Receptionist shouted at me and flounce off job

[Waytooearly]

I'm trying to run a department with very little admin support.

We have loads of time-sensitive work and we get sued if it doesn't get done on time. We had a couple crises arise today. It's fulfilling work but you can only manage if you're super organised.

Our main receptionist has a bad habit of ringing me when randoms drop in. Fine, ring once, nice to see if I'm free, but usually I'll have to say take a message or book him in later. I can rarely come down for "just a sec". We don't see people without appointments.

Lately I've had to talk to her manager because the calls are becoming like:

"This lady dropped in..."

"Yeah, got this bundle due at 4,sorry,book her in on Thursday?"

"Yeah but she said that you said that she could come in any time..."

"Yeah really no, okay bye"

"Yeah but she has kids with her and they took the bus..."

I even get calls when I'm with clients.

Today she rang because a current client stopped in for a "quick question". I said "No, sorry, urgently getting something done before my 4:00 appointment," She rang again ten seconds later, saying again, "Yeah but he said that you said that he could just pop in?"

I said, "Well now I have to come down because you're doing this in front of him. When you do this it means my work doesn't get done and I have to stay late."

Of course the person popping in pulled out paperwork and wanted to have a sit down so that happened. I just shrugged and thought, " Fine, late-ish night at office" and resigned myself to it.

I left the impromptu appointment to find the receptionist flouncing about the lobby shouting that she was quitting because I had talked to her like shit. There were clients in the lobby. My colleague and I got her into a room and made soothing noises to shut her up.

She still left. I'm pretty sure it was a drama quit because her things are still here.

Our manager isn't here today.

What's the appropriate response from my manager here? She is very good friends with the receptionist and they socialise outside of work. I fear therell be some placating response so they don't have to hire a new admin.

Can someone coach me on how I navigate this?

But more than one person has told the receptionist that you told them to pop in.

so what? It doesn't mean it's true!

I am puzzled that people still find excuses and reasons for a paid receptionist to be so unprofessional.

This is partly on you I'm afraid. You don't see people without appointments yet you described a situation where you did just that.

I would suggest you speak to the receptionist and say from now on you will not see anyone without an appointment, she is not to even ask you. And stick to it yourself.

You've never told these clients to just pop in but somehow they're getting that idea - who is giving it to them, if not you?

Clearly some posters have NEVER been working with members of the public, have they!

The receptionist needs to be let go. She clearly isn’t experienced as either a receptionist or in your industry.

Agree with the above and to go further if I were your client the fact that you are able to answer the phone, but won't see me would feel insulting. Far more professional for the receptionist to say "sorry x is unavailable, can I book you in on y" than to have her ring you and open the door for the client to say "but it will only take 5 mins and I've brought my kids etc". Of course it would be harder to fend them off when you've already proved you are not too busy for a phone call. So, in their mind, why not a face to face?

She's alone down there.

That's the problem.

She doesn't feel safe to tell them to fuck off (politely, of course).

I worked on reception when I was a lot younger, and the gatekeeping aspect can be a nightmare (though I quite enjoyed being obstructive to pests on the phone.) As a PP said, you need to back your receptionist up. The quickest way to do this is, if she has a pushy client with her, ask her to hand the phone to the client and say 'As [receptionist] has told you, I'm unable to see people without an appointment, please book one with [whoever books appointments].'
However, if she carries on whining, handwringing and refusing to do her job properly it's probably time to get on to HR and have her either redeployed or managed out.

Is this a firm of solicitors?

She should never have interrupted you when you were with a client, that's dreadful.

As for her saying you told people they could drop in at any time, I bet you didn't. You probably said they could drop in to make an appointment or to phone and see if there was any space or a cancellation that they could take.

Good riddance to her, op. It's unfortunate but she was in the wrong, hopefully she'll have learned from the experience.

Also, even though professionals frequently do have a policy of not seeing anyone with an appointment, and are capable of not suggesting to clients that it's fine just to drop in, people will always try it on. It's a standard trope that if you want something (and your needs are of course far more important than anyone else's) you get what you want by making a pest of yourself.

I am interested in this as I am a solicitor and have the same issue. I generally do go to see clients if they drop in because I am a push over because I know how busy the receptionist is and also I don't think it should be down to her to deal with them. Sometimes I am already in a meeting and in which case she does tell them to make an appointment but I think it is harder for her if it is clear she has spoken to me and I have told her to send them away.

I think we need to address this in both our client care letter and a sign in reception would be a good idea too.

I don't know when it became acceptable to just pop in unannounced to your solicitor? I can't think of any other profession/ service where you would do that?

I've been a receptionist, it's basically getting paid the least out of the entire company to take the most amount of customer/client shit (aside from customer care, in which I've also worked). It sucks ass.

I can totally empathise with your receptionist as it's bloody difficult to refuse potentially arsey people to their faces, especially without any kind of back up. But neither is it OK to have a strop in front of clients. She may just have snapped.

So yes, put some iron-clad rules in place about phone calls and appointments, but also give her some options for dealing with intimidating idiots.

Yeh

You sound quite dim, and full of your own importance tbh.
Stop lying to people to make yourself sound approachable when you are "Clearly too busy" Obviously they can't just drop in, so stop promising what you can't deliver it's so amateurish

HTH.

So next time she says they said that you said they could just pop in, you say no, they have to make an appointment, I can´t see them without an appointment, and end the call. You are giving the impression that they can see you without an appointment because that is exactly what is happening. They won't turn up twice without an appointment if you say no and mean no.

Actually I have worked in situations dealing with both the public and appointments, although not legal work.
And no, I do not believe that multiple people would just get the idea that they could do this, and use the same wording, if they weren't being given a hint that this was an option.

So my comment was to give the OP an idea to see if anyone ELSE was saying it in her office - because that could then be clamped down upon.

So you left her to deal with an angry client That ios part oif a receptionist's job - gatekeepr and all that!

who you made an offer to and reneged on it? at least we now know that OP has nver made any such offer, clients are just being clients!

OP reiterate all of that to your manager, including helping reinforce the receptionists plain "no!" with a sign and telling receptionist/s never to place such calls. They can email, discreetly, instead!As a solicitor that would be really easy to explain, confidentiality, respect for current client etc etc etc

so stop promising what you can't deliver it's so amateurish I fear you may have missed a page, Drabarni

Yes exactly @Flamingolegs. We say no dropins specifically. Clients are very aggressive sometimes but you will never get a thing done if you're hosting randoms all day.

You need big signs on the doors & reception desk YOU WILL NOT BE SEEN WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Laminate new signs and do it today so that it is all done first thing on Monday.

'We don't do pop ins - please make an appointment with our receptionist. Thank you'.

If the building is on fire, fire alarms go off. If some terrible family tragedy has occurred, someone will come and find you in person.

Answering a call when you're in a meeting with a client is sooo unprofessional. I'd be really annoyed if I was that client. Can you really not turn your phone off, or put it on silent?

You're sending mixed messages, to clients and reception, by going down and meeting with people who do drop in. I thought at first it must be company policy that you all bend over backwards to keep clients happy, at almost any cost. But what you've said is that you felt unable to refuse (why? where's your training and assertiveness?), so gave way. That is exactly how the receptionist feels. You are confirming her suspicion that clients are king and staff should and will capitulate.

Sounds like company policy needs clarifying, reiterating internally and to externally, then to be stuck to by everyone - including you.

Agree with PPs about a sign.
Also, just keep saying 'no' to the receptionist regarding drop ins. She'll get the message eventually. And don't answer the phone during meetings.

Agree with signs and perhaps a paragraph on letters to say no appointment = no attention.

Also, I think you need to stop answering calls in meetings - if the receptionist was in trouble is it likely that you would be the person she rings? You need to be consistent, if she rings and you go down then that is setting up a pattern.

I think you need a new receptionist as the current one is clearly incapable of doing the job,

Ignore the batshit comments here. It is not your job to accommodate incompetents.

People will lie their bums off if it means they get seen when they want.

I'm a receptionist and there are people who think the professional they want to see, is barely for them only. I've been asked to ask them, even when they are in the middle of an appointment. I wont interrupt and I dont care how much they complain and lie. My bosses are busy and I'm not going interrupt unless I have to.