Hiring A Remote Receptionist: Top Qualities To Consider 

What’s a remote receptionist?

A virtual receptionist is a professional desk receptionist who can provide you with administrative and customer support services from a remote location. 

They handle tasks like: 

• Answering client calls

• Transfer calls

• Buy and manage office supplies

• Manage incoming calls, emails, and SMS

• Schedule appointments

• Manages customer loyalty programs

• Providing administrative support

• Uses customer service technology to address customer inquiries

Just like an onsite desk receptionist, a virtual receptionist uses a variety of tools to perform their duties without being at the office.

Benefits of hiring a virtual receptionist

Cost-effectivity

A virtual receptionist helps you save on overhead costs, as opposed to hiring an in-house, onsite receptionist. You don’t need to spend on extra office space or desks, laptops, and benefits when you hire a virtual receptionist. 

Studies have shown that remote work reduces office rental costs and other related overheads. This helps you allocate your resources effectively, especially if you’re a startup. 

Flexibility 

When customers get timely and accurate answers to their questions, it enhances their overall satisfaction about your service.

In fact, this study found that improving client satisfaction and customer loyalty can increase your profits, especially if you’re a service-based business. But what if you don’t have the time to build a chatbot to handle multiple customer inquiries? 

This is where a virtual receptionist can help you, as they can work from different timezones. If you want the virtual receptionist to work outside your business hours, you just need to hire someone who works before or after your business hours. 

Scalability

You can easily adjust the level of virtual receptionist service, based on your current business needs. For example, you can increase support during your peak times, and vice versa. 

Through this, you won’t need to spend more on hiring additional staff or commit to long-term contracts. This can be especially helpful if you’re a new startup or agency, and is finding the right operational structure for your business. 

Enhanced productivity

Hiring a virtual receptionist frees up your core employees’ time. The former can work on administrative tasks, while the latter handles more strategic assignments. 

Some studies have found that remote work can lead to increased productivity due to fewer distractions and better work-life balance. This study particularly found that remote workers, such as remote receptionists, can focus better and save on commuting expenses.

Access to a wider talent pool

There’s a wide variety of virtual receptionist talents at the moment. You’re not limited by geographical location anymore. 

The best advantage of this is you can access receptionists with specialized skills but may not live in your locality.

For example, if you want to expand your market by catering to customers who speak a different language, you just need to find bilingual remote receptionists. 

How virtual receptionist services work

If you’re planning to subscribe to virtual receptionist services, here’s an overview of how it works: 

1. Setup and integration 

The remote receptionist services provider first integrates their system into your existing phone and communication system. Usually they will do a system compatibility check to make sure their setup is compatible with yours. 

They will also install the necessary tools to enable the remote receptionist to access your phone lines, email systems, and other communication platforms you’re currently using. 

2. Training and onboarding

After the integration, you will need to onboard the virtual receptionist to your business processes, products, and services. 

Make sure they can understand how your business operates, and the specific tasks they will be handling. If it’s required, most receptionists will also have to undergo product and service training, so they can provide accurate information to customer inquiries. 

3. Call handling and management 

Next, the remote receptionist will proceed to answer calls, manage emails, and perform other administrative tasks according to predefined protocols. They will usually follow a predefined scripts and study how your company communicates, so you can maintain a consistently professional facade to your customers. 

4. Communication and reporting

The remote receptionist is also responsible for communicating with you to ensure the operations run smoothly. They will provide daily updates or monthly reports on the tasks and projects completed. 

For regular updates, they may list the progress of their daily tasks or the quantity of customer inquiries they addressed. Meanwhile, they may provide a broader overview of their performance during tri-monthly reviews. 

5. Feedback and improvement 

Part of hiring a remote receptionist is tracking their performance. If you’d like, you can schedule a performance review every three months, where you’ll discuss their strength and areas for improvement. 

If you’re dedicated to scaling your admin team, you can start with simple tracking using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.

Choosing the right remote receptionist

Excited to hire your first remote healthcare receptionist? Don’t forget to look for these qualities when you’re evaluating your candidates or remote receptionist services: 

Technical skills

• Proficient in using office software (Microsoft Office or Google Workspace)

• Knowledge of CRM systems and telephone software 

• Comfortable with using communication tools like Zoom 

Soft skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities 
• High level of reliability and dependability
• Quick learner, and quick to adapt
• Customer service orientation with a friendly manner

Training and certification

• Certifications in administration 
• Certifications in customer service 
• Certifications in relevant software 
• Continuous professional development through workshops
• Complies with HIPAA (important for a medical receptionist)

Nationally recognized certifications

• Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)
• Professional Receptionist Certification by the Receptionist Association of America (1999)
• Customer Service Professional by the International Customer Service Association (ICSA)