PA and Secretary Community - Deskdemon.com

Hello.  I don't get the opportunity to post very often, but always know this is a great place to receive good feedback.  A few years ago, I posted a similar question that I'd like to ask again regarding how offices with a front desk handle coverage.  I work for an HR department at a university (I'm the Ex. Admin. Assist. to the Assoc. VP) and I'm responsible for supervising the front desk.  We have one full-time staff member, and I am the primary backup when she is out.  We also have rotating staff for when I cover, that break me for lunch, but they work no more than an hour at a time since I am the primary backup.

Can you please let me know how your offices handle front desk coverage?  Also, does your front desk use a desk bell, if the receptionist has to step away for a moment? Our copier and fax is in an adjoining office, so from time to time she needs to step away, and when she comes back she may have someone waiting at the desk.  Or is a desk bell unprofessional?

Also, what level of coverage do you have?  For example, if your receptionist needs a restroom break, does she/he
need to call upon someone, or can she/he step away momentarily?

Thanks for your responses.                                                                           

Hello - nice to see you back!!

In my past jobs, we had a full time receptionist but like you appear to do, had a rota to cover her lunch break.  This worked well. If someone due to cover was off, someone else stepped in. Everyone was quite easy going about doing extra covers but all made sure someone was not doing more than was fair.

I think a bell or similar is useful for when she may be in the next office for a short time.  From the customer point of view, I think it looks professional knowing they won't be expected to stand there with no means of attracting attention.  We had a proper bell that sat on a velvet stand rather than a 'doorbell' type - looked more attractive.

If she needed to nip to the restroom in between beaks, she would simply phone someone to come and sit at reception.  Nobody minded, in fact, sometimes it was a welcome break from our desks for 5 mins  :D

Hope this helps

Our office has a dedicated reception Team who work varied hours but there is always a team of two and a security staff member (we have the public come into the building and because of our sector it can be quite confrontational).

When reception team members are unavailable the Admin Team have a system of providing cover and there are suffcient of them that it can be worked out on a flexible ad hoc basis.

I don't think a desk bell is unprofessional ... it indicates that there is someone paying attention to the desk even if not located within sight of it.

Different sort of set up but hope the insight is of some help to you.

Cathy

In most companies I have worked, there has been a dedicated receptionist where cover was provided for mid morning and lunch breaks.  However in the universities I have worked, staff always closed their offices for lunch.

Currently where I work now, all visitors report to our security/reception area.  We don't have a dedicated receptionist but we do have security 24/7 who provide that service.

I worked in an office that had a similar setup as well.  We rotated covering the receptionist's lunch break and split days when he (yes, he) was on vacation/sick.  In other words, they day was split into four "shifts" - 8-10:30, 10:30 - 12:30, 12:30 - 2:30, 2:30 - 5PM.  That way our own bosses weren't without support all day. 

As far as a bell, I think that's fine, as long as the response to it is prompt.  Nothing annoys me more than walking into a business, ringing a bell as instructed, and then waiting, waiting, waiting.... 

Thanks for taking the time to share.  It's great to know what other organizations are doing.

Have a great weekend.

I'm coming in a little late on this thread, but here is my company's way of manning the front desk:

Our company's offices are in a gated garden courtyard, so all visitors have to ring the front gate bell to gain admittance. 

Our entrance is all glass, so there is great visibility.  We also have video cameras and remote control for the gates. 

All people coming in report to the reception desk and sign in, and we have separate sign-in sheets for staff and visitors. 

We have a dedicated receptionist and cover for lunchtime, sickleave and annual leave.  If the receptionist needs to step away from the desk for a short time, he/she (usually "he") calls in the back-up receptionist.

On occasion, as need demands,  everyone in the company can handle reception - including Directors - so it's quite democratic.  The only person who never sits on reception is our CEO, but it really is an exception for anyone higher than the basic Admin Assistant grades to be asked to help out and it is all about keeping the company's service to customers going. 

People with the proper badge can gain entrance to the building on their own during work hours.  Others must be logged in and given a temporary ID before entering the building.  They must also turn in camera phones until they depart.

Our front desk receptionist was laid off about a year and 1/2 ago.  The admin staff of 5 have been rotating each day of the week for a half-day (from 8:00 until 12:30).  From 12:30 - 5:00 the night ring is turned on for the phone, and people arriving at the door without a badge must call their party from the locked area and be let in that way.  These people must sign in and out of the logbook.

It has been quite difficult for me to cover on Mondays, to which I've been assigned, because I have been given the assignment of leading large sales meetings every Monday morning.  Therefore, I have to find someone to either switch the whole morning with me, or to cover for two hours.  It is difficult to find people, because nobody wanted Mondays in the first place. 

Our company is soon to start hiring people again, and I'm pushing for them to hire a new receptionist.  It is very difficult to cover two desks at one time.  My boss says the company does not plan to hire anyone to cover the front desk, even on a part-time basis.  Very frustrating for all of us.