Are you considering a job as a virtual receptionist? There are some great benefits. For those who love a challenge and excitement on the job, it offers a lot of surprises and flexibility. If you’re a people person, you’ll get to spend all day helping out callers. You also have workplace flexibility; some jobs take place in an office, and others can be done at home. If you think this might be a good job for you, consider the virtual receptionist qualifications and get started on your résumé. What exactly are the virtual receptionist qualifications and skills needed? Here are a few of the things we consider to be the most important virtual receptionist qualifications. These are the skills we look for in our VoiceNation professionals.
Friendliness
As the person who answers the phone, the receptionist is the first impression a caller might have with a company, and we all know how important a first impression is. That’s why it’s important to have a friendly and polite disposition that ideally makes callers finish the conversation feeling good about the company.
Patience
As a receptionist, your job is often to explain company policies and procedures to callers. Callers may also want to talk to your client, who isn’t available. Patience is of the utmost importance in situations like this. Receptionists may have to repeat the same information or explain it differently to get the message across.
Listening Skills
Happy callers are ones who feel heard and understood. Receptionists who are good at listening and making clients feel heard excel at their jobs. Listening is just as important as speaking when you’re a virtual receptionist.
Good Anger Management
Unfortunately, not all calls will go in a positive direction, and it won’t always be the fault of the receptionist. However, it is the receptionist’s job to stay calm and try to defuse the situation. A good receptionist keeps a calm tone and tries to pacify the angry caller, and if that’s not working, they’ll take a message and end the call as soon as productively possible.
Communication Skills
All of these skills can be connected to strong communication skills. This is the foundation that a good receptionist builds from. Focus your cover letter and interview answers on the ways you’ve used great communication to get a job done.
Technical Skills
Being a receptionist is largely a task that requires communication, but most jobs will require receptionists to be comfortable using a computer as well as a phone. At VoiceNation, our receptionists communicate with clients via an app. This is where you will leave messages and forward calls. The ability to learn new apps and software is always a useful skill for a receptionist.
Bilingualism
Being bilingual is a huge asset to our clients. Not everyone who calls a company will speak English as a first language, so if you know another language, that will allow the company you’re working for to serve more customers well. At VoiceNation, we go out of our way to hire bilingual receptionists.
If you’re interested in being a VoiceNation virtual receptionist, we urge you to apply today. We’ll provide extensive training to make sure that you’re well-equipped for the job!