Editing Receptionist (section)

==Responsibilities ==
[[File: Photograph of William Simmons, receptionist at the White House, seated at his desk talking with an unidentified visitor. - NARA - 199456.jpg|thumb|White House receptionist William Simmons at his desk in 1946, conversing with a visitor]]
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 [[Telephone switchboard|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 [[cashier]]ing duties. Some, but not all, offices may expect the receptionist to serve coffee or tea to guests, and to keep the lobby area tidy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23754319 |title=BBC News - Brent Council's virtual receptionist labelled a 'gimmick' |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2013-08-21 |access-date=2014-03-02}}</ref>

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 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, 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/hotelreceptionist.aspx |title=Hotel Receptionist Job Information &#124; National Careers Service |publisher=Nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk |date=2012-01-27 |access-date=2014-03-02}}</ref>