Chapter 3: Handle Organization Visitors

Visitors to an organization often represent potential clients, partners, or other stakeholders whose needs must be promptly and accurately identified to ensure a positive experience. For office assistants in Kenya, handling visitors effectively requires a clear understanding of how to capture and record their requirements, which facilitates smooth communication and service delivery. This chapter focuses on the critical skill of identifying and recording visitors' needs, an essential step in fostering professional relationships and enhancing organizational reputation.

3.1 Receive visitors

Receiving visitors means welcoming every person who comes to the office, finding out who they are and why they have come, recording their visit and taking them to the right person or place. The office assistant at the reception desk is the first person a visitor meets, so a polite and well organised welcome gives a good first impression of the whole organisation. A careful welcome also protects the office, because the assistant knows who is in the building and whom each visitor came to see.

Types of visitors

Visitors differ in why they come, and the welcome is adjusted to each type.

• Clients and customers: people who come to buy, to ask about services or to collect an order, for example a customer collecting a printed brochure from a printing and stationery shop.
• Suppliers and delivery persons: people who bring goods or documents, such as a courier rider delivering parcels to a hardware wholesaler's office.
• Business partners and officials: people who come for meetings with managers, for example a representative of a transport company visiting a safari company.
• Job applicants: people who come for interviews and need to be directed to the right room.
• Staff of other branches: colleagues from another office who need to be welcomed and directed to the person they are meeting.

Steps in receiving a visitor

1. Look up and greet the visitor at once with a smile and a polite phrase such as "Good morning, welcome to our office. How may I help you?" A visitor should never be left standing while the assistant finishes a task, so say "I will be with you in a moment" if the assistant is busy.
2. Find out the visitor's name and the purpose of the visit. Listen carefully and repeat the name correctly.
3. Check whether the visitor has an appointment by looking at the office diary. A visitor with an appointment is welcomed straight away, and one without an appointment is asked politely whom they wish to see and why.
4. Record the visit in the visitors' register: the date, the visitor's name, the organisation they come from, the person they are visiting, the purpose, the time in and, later, the time out.
5. Inform the person to be visited by internal telephone or message, saying who has arrived and why, and wait for the answer before sending the visitor through.
6. Issue a visitor's badge if the office uses one, and ask the visitor to wear it where it can be seen.
7. Direct or escort the visitor to the meeting room or office. Give clear directions if the office is close, and walk with the visitor if the route is long or confusing.
8. Offer a seat and, where the host is delayed, something to read and a cool or hot drink if the office provides one. Tell the visitor roughly how long the wait will be.
9. When the visit ends, record the time out and collect the badge.

Handling special situations

• Visitor without an appointment: be polite, explain that the person may be in a meeting, and offer to ask whether they can see the visitor or to book an appointment for another time.
• Visitor who is early or late: inform the host at once so that the host can decide how to proceed.
• Several visitors at once: greet each one, ask the others to wait, and attend to them in order of arrival unless one has an urgent appointment.
• Visitor who is upset: stay calm, listen without interrupting, avoid arguing and call a senior officer if the matter is beyond the assistant's duties.
• Unknown person who asks to go in without signing: politely explain that every visitor must sign the register first, and do not let the person pass.

Care of visitors' information

The visitors' register holds personal details such as names and telephone numbers. Under the Data Protection Act, 2019, an organisation that keeps personal data must collect only what it needs and keep it safe. The assistant therefore records only the details the office requires, keeps the register where other visitors cannot read earlier entries, and hands it only to authorised staff.

Chapter Summary

This chapter focused on effective management of organization visitors by first identifying and accurately recording their needs to ensure tailored assistance. It outlined methods for attending to visitors' needs promptly and professionally, emphasizing the importance of clear communication. Receiving and analyzing visitors' enquiries was covered in detail to enable appropriate responses and solutions. Acting on these enquiries involved practical steps to resolve issues or provide information efficiently. The chapter also highlighted the role of entertainment resources in enhancing visitor experience, including their maintenance and periodic upgrading to remain relevant and appealing. Maintaining up-to-date reference materials was presented as essential for supporting visitor interactions. Finally, the importance of recording visitors' feedback was discussed as a means to improve services and address any concerns effectively.