A receptionist is an employee taking an office or administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business. The title receptionist is attributed to the person who is employed by an organization to receive or greet any visitors, patients, or clients and answer telephone calls. The term front desk is used in many hotels for an administrative department where a receptionist's duties also may include room reservations and assignment, guest registration, cashier work, credit checks, key control, and mail and message service. Such receptionists are often called front desk clerks . Receptionists cover many areas of work to assist the businesses they work for, including setting appointments, filing, record keeping, and other office tasks.
41-555: The business duties of a receptionist may include answering visitors' enquiries about a company and its products or services, directing visitors to their destinations, sorting and handing out mail, answering incoming calls on multi-line telephones or, earlier in the 20th century, a switchboard , setting appointments, filing, records keeping, keyboarding/data entry and performing a variety of other office tasks, such as faxing or emailing. Some receptionists may also perform bookkeeping or cashiering duties. Some, but not all, offices may expect
82-613: A collect call, etc.), and then release the call to be automatically handled by the TSPS. Before the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was common for many smaller cities to have their own operators. An NPA (area code) would usually have its largest city as its primary toll center, with smaller toll centers serving the secondary cities scattered throughout the NPA. TSPS allowed telephone companies to close smaller toll centers and consolidate operator services in regional centers which might be hundreds of miles from
123-540: A corporation. Some people use receptionist work as a way to earn money while pursuing further educational opportunities or other career interests such as in the performing arts or as writers. While many persons working as receptionists continue in that position throughout their careers, some receptionists may advance to other administrative jobs, such as a customer service representative , dispatcher , interviewers , secretary , production assistant , personal assistant , or executive assistant. In smaller businesses, such as
164-401: A customer encountered a reorder tone (a fast busy signal), it could indicate "all circuits busy," or a problem in the destination exchange. The operator might be able to use a different routing to complete the call. If the operator could not get through by dialing the number, she could call the inward operator in the destination city, and ask her to try the number, or to test a line to see if it
205-554: A doctor's or a lawyer's office, a receptionist may also be the office manager who is charged with a diversity of middle management level business operations. For example, in the hotel industry, the night-time receptionist's role is almost always combined with performing daily account consolidation and reporting, more particularly known as night auditing . When receptionists leave the job, they often enter other career fields such as sales and marketing, public relations or other media occupations. A few famous people were receptionists in
246-498: A live remote receptionist in lieu of a full-time, in-house receptionist, thanks to advances in communications technology. As the phrase itself suggests, a live remote receptionist deals with phone calls for a company in another location using telephony private branch exchange (PBX) servers. Most modern receptionist services can take messages, screen and forward calls, answer basic FAQs, and fill out web forms. Many services can also schedule appointments and take credit card orders. Some of
287-400: A local extension of the switchboard (which serves an individual subscriber ) or as an incoming or outgoing trunk line. The jack is also associated with a lamp. On the table or desk area in front of the operator are columns of 3-position toggle switches termed "keys", lamps, and cords. Each column consists of a front key and a rear key, a front lamp and a rear lamp, followed by a front cord and
328-453: A motion detection camera to "see" visitors as they enter the building. The remote receptionist is then displayed in a video window on a wall-mounted LCD, kiosk or desktop all-in-one computer. The video receptionist and visitors can then communicate via 2-way video, allowing the receptionist to manage one or many office lobby areas from a central location. The advancement of office automation has eliminated some receptionists' jobs. For example,
369-416: A problem. When the operator pulls down a cord, a pulley weight behind the switchboard pulls it down to prevent it from tangling. On a trunk, on-hook and off-hook signals must pass in both directions. In a one-way trunk, the originating or A board sends a short for off-hook, and an open for on-hook, while the terminating or B board sends normal polarity or reverse polarity. This "reverse battery" signaling
410-402: A rear cord, making up together a cord circuit . The front key is the "talk" key allowing the operator to speak with that particular cord pair. The rear key on older "manual" boards and PBXs is used to ring a telephone physically. On newer boards, the back key is used to collect (retrieve) money from coin telephones . Each of the keys has three positions: back, normal and forward. When a key is in
451-499: A telephone call could be answered by an automated attendant . However, a receptionist who possesses strong office/technical skills and who is also adept in courtesy, tact and diplomacy is still considered an asset to a company's business image, and is still very much in demand in the business world. Telephone switchboard A telephone switchboard is a device used to connect circuits of telephones to establish telephone calls between users or other switchboards. The switchboard
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#1732868958414492-443: Is an essential component of a manual telephone exchange , and is operated by switchboard operators who use electrical cords or switches to establish the connections. The switchboard saw the peak of its use in the 20th century before wider adoption of the electromechanical automatic telephone exchange . The automatic exchange, invented by Almon Strowger in 1888, has replaced most switchboards in central telephone exchanges around
533-401: Is received, a jack lamp lights on the back panel and the operator responds by placing the rear cord into the corresponding jack and throwing the front key forward. The operator then converses with the caller, who informs the operator to whom he or she would like to speak. If it is another extension, the operator places the front cord in the associated jack and pulls the front key backwards to ring
574-500: The BOC as the intraLATA traffic was cut to the BOC. In the early 1990s AT&T replaced TSPS with OSPS (Operator Service Position System). The OSPS position was a computer terminal which the AT&;T operator entered billing information. With the advent of OSPS a feature called Interflow allowed operators on a system to answer calls from anywhere within their region. As technology changed, so did
615-465: The NPA (area code) and operator code for the information operator in the distant city. For instance, the New York City information operator was 212-131. If the customer knew the number, and the point was direct-dialable, the operator would dial the call. If the distant city did not have dialable numbers, the operator would dial the code for the inward operator serving the called party, and ask her to ring
656-415: The advent of direct-dialed long-distance calls, a subscriber would need to contact the long-distance operator in order to place a toll call. In large cities, there was often a special number, such as 112, which would ring the long-distance operator directly. Elsewhere, the subscriber would ask the local operator to ring the long-distance operator. The long-distance operator would record the name and city of
697-620: The aid of technology. Many of the manual tasks that used to be done by hand can now be done through hand held devices and UPC and SKU coding. In the retail setting, automation also increases choice. Customers can easily process their payments through automated credit card machines and no longer have to wait in line for an employee to process and manually type in the credit card numbers. Office payrolls have been automated, which means no one has to manually cut checks, and those checks that are cut can be printed through computer programs. Direct deposit can be automatically set up and this further reduces
738-559: The application of Interflow. Interflow was implemented nationwide by AT&T. This allowed AT&T to close virtually every operator office throughout the US. As of 2004 the only AT&T operator offices remaining were located in Houston, Texas, and Jacksonville, Florida. The switchboard is usually designed to accommodate the operator, who sits facing it. It has a high back panel, which consists of rows of female jacks, each jack designated and wired as
779-515: The beginning, such as Betty Williams , a co-recipient of the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize . A number of celebrities had worked as receptionists before they became famous, such as singer/songwriter Naomi Judd and Linda McCartney , photographer, entrepreneur and wife of Paul McCartney . Other famous people who began their careers as receptionists or worked in the field include civil rights activist Rosa Parks and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina . Some small-to-medium-sized business owners hire
820-405: The called party. After connecting, the operator leaves both cords "up" with the keys in the normal position so the parties can converse. The supervision lamps light to alert the operator when the parties finish their conversation and go on-hook. Either party could "flash" the operator's supervision lamps by depressing their switch hook for a second and releasing it, in case they needed assistance with
861-538: The early 1970s, when men were once again hired. Cord switchboards were often referred to as "cordboards" by telephone company personnel. Conversion to panel switch and other automated switching systems first eliminated the "B" operator and then, usually years later, the "A". Rural and suburban switchboards for the most part remained small and simple. In many cases, customers knew their operator by name. As telephone exchanges converted to automatic ( dial ) service, switchboards continued to serve specialized purposes. Before
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#1732868958414902-619: The first central office and switchboard that served both as a security service at night for banks and businesses, as well as a telephone system. The switchboard operated telephone instruments manufactured by Charles Williams, a licensee of the Alexander Graham Bell company. In January 1878 the Boston Telephone Dispatch company had started hiring boys as telephone operators. Boys had been very successful as telegraphy operators, but their attitude, lack of patience, and behavior
943-460: The job may be stressful due to interaction with many different people with different types of personalities, and being expected to perform multiple tasks quickly. Depending on the industry a receptionist position can have opportunities for networking in order to advance to other positions within a specific field. Some people may use this type of job as a way to familiarize themselves with office work, or to learn of other functions or positions within
984-555: The large local calling area required special billing arrangements to allow the rate for a local call to vary based on the distance called. In less densely populated regions, calls from payphones were handled by normal assistance operators without the use of dedicated coin boards. Office automation Office automation refers to the varied computer machinery and software used to digitally create, collect, store, manipulate, and relay office information needed for accomplishing basic tasks. Raw data storage, electronic transfer, and
1025-544: The management of electronic business information comprise the basic activities of an office automation system. Office automation helps in optimizing or automating existing office procedures. The backbone of office automation is a local area network , which allows users to transfer data, mail and voice across the network. All office functions, including dictation, typing , filing, copying, fax , telex , microfilm and records management, telephone and telephone switchboard operations, fall into this category. Office automation
1066-415: The manual process, and most employees who participate in direct deposit often find their paychecks come earlier than if they'd have to wait for their checks to be written and then cleared by the bank. Other ways automation has reduced employee manpower on tasks is automated voice direction. Through the use of prompts, automated phone menus and directed calls, the need for employees to be dedicated to answer
1107-405: The normal position an electrical talk path connects the front and rear cords. A key in the forward position (front key) connects the operator to the cord pair, and a key in the back position sends a ring signal out on the cord (on older manual exchanges). Each cord has a three-wire TRS phone connector : tip and ring for testing, ringing and voice; and a sleeve wire for busy signals . When a call
1148-405: The number from the local information operator and ring the call. Once the called party answered, the originating operator would advise him or her to stand by for the calling party, whom she'd then ring back, and record the starting time once the conversation began. In the 1940s, with the advent of dial pulse and multi-frequency operator dialing, the operator would plug into a tandem trunk and dial
1189-467: The number. In the 1960s, once most phone subscribers had direct long-distance dialing, a single type of operator began to serve both the local and long-distance functions. A customer might call to request a collect call, a call billed to a third number, or a person-to-person call. All toll calls from coin phones required operator assistance. The operator was also available to help complete a local or long-distance number which did not complete. For example, if
1230-472: The older receptionist services have been around for decades, but these often operate very differently from modern services. Advances in touch screen and 2-way video technology is changing the way some receptionist work. New types of virtual video receptionist systems now allows for live, in-house or remote receptionists to manage office lobby areas from remote locations. These virtual receptionists not only answer phones but also greet walk-in visitors by utilizing
1271-529: The operator. Following the invention of the telephone in 1876, the first telephones were rented in pairs which were limited to conversation between the parties operating those two instruments. The use of a central exchange was soon found to be even more advantageous than in telegraphy . In May 1877, the Holmes Burglar Alarm Company in Boston, Massachusetts, established by Edwin T. Holmes , installed
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1312-484: The operators to reach all the lines in the exchange. The operators were boys who would use a ladder to connect to the higher jacks. Late in the 1890s this measure failed to keep up with the increasing number of lines, and Milo G. Kellogg devised the Divided Multiple Switchboard for operators to work together, with a team on the "A board" and another on the "B". These operators were almost always women until
1353-432: The person to be called, and the operator would advise the calling party to hang up and wait for the call to be completed. Each toll center had only a limited number of trunks to distant cities, and if those circuits were busy, the operator would try alternate routings through intermediate cities. The operator would plug into a trunk for the destination city, and the inward operator would answer. The inward operator would obtain
1394-399: The receptionist maintains a calm, courteous and professional demeanor at all times, regardless of the visitor's behavior. Some personal qualities that a receptionist is expected to possess in order to do the job successfully include attentiveness, a well-groomed appearance, initiative, loyalty, maturity, respect for confidentiality and discretion, a positive attitude and dependability. At times,
1435-449: The receptionist to serve coffee or tea to guests, and to keep the lobby area tidy. A receptionist may also assume some security guard access control functions for an organization by verifying employee identification, issuing visitor passes, and observing and reporting any unusual or suspicious persons or activities. A receptionist is often the first business contact a person will meet at any organization. Organizations usually expect that
1476-557: The subscriber. In the mid-1980s the Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) opened their own Operator Services offices with a system called TOPS (Traffic Operator Position System) to act as local and intraLATA telephone operators. With this the BOCs took intraLATA call traffic from AT&T as well as services which were once provided on a cordboard (Toll Stations, Mobile and Marine [Ship-to-Shore]). Operators from AT&T returned to work for
1517-503: The world. Nevertheless, many manual branch exchanges remained operational into the second half of the 20th century in many enterprises. Some establishments, such as the White House , still operate a switchboard. Electronic devices and computer technology have given exchange operators more features. For example, a private branch exchange (PBX) in a business usually has an attendant console, or an auto-attendant function, which bypasses
1558-409: Was a popular term in the 1970s and 1980s as the desktop computer exploded onto the scene. Advantages of office automation include that it can get many tasks accomplished faster, it eliminates the need for a large staff, less storage is required to store data, and multiple people can update data simultaneously in the event of changes in schedule. Businesses can easily purchase and stock their wares with
1599-423: Was busy or out of order. Cord switchboards used for these purposes were replaced in the 1970s and 1980s by Traffic Service Position System (TSPS) and similar systems, which greatly reduced operator involvement in calls. The customer would, instead of simply dialing "0" for the operator, dial 1+NPA+7digits, after which an operator would answer and provide the desired service (coin collection, obtaining acceptance on
1640-554: Was carried over to later automatic exchanges. Some areas used specialized switchboards to handle calls from payphones . In North America , these "coin boards" were gradually phased out after the introduction of the Automated Coin Toll System that was provided by the Traffic Service Position System . Dedicated coin boards were primarily used in large, densely populated areas such as New York City where
1681-626: Was unacceptable for live telephone contact, so the company began hiring women operators instead. Thus, on September 1, 1878, Boston Telephone Dispatch hired Emma Nutt as the first woman operator. Small towns typically had the switchboard installed in the operator's home so that he or she could answer calls on a 24-hour basis. In 1894, New England Telephone and Telegraph Company installed the first battery -operated switchboard on January 9 in Lexington, Massachusetts . Early switchboards in large cities usually were mounted floor to ceiling in order to allow