The reception desk in an administrative building or company headquarters fulfills a dual role. It is the first point of contact for visitors and at the same time the place where the entry regime, records and basic safety rules of the building are kept. A good reception service must therefore not only be a formal occupation of the desk, but part of the operation of the facility.
More than just issuing keys
Reception services are not just about picking up phones. In a well-adjusted operation, representative demeanor, knowledge of the building and the ability to capture a situation that does not correspond to the building's rules are met:
- Reprezentace: The modified appearance, calm communication and knowledge of the building regime help the visitor to find his way around quickly.
- Security: Operation of the camera system (CCTV), electronic fire alarm (EPS) and access systems. The receptionist must know what to do when the alarm goes off.
- Administrativa: Records of visits, management of meeting rooms, receiving mail and courier shipments.
Psychologie vstupu
The receptionist should perceive not only the documents and names in the visitor's book, but also the overall context of the entry. It helps when he notices nervousness, ambiguities in the purpose of the visit or situations that need to be verified with the contact person.
Receptionist vs. Guard
You often ask us what the difference is.
- Guard tends to be a more visible part of the object's protection. It deals with errands, regime supervision, input control and response to operational situations.
- Receptionist fulfills the role of first contact, but also works with the security mode of the building. In the event of a conflict, he should calm down the situation, hand it over to the responsible person and not escalate it unnecessarily.
What must be set in advance
The front desk only works well if it has clear rules. It must be clear who approves visits, how suppliers are registered, what happens outside normal working hours and to whom non-standard situations are referred. Without these rules, even an experienced worker gets into unnecessary improvisations.
If you are looking for a solution for an office building, it often makes sense to combine daily reception services and physical ostrahy objektu off main traffic. Learn more about how to think about risk in a business environment in the article about violent incident in the workplace.
How to know that reception mode is not enough
The weak spot often shows up in the details. Visitors wait without a clear procedure, contractors go through a different entrance than guests, it is not clear who is allowed in the building after working hours, and emergency situations are handled by calling several people at once. At such a moment, the reception no longer performs a security function, but only administratively captures part of the traffic.
Before setting up the service, it is therefore a good idea to go through a normal building day: morning rush hour, midday visits, arrivals of service companies, shipment mode, evening departures and situations outside of working hours. From these points, a simple operational scenario will be created, according to which the number of people, the scope of competences and the connection to physical security or technology can be determined.
What to add when requesting reception services
- Operating hours: when the service should be busy and when standby is sufficient.
- Typ budovy: administration, warehouse, production site, school, medical facility or mixed operation.
- Number of inputs: main reception, catering, parking, service entrances and out-of-hours regime.
- Technologie: kamery, EPS, EZS, access system, records of visits and internal communication channels.
- Responsible persons: who approves visits, to whom the incident is reported and who makes decisions outside normal working hours.
Kdy recepci propojit s ostrahou
For smaller buildings, the reception can function independently. For larger buildings, warehouses, schools, medical facilities or buildings with non-public areas, it is advisable to set up a follow-up to physical security. The receptionist does not have to leave the station for every visit or incident and has a clear indication of who to call in the event of a problem.
Connection also makes sense where the reception is served by technology. When the EPS is triggered, the camera shows suspicious movement or the visitor does not have permission to enter, it must be clear whether the reception is just informing the person in charge or whether another security officer is following up.
With a well-set reception, the client should be able to easily answer the question of what happens when an unannounced visitor arrives, an alarm is triggered, service arrives outside the agreed time or someone requests entry to a non-public part of the building. If the answer is not clear, the problem is not the person at the reception, but the service setting. That is why the reception regime should be created together with the operating rules of the building.
