Recently I was contacted via email by the head of an organisation who was interested in the services offered by my company. We agreed on a time to meet at his office. I showed up early (as you always should) and someone directed me to his PA whose desk was down a corridor. A red flag was immediately raised when there was no smile or professional greeting but an indifferent “Yes?” to my presence at her desk. Things began to go pear shaped when after informing her whom I was there to see she failed to ask the next basic follow up question namely my name! The nearest seat where she directed me was back down the corridor next to a file cabinet piled with papers a good ten feet from her desk and then she proceeded to resume her previous activities. I could hear her boss in animated conversation behind the door so presumably she didn’t want to disturb him just yet.
After five minutes I went back to her gave her my name and that of my company and told her I had an appointment. She asked to me to sit down again and said she would let him know as soon as he was done with his conversation. After about ten minutes she went into his office and came back out and sat down without a word to me. So after being in the office for fifteen minutes twiddling my thumbs literally (no reading material anywhere), I had no idea whether he knew I was even here. More than a little peeved off at this point I asked her if he was aware that I was here. She curtly replied “sure” and volunteered no other information. I ended up waiting for another twenty minutes and finally left for another appointment. The boss never came out to see me; I was not updated nor was there any apology issued. As for being offered a drink or some refreshment that was wishful thinking! Granted I was there to solicit his business but what do you think was my first and lasting impression of that organization and my feelings regarding the competency of their core business?
Let’s examine what went so ghastly awry here. The front office can be considered ‘The Nerve Centre’ of any company. It is where the first and lasting impressions about an organization are created. This is the first point of contact with the organization and sets the tone for the culture of that office or business. The people here are vital to the organization as they are the literally the gateway. They are also the first and last customer contact areas. The qualities of front office staff which any organization should vie for include: smart appearance and proper grooming, pleasant nature and voice, good deportment and posture, a willingness to assist visitors, a sound knowledge of the organization, effective communication skills, sober temperament and habits, the ability to work under pressure and grace or flair for public and human relations. Please note that this also includes security staff. Some security guards are so zealous at their job that by the time you have negotiated your way onto the premises you need a sedative to calm down!
The ability to be warm and welcoming yet portray competency and professionalism is essential for them. I don’t necessarily need to be saluted like an army general, but certainly a smile and a friendly greeting is expected. The official language of business in this country is English – which means they should speak in English and not Kiswahili or Sheng or a variation of their mother tongue. I’m talking basic English here, regardless of the accent that I can comprehend when that person is hopefully giving me some indispensable information such as office floor location. And there should be no compromise on hygiene or grooming – remember they are setting the culture and tone of that business.
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