This half-day (3 hour) course was adapted from a 2-day course on reception skills devised by the training team at AdviceUK. The course may be delivered either on its own or as the first part of a one-day training course if reception staff are also to conduct triage interviews (see the introduction to the triage training course). The course aims to enable participants to:
The course materials are designed to accommodate the various learning styles and in particular to provide opportunities for participants to practise the skills of active listening, probing for information, implementing principles of confidentiality, equal opportunities etc.
The course is suitable either for staff who are new to the reception role, or as a refresher course for experienced receptionists. During the “Working Together for Advice” programme, the course was delivered to both types of participant and in some cases those attending included both experienced and new receptionists. With skilful guidance by the tutor, the insight and knowledge of experienced reception staff can enhance the value of the training, in particular by adding to the range of practical examples and anecdotes which help to illustrate the principal points.
The course is designed to facilitate learning through observation, participation and practice. It enables participants to acknowledge the skills which they have gained through common life situations and to understand how these skills may be developed to fulfil the role of a receptionist: For example, participants begin by recounting good or bad experiences of customer service and extrapolate from this the broad principles of good customer care.
Most of the teaching is achieved through role play, reflection and discussion, with a strong emphasis on learning by doing. The session on “customer care and human needs” introduces a theoretical perspective which could be developed and extended, if required, to occupy more time than has been allocated in the sample session plan – for example by using role play or a scenario to illustrate the applicability of Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of human needs to a client using an advice service.
The training materials consist of:
The resources needed to deliver the course consist of:
The course was presented 4 times in 2010 during the “Developing Access to Advice” element of the “Working Together for Advice” programme. On all occasions, participants were drawn from a range of not-for-profit advice agencies and included people with varying levels of experience of reception work.
The introductory session on customer service works well as an ice breaker and also allows the tutor to refer to principles of customer care at later points in the course: e.g. when presenting Maslow’s theory, it may be helpful to illustrate how the need for esteem may be met by referring to some of the examples of good customer care cited in this session.
The session on dealing with difficult client situations proved very popular with participants who had already had experience of reception work, as most had encountered situations similar to those presented in the role play exercises. There are opportunities to relate this to the earlier sessions on listening skills and also to prompt participants both to envisage the situation from the client’s perspective and also to comment on how effectively access systems work within their organisations.
The sessions on key principles of advice services and on information an advice aim to introduce important concepts in terms of, respectively, the ethos and values of an independent advice service and distinctions between different functions within the service. Both sessions could be expanded through extended group discussion or role play.
Participants who enquire about more detailed training on client care and dealing with difficult client situations may be referred to courses offered by the various advice networks, including the two-day course on reception skills offered by AdviceUK.
