Facility managers need much more than technical knowledge to succeed on the job. Facility management skills must also include big-picture knowledge like the kinds we describe in this article.
Your Comprehensive Daily Visitor Management Checklist
Make the job of visitor management at your organization a little easier with this comprehensive list of daily tasks. Our visitor management checklist contains everything you need to know for scheduling, planning, and maintenance.
How The Receptionist Handles the Holidays
Ever wondered how the holidays at a startup tech company are handled? We talk business and time-off on this episode of The Check-In.
5 Tips That Operations Managers Can Use Today
Operations managers have a lot of roles to fill in an organization. These 5 tips will help them focus on what’s important.
Feature Updates: Dark Mode and custom check-out questions
We often hear that our customers love all of the ways they can customize The Receptionist for iPad, and now, two new feature updates offer up even more ways to create a unique and well-rounded visitor check-in experience. Dark Mode By default, the check-in screens that greet visitors display with a lighter, white background with darker text. However, The Receptionist …
TechPlace finds visitor tracking success with The Receptionist for iPad’s customizations
When a business welcomes 5,000 visitors through its doors in its first year and never makes any money from those visitors, that’s usually a sign that things are not going to work out. But for the staff at TechPlace, an innovation space led by the Burlington (Ontario) Economic Development Corporation, they see their Year One as a resounding success. TechPlace is where …
How the California Ruling on Independent Contractors Could Affect Your Business
A recent ruling in California could change how companies classify employees and independent contractors. Here’s what you should know about the Dynamex ruling.
When Your Customers Want Something Else
When customer requests come in, here’s how The Receptionist handles them as a bootstrapped startup with a small engineering team.
How Much Office Space Do You Really Need?
How much office space do you really need? We can’t give you an exact figure, but we can explain which variables you should consider.
Feature Updates: Custom email domains and departments
We’re back with two new feature updates for The Receptionist for iPad that will make your visitor check-in experience even more efficient! Custom email domains With the release of the highly requested custom email domains feature, you can now add your own specialized company email domains to the suggested ones during the check-in process. You can add up to six email …
Paper Visitor Logs Are More Expensive Than Visitor Registration Apps. Here’s Why
Traditional paper visitor logs may seem simple and affordable at first glance, but they come with significant costs. By comparison, visitor registration apps offer features and advantages that can save offices more money.
All-Staff Meetings: How The Receptionist Makes Them Not Suck
Want to have great staff meetings but not sure how? We cover how to make sure your all-staff meetings don’t suck.
4 Tips for Conducting Workplace Emergency Drills
Workplace safety drills are an essential part of an effective safety plan. However, some drills may work better than others. Here’s why.
How to Evaluate a Potential Office Space
A thorough office space evaluation is a critical step in the process of finding a new location for your company. Here are a few things to look for in any potential office.
Spotlight on Sarah Suzuki from Chicago Compass Counseling
Sarah Suzuki, LCSW from Chicago Compass Counseling shares about growing her therapy practice and how The Receptionist has helped her business.
Want to Try Visitor Sign-In Software for Your Office? Avoid These 4 Common Mistakes
Visitor sign-in software should make your front desk run more smoothly, but without proper planning, the transition could cause some disruptions.
Feature Updates: Location Management
For companies with more than one location, building, or office, implementing the highest rated visitor management system in The Receptionist for iPad has been made easier than ever with the rollout of our location management functionality. With The Receptionist for iPad’s location management capabilities, companies with multiple locations can manage all of their Receptionist for iPad configurations from one central …
How a startup incubator’s search for check-in software landed at The Receptionist for iPad
At the Civil-Military Innovation Institute, Inc., (CMI2) headquarters in West Virginia, several companies exist under one roof, all with a focus on supporting United States Department of Defense and developing dual-use (for government and commercial use) technologies. Each individual company is its own entity in separate offices, and when visitors step into the main reception area of the building, they …
The Receptionist for iPad named the leader in visitor management software in 3 reports by G2 Crowd
DENVER, Colo. — The Receptionist today announced that the company’s cloud-based visitor management system, The Receptionist for iPad, has been named the leader in three visitor management software categories in G2 Crowd’s Fall 2018 Report. Customers of The Receptionist who took part in G2 Crowd’s product reviews of Visitor Management Software solutions cited high satisfaction in Quality of Support, High …
5 Valuable SaaS Tools For Food Manufacturers
Modern SaaS tools for food manufacturers can do everything from track product ingredients to streamline the quote process.
Inside the Head of a Marketer at a Bootstrapped Tech Startup
If you wanted to know what marketing is like at a bootstrapped tech startup, this podcast is for you.
How to Create an Effective Visitor Agreement (And Which Mistakes to Avoid)
A visitor access policy can be a great way to clarify visitors’ responsibilities before they enter your facility. But if they’re not done right, dangerous gaps could leave your company at risk.
Don’t Hire an Architect to Design Your New Office Until You’ve Done This
Hiring a commercial architect is an essential step in most new office moves. However, you shouldn’t involve them until you have a clear idea of what you need in an office.
How we Hire: Our Search for a Director of Sales
Hiring employees is an important process for any company; learn from our experience about how to get great people for your business.
5 Online Tools to Improve Front Office Administration at Your School
Great school office tools can make administrators’ jobs much easier. Here are five software programs developed just for educational institutions.
Featured Business — Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise
As the executive assistant for the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Neighborhood Enterprise, a housing nonprofit that focuses on homeowner education and counseling, Hannah Clark has to keep track of and account for just about everything. Donations and grants. Office supplies. Time. And until recently, the front door. Clark and the CNE team regularly get visitors coming in to pay bills, meet with …
Safety Culture in Manufacturing: 3 Ways to Make it Stick
A strong manufacturing safety culture requires simplicity, consistency, and emotion. Here’s how to build safety culture at your plant.
How The Receptionist has Grown through Bootstrapping It
Bootstrapping it as your company grows can allow you to maintain the culture and goals that are important to you and your business.
4 Ways to Protect Your Legal Clients’ Privacy That You May Have Overlooked
Your legal clients’ confidentiality is your responsibility. Don’t overlook these tactics to protect their privacy.
Food and Beverage Manufacturers: Plan for These Emergency Scenarios
Food manufacturing emergencies can do a lot of damage to your bottom line. Here’s how to prepare for food manufacturers’ unique needs for emergency planning.
Check Yo Self!
Businesses need to focus on having a strong front desk check-in experience. The podcast covers best practices for a front office.
3 Crucial Rebranding Tactics for Engineering Firms
You may need to rebrand your engineering firm in order to stand out in a competitive landscape. Here’s how to tell a compelling story about your firm.
Best Practices for Access Control at Schools and Colleges
School access control is an important part of a comprehensive security plan. Here’s how to establish secure entry points at your facility.
You Know Your Receptionist Needs a Break When…
Being a front office receptionist entails a lot. On the podcast, we discuss receptionist roles, responsibilities, and what happens when the receptionist is overwhelmed.
These Job Perks Will Help Attract the Best Engineering Talent
Recruiting engineers who can deliver top-notch work is essential for your engineering and design firm. Offer these perks to attract the best candidates.
Featured Business — Wakaya Perfection
Originally founded in 2011 by famed entrepreneur and founder of FIJI Water, David H. Gilmour, Wakaya Perfection joined the booming direct sales industry in 2015 when Co-Founder Todd Smith took the helm and moved operations from South Florida to Central Utah. Smith’s 20-plus years of experience in health and wellness have brought dozens of new and exciting products to the …
3 Tips to Grow Your Small Law Firm
Law firm growth will only be successful if it is carefully planned ahead of time. Here are several tactics that will help grow your legal practice.
Spoiler Alert: Security and Compliance are Important
Businesses need to prioritize security and compliance; The Receptionist can support your efforts to remain secure and compliant within your industry.
How the Best Industrial Companies Plan for Emergencies
The best industrial emergency planning requires a great planning team, careful consideration of the hazards facing your company, and thorough plans that are kept updated.
Physical Security Basics For Technology and Software Companies
Physical security is as important as ever for software and technology companies. Protect your digital assets from on-site threats with these precautions.
Company Culture and Dealing with PND Syndrome
Positive company culture is critical for your employees and customers. Learn about the values and culture of The Receptionist and dealing with PND Syndrome.
How Virtual Meetings Are Changing The Legal Field
Virtual meeting tools are changing how we work together, and the legal field is no exception. Learn how these tools help lawyers save money and time.
The Benefits of Safety Videos for Factory Visitors
It’s your job to keep factory visitors safe, and adding mandatory safety videos to the check-in process is one way to help.
Before You Purchase Your Software, Consider the Jobs To Be Done
Before you make a purchase, consider the jobs that you hire that product or service to do. We cover why jobs to be done matters for our company and yours.
How to Plan for an Office Move
Office moves can be stressful. The best results come with careful planning and buy-in from the whole staff.
4 Administrative Tools for Modern Private Health Clinics
Running a private health clinic can be complicated, but these software tools can make it easier.
Good Customer Service Isn’t Good Enough: Go Radical with Your Support
Customer support is often a business’s focus, but good customer service isn’t enough. We introduce radical customer service and how to achieve it.
Here’s How the GDPR Will Affect Your Visitor Check-In Process
Any company that values its customers’ right to privacy should be paying attention to the GDPR and how it affects visitor check-in policies.
Feature Updates: Visit Log Refresh
We’re excited to announce we’ve released an update to our Visit Log! Among the changes: This update is live and active in our customers’ accounts. If you have any questions, find us in our chat portal (that little orange icon in the bottom right of any of your account pages), give us a call at 888-315-5230, or email support@thereceptionist.com.
4 Signs You’re Ready for an Office Upgrade
At what point do the costs of having insufficient office space begin to outweigh the costs of moving into a better one? Here are a few clues that your business is ready for an upgrade.
From Old School to New School.
We’re talking about why to shift from old school to new school ways of running your front office, including using visitor management software.
Can a Virtual Receptionist be as Friendly as a Live Receptionist?
Virtual receptionists have plenty of perks, but can they actually feel personal? Once you employ a few of these best practices, you may find that your visitor management software can be surprisingly friendly, personal, and welcoming.
Featured Business — Symmetry, LLC
As more companies turn to cloud hosting and outsourced enterprise application management, the security of data and who has access to it — both digitally and physically — is a chief concern among IT professionals. At Symmetry, LLC, an applications management and hybrid cloud hosting solutions provider based in Brookfield, Wisc., they pride themselves on providing their customers the peace …
How the “Internet of Things” is Creating the Office of the Future
The internet of things isn’t just for manufacturing and building maintenance. It’s showing up in white collar offices in these ways.
No More “Office Mom”: How Your Company Should Delegate the Tasks that Make Office Life Comfortable
Is someone in your office unofficially in charge of making it a comfortable and pleasant place to work? It’s time to give them official recognition.
How to Get Your Office Ready for a Visitor Management System
Before you launch visitor management software in your office, make sure you’re ready by taking these steps.
Why Your Company Might Need a “Director of First Impressions”
Today, it’s more important than ever to make a good impression on office visitors. Putting someone in charge of managing those impressions can have a big impact on your company’s bottom line.
The Role of Face-to-Face Meetings in a Digital World
Despite all the advantages of quick, convenient digital communication, in-person meetings can still give you the upper-hand in many business scenarios.
The History and Future of The Office Receptionist
The receptionist role has changed a lot in the hundreds of years that people have filled it, but the role remains an important one in any organization.
What Manufacturers Need to Know About Industry 4.0
Just as homes are becoming “smart homes,” factories have the potential to transform into “smart factories.” Here’s what you need to know.
A Few Time-Saving SaaS Tools for Every Modern Workplace
New SaaS tools for businesses streamline hiring, onboarding, training, and other distracting processes for businesses.
Featured Business — Alex E. Navidad, PLC
Alex Navidad is a Phoenix, Ariz.-based business owner and building manager who must constantly balance between offering value to his building tenants and managing costs. So in 2017, when he began considering how to make the reception area of his building more inviting and useful for his tenants and their visitors, he turned to technology. “We wanted something in the …
Here’s Why Your Website Needs Live Chat
Live chat features can be a cost-effective way to reach both existing and potential customers right when they want to connect with you.
5 Ways to Style a Beautiful Reception Area
Here are five great ideas for reception area styles, along with some suggestions on how to bring each one to life.
Happy Employees Refer Their Friends: How to Build a Hiring Referral System
Put yourself in your employees’ shoes and develop a referral system that they’ll love to use, keeping the following three rules in mind.
Try These “Wow Features” in Your Reception Area
Make an impression on office visitors with a can’t-miss, statement-making feature for visitors to see as soon as they walk into the reception area.
Feature Updates: Agreements Vault!
Here at The Receptionist, we love it when we can take feedback from our clients regarding feature requests and enhancements and turn them into reality. We’re thrilled to announce the release of a feature our customers have been asking for: An Agreements Vault. This enhancement makes it possible for our clients to view in one place all of the signed …
Featured Business — MRZ
Technology continues to disrupt the way companies do business, and seemingly no industry is safe. As more of Houston-based CPA firm MRZ’s services and interactions with clients moved to the digital space, it shifted the way the 100-person company thought about its physical office setup. Company leaders wanted in-person meetings with clients to reflect the same efficient, technology-focused experience customers …
4 Modern Tools for the High-Tech Office (Hint: These Will Impress Both Guests and Employees)
These well-designed, modern office tools can boost productivity for your whole team and make your office a more inviting place to work.
How to Structure Job Roles to Appeal to Millennial Candidates
By incorporating millennials’ top priorities into your job roles, you can attract better candidates and improve the rest of your company in the process.
For a Fun, Playful Office, Add These Elements
Play isn’t just for kids. It also has productivity and health benefits for employees. Plus, playful office features can be great for your brand.
Featured Business — eCycle Solutions
eCycle Solutions, an Ontario-based electronics recycling and information technology asset disposition (ITAD) provider, prides itself on ensuring that when a customer’s electronics enter its facilities, they are recycled in a way that ensures data security, worker health and safety, and the protection of the environment. Company leaders work to adhere to strict regulatory compliance guidelines to uphold this promise to …
4 Strategies for Recruiting Top Tech Talent
Companies that want to hire talented programmers need to offer more than just the basics. Here are 4 strategies that will get your job noticed.
Expecting a VIP Guest at Your Office? Here’s How to Treat Them Right
Make an extra effort for important office visitors. A little planning and some simple reception tactics make a big impression.
Using Your Office Dress Code to Impress Visitors
Whether or not there’s an official dress code in the employee handbook, your office’s silent dress code makes an impression. Is it the one you want to make?
Feature Updates: Multiple Languages Display Now in Beta!
We are excited to announce that we have launched the ability to allow visitors to choose between different languages when they begin their check-in process using The Receptionist for iPad. With this multilingual feature enabled, a button will appear on the welcome screen that will give visitors the option to select between different languages that administrators choose to display. This …
Visitors Shouldn’t Have to Wait to Check In: Here’s How to Eliminate Lines in Reception
There are several simple steps you can take to make sure your company’s guests are never kept waiting in the reception area.
Is Your Company Coming off Poorly in Job Interviews? 4 Things to Check
It’s essential to make a great impression on job candidates throughout their interviews. Here are three ways to do it.
A Look Back at 2017
With 2017 officially behind us, we here at The Receptionist want to take a moment to reflect on what turned out to be our best year ever as a company. We grew at an incredible pace, thanks to our amazing customers who continue to humble us with their rave reviews of our visitor management system. In 22 countries around the …
3 Ways Your Reception Area Makes an Impression
Your office’s reception area makes an impression on visitors. Whether that impression is good or bad depends on its aesthetics, staff, and tools.
Featured Business — Contours Studios
Contours Studios is a mindful movement studio that offers clients a high-end boutique studio experience with services that include Pilates, Hatha and Vinyasa yoga, Tai Chi, meditations, and movement training, among other services. But with as rejuvenating as the studio’s classes are for its clients, there was one area of the business that did not flow as well as Founder …
Attracting the Best Job Candidates: 4 Subtle Factors That May Tip the Scales in Your Favor
To attract the best applicants, smart companies take advantage of every opportunity to make a good impression.
Why We Respond to All of Our Reviews (Positive and Negative)
Responding to every online review is time consuming, but it’s an integral part of responsive customer support. Here’s why.
Should Your Logistics Company be C-TPAT Certified?
Government certification can be complex and take months, but the benefits of C-TPAT partnership for logistics companies are hard to ignore.
User Experience Basics for a Visitor Check-In System
If your visitor management system isn’t pleasant to use, it could backfire on your branding and automation efforts. Here’s how to test its usability.
How to Build Your Company’s Own Visitor Management System
If you’re considering having a visitor management system built specifically for your company’s needs, here’s what to keep in mind.
How a Service-Focused SaaS Company Handles Feature Requests
Feature requests for your SaaS program are valuable, but can be tricky to track and prioritize. Create a feature request management system with these steps.
Defining RADICAL Customer Service
Most companies settle for “good” customer service. But the companies who focus on exceptional customer service are the ones that really thrive.
Security Lessons from FedRAMP-Compliant Companies
Could it benefit your company to use some of the official security protocols required for hosting government cloud solutions?
Feature Updates: Added Home Screen Customizations
Customizing the check-in experience for your office just got even better with The Receptionist for iPad’s most recent updates. With the recent release of version 3.9.0 of the app, we’ve rolled out multiple customization abilities for the app’s home screen, giving you more control to brand the software to your own unique location and identity as an organization. These capabilities …
Hiring a Front Office Manager? Check for These Soft Skills
You may know which technical skills your receptionist needs. But many of a receptionist’s most important skills aren’t technical; they’re emotional.
Why You Need to Categorize Your Business Visitors
Every visitor management system should start with an analysis of who comes through your organization’s doors. Here’s what to consider.
8 Ways to Structure Your Business’ Front Office
If you hire a receptionist, they’ll likely be responsible for much more than checking visitors in. Here are some roles to consider.
The Best Customer Support is All About Real Relationships
Authentic relationships between your customers and staff are at the heart of the best customer support teams.
The 6 Ways Business Receptions Can Get Awkward (And How to Avoid Them)
We’ve all been in reception areas that give off weird vibes. Don’t let it happen at your company.
How to Design Your Visitors’ Badges
Visitor badges aren’t complicated — not at first glance. It might seem like designing one would be easy: Choose a template, fill it out, and move on. However, poorly designed visitor badges can cause problems When the information on these little rectangles isn’t laid out in a way that’s clear, accurate, and helpful, there are consequences for both visitors and …
Should Visitors to Your Company Sign NDAs?
There are a lot of ways to accidentally expose sensitive information to your company’s visitors. Trust us: We’ve heard plenty of cringe-worthy stories on the topic from our customers. (There’s nothing like a confused, unescorted visitor stumbling into a confidential meeting to get you scrambling for a better visitor management solution.) Businesses are starting to understand that security improves a …
Here’s What Happens When Your CEO Takes Customer Calls
Many companies are happy to pay lip service to the idea of being customer-centric. It makes sense: Companies exist to fill customer needs. If you don’t focus on those needs, your business will struggle. That’s why most companies are smart enough to employ a dedicated support staff. Some even give that support staff great training and special incentives. But a …
Featured Business — B Sharp School of Music
B Sharp School of Music inspires students of all ages to “sharpen their minds through music.” The private music school, started by Heidi Garcia, operates out of an old Victorian house in downtown Lodi, CA, with a recently opened second location in Scotts Valley. Thanks to B Sharp’s dedicated staff and high quality of instruction, the school has grown, adding …