Whatever your visitor policy, it is important that you have staff trained to greet visitors in a way that is professional, yet friendly. After all, the person at a reception desk, for example, is the one that provides that essential first impression about any business.
Tips for Office Greetings
- Greet people clearly when they enter – you don’t want any visitor left feeling unwelcome or unrecognized when they enter the building. Don’t risk creating this impression by greeting visitors too quietly. Keep your demeanor professional, but friendly!
- Make sure visitors feel comfortable – if they will be waiting for their appointment, offer a refreshment and let them know where they can find the washroom, and any other important amenities.
- Keep visitors informed and calm – if the appointment is delayed, let visitors know that. If the ask about the wait time, do your best to inform them and let them know what the status is. Also do your best to keep them relaxed if they’re getting stressed out about the time they’re being left to wait.
- Get them setup with necessary visitor’s passes – when a visitor enters and have a confirmed appointment with a staff member in the building, set them up with a visitor’s pass and get them to sign in. This is a fairly standard procedure in most office buildings, so it shouldn’t be unexpected. But you can be honest about your security protocols if visitors are confused about the process.