(After reading, please share this article with a colleague, service agent or co-worker that could help them be their best! The deep night shift (10p.m to 6a.m) which I did occasionally, included night auditing and generating reports (manually); often kept me wide awake and on my feet all night through the early hours of the morning! Posted by. I did not see her until I got real close to the counter. Standing or sitting should really not be about us, front desk agents. On how front desk employees approach guests: “We have a lot of flexibility and the approach depends on the person. Some of us never imagined the key rack would become redundant, yet today if you should see one at a front desk, it would only be serving as an antique as at La Beach Hotel, Accra! 2. Get more tips and the latest updates delivered to your inbox. Should they be provided with stools/chairs like the banks do at their teller counters? There was no stool or chair to sit on! And many times, how they react can make or break our hotel’s reputation. Salary estimates are based on 18 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Front Desk Agent employees. Willing to Go Above and Beyond. Listen carefully. Prospective front desk agents may come from the ranks of bellhops or housekeepers who have become well-versed in the hotel’s policies, operations and culture. Using Work Computers for Leisure • Problem. Are they bringing negative vibes or bad habits from their last job? Front Desk is a book that means a lot to me. We must groom our staff, instill these 10 traits in them, and watch them bloom into the best person they can be. At the same time, none of us were born to take on this task. Personnel are expected to stand, so sitting is a NO-NO! Standing up front desk agents.. THE HOTEL FRONT DESK: A SLIPPERY WORK ENVIRONMENT? Some guests do not actually see any problem with the front desk agents sitting down at the front desk so long as the agent is professional and courteous in handling them. She on her part was so engrossed eating her fufu and palm nut soup, it was not until I said ‘hello’ that she looked up, obviously very embarrassed and I, equally embarrassed. To stand or to sit depends on the time of day and perceived traffic flow. Guest service agents are on their feet for most of an 8 hour shift and have to deal with demanding guests. That’s right! A few hotels (can count them on my fingers), are beginning to place chairs/stools behind their front desks. Filter by location to see Front Desk Agent salaries in your area. I have observed that in small hotels where just one person operates during a shift,  the front desk agent is often multi-tasked, carrying out a number of minor accounts work on a computer buried behind the high counter. They deliver an experience based on observation of, or participation in, events as a basis of skills, talent, and knowledge. Generally guests do not seem to expect front desk agents standing 100% of the time. So what is the fuss? When guests arrive at our hotels, we only have a few minutes to make a great first impression. It was a Sunday afternoon. Guests approaching a front desk form impressions; negative impressions will obviously be formed if there is no presence at the desk. Help desk agents can meet the caller’s needs in the best way by being creative. If we were actors on a stage, our audience would be multi-cultural. Guests expect that when they approach the front desk, staff stand up. A CCTV appropriately installed will enable a front desk agent resting at the back office to view anyone walking towards the the entrance. Often this setting requires substantial training and employee support. Front desk agents who work the deep night shift feel no one is coming through during those hours so there is ‘nothing wrong grabbing a chair and sitting behind the desk’ at the dead of the night. I once went to a hotel to make a reservation. EXPEDITION: Food & Beverage Department – Kitchen Operations – Part 2"> However, should a standard chair be used, several things could go amiss. The general term will optimize your job title to show up in a general search for jobs of the same nature. Sending out feedback questionnaires with customized questions has been a tremendous benefit to our agents. In this article, I share the ten things that can make your front desk agents stand out. A hotel in Takoradi provides seats for both the front desk agent and the guest. Other front desk agents’ opinions are influenced by the sight of their managers sitting behind their chairs at the back office while they(the front desk agents) are standing. I am trying to talk the GM to getting a small notebook I can use to do all the schedules, employee rules, etc. A 6am to 2pm shift went so fast that I hardly realized I had been standing for that long (there was often an hour’s break or two 30-minutes’ break). Hotels generally operate 24/7 irrespective of size; big, medium or small, compelling front desk agents to run a shift system. Another skill is organization as the front desk agent will have to keep track of guests and their requests. Standing throughout an 8-hour shift is not peculiar to front desk agents! There must always be a presence at the front of the house unless the front desk is of a fully automated self registration operation (yet to see in Ghana)! so i can sit at the desk and do it; not going to well. Flexibility is another must to have qualities in help desk agents. - Thanks in advance for the LIKE :). Do you have the ability to multitask, and why would you say so? It makes sense to offer seats for both parties, but as indicated the traditional desk design was not in use. Mr. Anderson? Generally guests do not seem to expect front desk agents standing 100% of the time. Inevitably, throughout my working life at hotel front desks I also experienced this –not sitting down behind the front desk. My findings are that while some personnel do not mind, many more  have very strong views against standing at the front desk. We've determined that 39.8% of Front Desk Agents have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.5% of Front Desk Agents have master's degrees. That can be very tiring, I think! Todd is the last one to stand on the desk and is about to jump off. The showing confirmation emails to the listing agent is another feature our agents rely on. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are engaged in cross-cultural communications; different cultures are sensitive to various verbal and non-verbal exchanges, work values, view points and different practices. As personnel working in the hospitality industry we must be aware that our work environment is international irrespective of the location of the hotel. Despite these changes, I continue to see front desk agents still standing behind their desks and it seems it is becoming a concern for our ‘Millennials’ ( those born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s) working in the industry. They think the policy is absurd. The front desk agent on duty was sitting on a standard chair behind a traditional front desk. Working the front of house at a hotel is a tough job. As the first person most customers see, front-desk clerks need to represent their companies with professionalism and friendliness. Some community colleges offer associate degrees in hospitality management and hotel management. In such work spaces, front desk agents would naturally stand when interacting with guests and when carrying out other administrative duties, they will have the choice to sit. The national average salary for a Front Desk Agent is $36,810 in Canada. However, both roles are very similar to one another. Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/cross-culture.html. How do we know if the front desk person we just hired is the right fit for the job? Front desk agents will often need to deal with upset guests given their position as the first person most will see when entering the building. "> EXPEDITION. As with all of our staff, guest service agents should be willing to go … That said, majority of this responsibility falls in the hands of our front desk agents. Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Available to work shifts, over weekends and on public holidays. Front Desk Agent [Intro Paragraph] Start your front desk agent job description with an introduction to your company or service. Mind you, while our visitors are ‘guests’ to us, they are ‘customers’ to banks, so there should be no comparison between these two distinct service worlds as some mistakenly do. The set of questions are here to ensures that you offer a perfect answer posed to you. Guests going to hotels which operate on lean staff often meet an empty front desk and find themselves often calling for attention and service. Except that this is not where the front desk should stop. KEATING. Redesign the front desk with multi level counter tops (as in the picture above); working heights should be comfortable to write on with both the guest and the front desk agent either sitting or both parties standing. The potential hire's answer will show whether they have the ability to deal with challenging people. Most noticeable at hotel front desks worldwide are standing front desk agents. Share tips on how they can keep their energy levels up throughout the day, and encourage a healthy environment by keeping healthy snacks on hand for when your team needs a pick‑me‑up. Did they come from another hotel? According to them, they conduct themselves in the same manner, during the night shift. The general corporate standard is a “no-chair” policy at the front desk. Overview: The Front Desk Agent is responsible for checking guests in and out, running daily reports, handling guest transactions and maintaining a bank, and answering guest inquiries…They must ensure that the front desk guest experience is quick and efficient for all guests and visitors. “(ShowingTime Front Desk) has streamlined the setting of showings for us. The mode of operations of hotel front desks have metamorphosed over the years! During check-in, a front desk agent will verify a guest’s method of payment and run a background credit check. The 2pm-10 pm shift seemed a bit slower particularly in the early hours of the shift, but it was ‘no big deal’ standing behind the desk. He regularly shares his passion for entrepreneurship, customer service and marketing on numerous industry sites, social media and blogs.>Connect on LinkedIn >Rupesh’s Twitter >Read my Blog >Facebook >Pinterest. Even though some Front Desk Agents have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED. Has anyone gotten really restless legs for this? They register new guests and process final bills when guests check out of a room. A great job title typically includes a general term, level of experience and any special requirements. UNPREPAREDNESS OF HOTEL FRONT DESK PERSONNEL, HOTEL FRONT DESK: THE QUESTION OF SITTING OR…, HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING: NEW TRENDS AND PRACTICES, DIGNITY FOR HOTEL HOUSEKEEPERS: A ‘3-MAN AFFAIR’, HARD TALK: COVID-19, HOTEL WORKFORCE & LABOR ISSUES…, HOTEL KITCHENS: THE SACRED KITCHEN AND ITS FOOD…. With some other guests, what matters is that the chair or stool provided for the front desk agent is high enough for the counter so that they (guests) do not have to come announcing their presence (for sometimes, staff are so buried in administrative duties sitting on the lower chairs, they hardly notice the presence of a guest). Our former front desk agent has given valuable tips on how to effectively complain to a hotel's front desk when something goes wrong. A hotel front desk agent represents the first point of contact with guests and handles all stages of a guest’s stay. Standing up front desk agents.. Close. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It is essential for a Front Desk Agent to deal with challenging guests in a tactful, gracious manner. Today front desk performers have become experience providers. Comment below.Have a successful day!- Rupesh, Like this? 1.Please explain do you have the ability to multitask, and why would you say so? Often this setting requires substantial training and employee support. There are millions of amazing and great agents in our industry. This never caught my attention until I found myself working at the hotel front desk. We all have to hit certain … More importantly, I believe that Front Desk will be a book that will mean a lot to others - immigrants of all ages, children, adults, parents. These hotel professionals set the tone of the entire experience that our guests will get from their stay. - The story is so full of heart. Team player. There are several hotel personnel, bell men and porters, waiters, restaurant hostesses and bar personnel, who all stand throughout their shift. 17. She creates learning opportunities from concerns and observations made in the industry in Ghana. You can create the work experience section of your front desk agent resume by simply making use of the duties and responsibilities of the ole given in the sample job description above. They need to be trained to email you the folio as well so you can look into whether Mr. XYZ’s company has an locally negotiated rate (LNR) with your hotel. There are many things we can teach our teams, I narrowed it down to 10. Archived. A front desk agent does not need any experience but should have a high school degree or GED equivalent. Make sure these wonderful people are working at your hotel! Guests expect that when they approach the front desk, staff stand up. The candidate needs to demonstrate the ability to multitask, as a Front Desk Agent needs to perform numerous tasks concurrently. GH Hospitality Hub carries the voices of hospitality personnel and students. Our guests’ expectations matter. So, we stand up on our front desk and im sure many others of you do too. 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