Today is my last day as a receptionist at a car dealership here in town. These are a few of the things that I learned over the past year answering phone calls and all the other duties that reception entails. I firmly believe that these are things that will help anyone who is willing to have better interactions with places of business and also just the general human population.
Be Courteous
Use your words!
Politely asking for exactly what you want without the story is the best way to get where you want the fastest. I am the WORST at this. I always want the person to know that I SEE them. You know, acknowledge their humanity. Yet, when interacting with people in the business world, the best and fastest way to acknowledge a person is use their name. Most people are required to use their name in their introductions, so if you use it -- you immediately humanize the person you’re talking to. From then on, it’s always better to stick to business (but jokes are always appreciated!).
Questions Require Silence.
Speaking of asking questions: stop talking so your question can be answered. Yes! You read that right. Oftentimes when people would call in they would ask me a question and then I would start to answer but they would keep talking (?!?). As a professional, I always gave people the right to speak before me, so even if I had the right answer I tried not to interrupt people (which is my professional duty) but those were the conversations that were the most ineffective and frustrating on both sides.
Make Friends With the SMALL People!
Anytime you enter into a new place or new job, etc. make FRIENDS with the SMALL people. The ones who clean, the ones who answer the phones, the ones who run the errands, the IT department, the guy who fixes the printer, and keep the small details of the business running with efficiency and care. THOSE are the people who will be able to help you out when you need it. Not saying that those who own the business or those people in charge aren’t helpful (quite the opposite). The people in charge are doing “in charge” people things, and those people who run the small parts are the ones who know the most about the inner workings of a company and will be able to give you advice on what to do in what situation. SMALL people make BIG companies alive.
INTEGRITY MATTERS.
I was raised both in parentage and in my Christian faith that what you do when no one is watching is as, if not more, important than what you do in front of people. To be trusted with much, the Bible says we must be trusted with little. And this doesn’t always looks like a physical action oftentimes this is the attitude that which we approach our daily tasks. Reception work is very repetitious and it would have been easy to approach it with a bad attitude, but that is not good stewardship. This is the day the Lord has made!
Allocate Your Frustration to the Right Person.
Oftentimes the first person you talk to is not the person that is the cause of your frustration AND they most likely could help you if you let them. I know it’s hard not to be angry or yell at people but when dealing with employees at a business there is so much more behind the scenes that goes into every decision made.
and last, but not least,
It’s NOT Personal!
One of the hardest lessons in life that I am learning is that I choose to be offended or not to be offended. It is our choice whether or not we will enter into the boxing match (or should I say cold shoulder match?) of offense. I think that’s why rules regarding what to do when offended are written so plainly in the Bible. Offense can literally destroy relationships. In working as a receptionist and being a member of humankind, offense is always the easiest route to take. But, if we as a people--whether it is Americans, Christians, receptionists, or just plain humans are ever going to work together we must stop offense at the root.
I’m glad you’ve made it all the way down to the end of the post. I hope that you gained a piece of wisdom from these words and I hope that you take them to heart as you interact with the world and the business world around you.
Love you fam.
Also, PS -- I LOVED my time working at Vern Eide, I will miss them all, thanks for the memories!!!
