A home receptionist answers calls and performs business-related activities for companies from their own residence, providing a cost-effective way for businesses to appear more established. They can also schedule appointments and build customer relationships. The growth of virtual positions in this field is uncertain.
A home receptionist is a person who answers the phone and completes other business-related activities for one or more companies from the comfort of their own residence. Also known as virtual receptionists, these at-home administrative assistants are more appropriate for companies that do not need private offices to carry out their daily activities, such as salespeople, personal trainers, real estate agents or private investigators, for example. Using an in-home receptionist is a cost-effective way for a business to appear to have a separate office and therefore appear more established or larger than it actually is. Additionally, leaving a message with a pleasant and helpful person live – rather than logging a complaint or request to voicemail – can help increase or retain customer satisfaction. A home receptionist, then, not only answers the phone calls on behalf of the company, but also provides friendly customer interaction and performs some business-related activities.
Receptionists are often responsible for providing the public’s first impression of a business, and their professional demeanor can therefore be very important. Business use of a home receptionist – as opposed to a noisier telephone answering service – aims to provide customers with three distinct impressions. First, they achieved a calm, capable, established office. Second, that the individual they’re looking for is woefully busy at the moment. Finally, the receptionist emphasizes the importance of customer calls, taking detailed messages if necessary and promising a promptly returned phone call.
With the use of email, smart phone or online calendar, a home receptionist can also schedule, cancel or reschedule appointments for clients with immediate notification to the business owner for whom she works. Not only does this add to the impression that there is, in fact, a physical office, but something has actually been accomplished beyond a simple exchange of messages. Depending on the extent of services purchased from the home receptionist company, correspondence or invoices can also be typed, printed and mailed. A home greeter can also build valuable business relationships with past customers by remembering preferences or details of their orders.
As a career area, opportunities for receptionists in the US will continue to grow for years to come. The growth of virtual positions as part of this field is not certain, although the increased use of technology and a focus on cost savings will likely mean that in-house positions will also increase. There are currently no statistics on the rate of use of home or office receptionists.
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