United Infratek, Inc.

Attendant Call Management:

Maintaining Positive First Impressions.

We're all familiar with the importance of making a good first impression. And those people, such as attendants and receptionists, whose responsibility it is to answer the phone often have an immeasurable impact on the perception of a company by its customers and prospective customers. A courteous, cheerful voice; a professional, helpful attitude; and a smooth interaction may significantly contribute to a positive experience for the caller.

Regardless of the ability of callers to reach company representatives directly, there will always be a certain number of phone calls directed to a centralized answering location. Calls for general inquiries, callers who don't have a specific phone number, and callers who need urgent assistance but are unable to reach the appropriate company representative -- all of these are directed to an attendant or receptionist.

This person must manage multiple phone calls with typical queries such as, "What are your office hours?", "Where are you located?", "Who is your sales manager?", "Since Mr. Jones is busy, who else could help me?" or "Mr. Adams is out of the office? When will he return?"

The attendant or receptionist must have appropriate tools available in order to quickly and correctly direct each call. NEC calls this type of call handling Attended Call Management.

In addition to processing various types of phone calls, most receptionists and some attendants have other assigned responsibilities. Many businesses assign clerical business tasks such as sorting mail, maintaining calendars, handling travel arrangements, and basic word processing and bookkeeping. Other businesses may assign tasks related more directly to their type of business.

For example, in health care facilities, receptionists may gather patient information and direct patients to the appropriate waiting area. Regardless of the type of additional duties assigned, maintaining focus and priority on answering phone calls must be given a high priority.

The availability of powerful, yet flexible technology and applications to manage call flow and work flow is imperative to the success of an attendant or receptionist. Telephones must provide information about calls and callers; directory systems must provide information about departments and individuals; and most of all, applications must be able to react to changing conditions. The opportunity to accept a new phone call must be presented to a receptionist regardless of what other activity may be present.

The expansion of technology solutions such as unified messaging is decreasing the overall number of attendants and receptionists needed; however, those that are successful will be able to demonstrate a wider diversity of skills. Two market factors also place requirements on the tools provided for attendants and receptionists.

According to the U.S. Government's Occupational Outlook Handbook, about 30% of all receptionists work part time. And even more importantly, this occupation experiences a high turnover as receptionists transfer to other occupations or leave the work force altogether. This establishes a requirement for tools with interfaces that are quick and easy to learn, in addition to providing the wide range of functionality provided for Attended Call Management.

Attended Call Management strategy includes:

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