The Importance of Hiring a Superstar Director of First Impressions for your Organization

Carefully Select Your Director of First Impressions

What is the one position in your organization that is likely paid the least and to which little or no thought is given as to the kind of talent is needed to fill this very important position?

A hint… This position is usually paid so little because non-strategic people look at this position as a cost, rather than an investment.

Another hint… Few people grow up saying, “I would like to do this as a career.”

It’s at the tip of your tongue, isn’t it?

Answer… The receptionist.

Please allow me to rant a bit here…

There is one critical place where customers come and go that they are exposed emotionally because visually they can’t see anything. That one critical place is on the telephone with the receptionist. The receptionist is often the very first impression (and sometimes the last) that your customer will have of your organization.

An important decision is made in just a few critical seconds of time. In the first few seconds of a phone call your customer will make a judgment about your organization and your brand regarding…

• How much they are willing to pay you.
• Whether they will call again.
• If they will recommend your organization to others to do business with you.
• How much they like you.

But hey! This is a receptionist position and you can afford to save a few dollars. Right?

Absolutely not!

This may sound “anti-cultural” but I have to share some deep customer experience creation strategy with you.

• Hire the best talent money can buy and PAY FOR IT! You get exactly what you pay for. If you aren’t hiring a PROFESSIONAL, you won’t get a professional-sounding person answering your phone.
• Profile candidates using a Behaviors, Values, and Personal Attributes personality profile system to really know – does this person LOVE people? If they don’t – then don’t hire them! Let your competition hire them. Act as if you are hiring for one of the most important positions in your organization – because you are!
• Get rid of the title “receptionist”. Dispose of any title including telephone, phone, greeter, or anything using subservient language. If you feel subservient, you act the part. Consider the “Director of First Impressions” title. You don’t want your Director of First Impressions feeling beneath people – this truly is a “Director-level” position!
• Develop repeatable systems and make sure everyone on your team follows them including…
  • The Initial greeting
  • Call transferring techniques
  • Proper Phone Etiquette
  • The preferred method of answering frequently asked questions

When you hire the right person to answer your telephone and train them on how to properly represent your brand, you will be adding tremendous value to your organization.

If you need help hiring the best Director of First Impressions, we can help! We have the tools and experience to help you know with certainty that you are hiring a superstar.

At The Phone Coach we are experts at creating powerful customer experiences and we guarantee results. Give us a call today and start creating the experiences your customers crave!