Are you looking for the right reception solutions to solve your challenges? How can digital reception systems benefit each reception type? With the rise of the workplace ecosystem where organisations are looking to maximise workplace efficiency and reduce costs, the importance of efficiency at reception can be easily overlooked.
In this blog, we will go through different types of receptions and how to improve
- An unmanned reception
- A single-person reception
- A reception with multiple receptionists
The Challenges and Solutions for each reception type
1. An unmanned reception
Visitors are greeted by the office employees or a security guard, without any dedicated reception area. Here is a list of problems that an unmanned reception might face:
- A ‘we are not bothered’ first impression due to a lack of greeting
- Without a visitor sign-in process in place, it poses multiple security and compliance risks
- It could lead to a poor experience when a visitor needs help
- Other parts of the business are taking care of the reception tasks, such as deliveries and greeting visitors
To choose the right unmanned reception solution, some organisations choose to go mid-way – setting up a reception area that looks welcome and inviting, with a self-service kiosk for signing in regardless of whether a reception is there or not.
2. A single-person reception
If you only have one person at your reception, the following challenges are often faced by the Front of House team:
- Huge peaks of traffic leave the reception team overwhelmed
- Relying on manual tasks could lead to a single point of failure
- Relying on shifts and coverage
- Handling visitor data manually could lead to a GDPR breach
There are two solutions for this type of reception. One is outsourcing digital receptionists to support your team based on minutes, the other one is using technology to automate the data handling process, removing the tedious tasks for your receptionists to focus on the meet and greet.
3. A reception with multiple receptionists
A building with higher footfall requires multiple receptionists to handle different types of visitors. Organisations that value the all-important first impression take this approach with a more sophisticated and advanced reception setup.
However, it poses a challenge to the efficiency of headcounts and workflows. To put it in other words, this type of reception requires multiple headcounts to handle fluctuating visitor traffic. Unpredictable visitor traffic can lead to understaffed/overstaffed situations.
The inefficient workflow becomes significant, especially during peak hours. Receptionists spend a couple more seconds on each task below:
- Asking visitors to sign any required documents
- Calling the hosts to inform them of guests’ arrivals
- Manually key in visitor details to the system
- Printing visitor badges
- Not aware of meeting changes
- Signing, storing and sorting out delivery parcels
All of the above can lead to a congested reception with a poor visitor experience, putting the company’s brand image at risk.
Finding the right reception solution for you
No matter what type of reception and how many receptionists you currently have, here are the common problems organisations are facing:
- Inefficient headcount and visitor sign-in processes
- Security and compliance risk. Handling visitor data with visitor books, risking a GDPR breach
- A siloed reception – any changes or disruptions related to visitors don’t automatically inform the host, security team, and facilities managers. Receptionists often need to key data from one system to another
- Inconsistent visitor experience across premises
- Constant interruptions such as answering the phone, assisting with a delivery, or greeting a guest lead to a high cost in overall productivity and employee morale
To sum up, different types of reception cannot maximise their service delivery without the help of technology and digital reception software.
What is a digital reception system?
A digital reception system is a reception solution that streamlines the visitor sign-in process while delivering a memorable and consistent visitor and employee experience.
A digitalised reception automates the visitor management process, providing a digital reception service that drives productivity and efficiency and enhances the workplace experience while cutting costs.
Digital Reception System at Mitie
Benefits of digital reception systems
1. Maximise efficiency, minimise workflow changes
Many assume that adopting a new system means changing your original workflow. Modern digital reception systems, like Vgreet, feature an open API where you can register your visitors right from scheduling the meeting in Outlook or whichever calendar you are using.
Visitor data populates every system needed to deliver the very pinnacle of a great first impression, from the moment they get their invite through to the time they walk into the meeting.
2. ROI
From upgrading office security to staying GDPR compliant, to managing deliveries and visitor registrations, businesses can see a huge ROI in cutting the administrative costs involved in signing visitors in.
Digital reception systems enhance the capacity to manage huge variations in traffic, enabling you to quickly deliver multiple £10,000’s returns on investment, in downstream savings.
Even if you are just looking to introduce “peak traffic efficiency” as an objective, with the help of digital reception software can quickly deliver cost control, removing the excess needed for staff shifts to cover peaks in traffic.
After deploying Vgreet digital receptions systems, Vodafone has seen a return on investment of £80k in year 1 and £175k in year 2.
Learn more about the ROI of visitor management software
3. Customise an unforgettable experience for every visit
Digital reception systems enable receptionists to focus on face-to-face interactions with customers, making every first impression memorable. With a focus on the end-to-end visitor experience, receptionists are always ahead of time and aware of who is visiting.
Those that have heard of The Raffles Hotel in Singapore will know how they often confound visitors greeting them at the taxi door with a personal greeting: “Hello Mr Jefferys” leaving Mr Jefferys stunned, “how did that guy know my name?”
The Raffles Concierge had taken the step to re-engineer that key first impression, paying the drivers to text passenger details and their registration to the hotel in advance.
First impressions matter to us all, how does your reception match up to visitor expectations? Those that visit the Raffles Hotel quite often never forget it.
Key Takeaway
We summarised the common reception challenges in efficiency, security, compliance, and experience, and advised that a digital reception solution is the key to maximise the reception’s service delivery.
The right reception solution will maximise efficiency, minimise workflow changes, and improve visitor experience, all while delivering an ROI.
Download the Vgreet Digital Reception Software Brochure
Further reading
- The ultimate guide to improving your visitor management
- Calculate the ROI with Vgreet yourself
- How to implement digital reception in 5 steps
Contact us to learn more about our Digital reception systems offering
