The receptionist is your gatekeeper

The receptionist in a small business is the gatekeeper between that business and every customer, partner, prospect, vendor, and supplier. If you have the type of business that uses a receptionist, then that person will also be the main user of the phone system. The phone system must be easy for the receptionist to use so calls aren't mishandled and there is absolutely no frustration.

A receptionist may have to handle 4 or 5 simultaneous calls and juggle them between hold and transfer. The phone in front of the receptionist must be the most user friendly and fool proof piece of equipment in the office. The PBX phone system you use must be one that offers features designed for receptionist style offices. While many phone systems boast auto attendants and virtual receptionist technology, they are clearly not designed for businesses who pefer a human voice to welcome each and every call. Therefore, always remember, there are some phone systems that are better than others when it comes to the receptionist station.

Make sure that you keep this at the top of your list of important things to look for when cross shopping PBX phone systems. If your receptionist has trouble using the system, or the system doesn't offer one touch features, then calls will be mishandled!