialisations:

Medical Receptionist

A medical receptionist works in a medical centre and uses their knowledge of medical terminology and software to process accounts and Medicare forms, and make appointments for patients.

Although the range of tasks varies depending on the place of work, the clerical skills involved are similar. Many positions require keyboard and computer skills.

Receptionists are expected to be able to present an appropriate image for the organisation and deal competently with the people and problems they encounter. In some areas, such as the hospitality industry, they may be required to work outside normal hours including weekends and evenings.

Personal Requirements:

good communication skills
able to work neatly and accurately
good organisational skills
able to work without supervision
good presentation and a pleasant manner.

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