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Skills for helping clients Chapter 1

Skills for helping clients Chapter 1

In this section:

Bitesize Training:

Skills for helping clients Chapter 1

Bite size training

This bite size training covers communication skills essential for the reception role.  It should take less than 30 minutes to work through on screen.

Four types of service

Bite size training

There are different approaches to running a reception service and you need to be aware of what is appropriate in your situation. There are two main aspects that make up a quality reception service:

Procedural aspects

This includes information, systems and procedures to deliver different services to people coming into your agency.

Personal aspects

This is more about how reception workers interact with people coming into your agency – their attitudes to enquirers, feelings about their role and communication skills.

Both aspects are critical to a good quality reception service, so we will now look at four different ways that these aspects can work together.

The freezer model

This type of reception is low both in personal and procedural aspects.

Procedural

  • Slow – reception staff are often not sure what to do and have to ask their supervisor
  • Disorganised, inconsistent and chaotic – reception staff can’t find what they need

Personal

  • Insensitive and impersonal – reception staff don’t pick up on the client’s anxieties
  • Apathetic and uninterested – reception staff won’t go out of their way to help

This gives the message that the organisation doesn’t really care.

The factory

This type of reception service has a high level of sophisticated procedures and systems, but a weak personal side.

Procedural

  • Timely – staff are always ready to deal with the next client
  • Efficient – staff know what they are doing
  • Consistent – staff always follow the same procedure and script

Personal

  • Insensitive- staff ignore how the client may be feeling
  • Inflexible – staff never make exceptions, always follow the rules
  • Arrogant – staff almost have the view that clients get in the way
  • Uninterested – staff have better things to do with their time

The message to clients is: “You are a number. We are here to get you through the system as quickly as we can.”

The friendly zoo

This provides the personal touch for clients, but lacks the systems and consistency to deal with clients.

Procedural

  • Slow – staff continually consult colleagues and their supervisor
  • Inconsistent – staff treat clients in different ways depending on what occurs to them
  • Disorganised and chaotic – staff can’t find what they need and have to sift through papers trying to work out what to do

Personal

  • Friendly and personable -staff greet clients with a smile
  • Interested – staff engage with clients and listen to them carefully
  • Tactful – staff are aware of and respond to clients’ feelings

The message to clients is: “We are trying hard, but we are only a charity so we don’t really know what we are doing.”

Getting it right

This provides the personal touch for clients, but lacks the systems and consistency to deal with clients.

Procedural

  • Timely – staff are always ready to focus on the next client
  • Efficient – staff know the systems and how to use them
  • Consistent – staff choose the appropriate procedure for each client

Personal

  • Friendly – staff greet and help clients with a smile
  • Interested – staff engage with clients and listen to them carefully
  • Tactful – staff are aware of and respond to clients’ feelings

The message to clients is: “We care about you as an individual and we are able to deliver an efficient service.”

NEXT - CHAPTER 2 - COMMUNICATION SKILLS

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