Reception hand book

Page 1

Reception

Handbook


Welcome to the Reception Hand Book, this has been put together to ensure all Receptionists know what we expect from them. The Reception Team are the first face of Hobbledown. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Trip Advisor and other social media sites, so we have to make sure what we are offering is excellent customer service and fantastic experience in a professional way. This has been put together with help from the Reception Supervisor and Mystery Shopper Feedback as well as the Management team.

Uniform All uniform standards must be adhered to as listed below, Girls -

Green Dresses, Black Trousers or Leggings, Black or Brown Shoes (Daisy Headpiece to be provided) & Name Badge

Boys -

Waistcoat, White Shirt, Green Cravat, Black or Brown Shoes, & Name Badge

All Coats and Fleeces will be given to the team each day when required.

Daily Tasks for General Enquiries or Party shift •

At the beginning of a shift, read the reception communication diary daily and initial once comments are read.

Ensure you respond to ALL emails in the inbox checking both the hobblers and party/school emails.

One person MUST frank and take the post every day before 3pm (12pm on Saturdays) to the Tesco post box and sign to say they have taken it.

All phone calls/answer phone messages to be dealt with within 2 hours.

Check all messages in the party/school diary and deal with comments accordingly.

Call customers with upcoming parties to finalise details (Mon/Tues).

Prepare the wrist bands/table signs ready for upcoming parties.

Complete party schedule for upcoming parties (Weds latest this must be completed).

Double check all information on party schedule against system (to be done on Fri).

File and tally annual passes in tray.

Sort through lost property once a week (Sat/Sun evening).

Clean and tidy office when quiet.


Ensure all charity letters are filed away and passes are sent out the same day they arrive.

Replenish all paperwork e.g. annual pass forms, cash up sheets.

Ensure Party till is cashed up.

It is your responsibility to serve customers in the shop (Mon-Fri)

At the end of a shift ensure all necessary communication is written in the reception diary.

Daily Tasks for Reception Team in Kiosks •

At the beginning of a shift, read the reception communication diary daily and initial once comments are read.

The opening member of the Reception Team must count the till float (check it is £100) and fill out the AM section of the daily till check sheet. At peak times all tills must be counted.

The opening member of the Reception Team must open the reception window and gates.

The closing member of the Reception Team must count the float/s (check it is £100) and fill out the PM section of the daily till check sheet.

The closing member of the Reception Team must ensure the cash up sheet is completed. Print an X read from the till and check all monies banked matches the cash section on the X read. All banked cash must go into one envelope labelled ‘cash’. All card slips must go into another envelope and vouchers in another, both should be clearly labelled. All envelopes must have the till name and the date written on them clearly

Once the till balances you must Z the till and input your totals into the relevant sections on the Z read screen. The cash section must include your banked cash and £100 float (for example: if the you have taken £500 in a day, this section should read £600 to include the float).

Ensure all till roll/leaflets are stocked up in the kiosk.

Ensure we always have plenty of animal time leaflets, if we are low it is your responsibility to inform someone to print more.

Make up annual pass packs when running low. This must include: 1 set of monthly vouchers, the annual pass welcome letter, Hobbledown general leaflet and a party leaflet.

Clear the kiosk tray of any uncollected letters and call customers with lost annual passes. Check this when quiet.

Clean inside booth, including till screen and window.

At the end of a shift ensure all necessary communication is written in the reception diary.

Tasks for all Reception Team


The office is open to the customers on all sides. They do not know you are not shop team or party team, if a customer looks like they need help in these departments and you can help then do so.

On some days it will be necessary to keep an eye on both the Shop and Reception, on these days try to be aware of both tills and respond to customers at either if required to.

At the end of a shift ensure all necessary communication is written in the reception diary.

Guidelines Emails: Dos and Don’ts •

Do not mark an email as read if it has not been dealt with.

Move all emails that have relevant folders to those folders, don’t leave them for the next person.

Make sure all emails are signed off with your name (internal and external).

Make sure all emails are up-beat, correctly spelled and punctuated and properly deal with the customer’s requests or queries.

Franking •

Post should be sent the same day it is franked (if it is not, Hobbledown is charged extra and that’s a waste of money).

Only frank post immediately before taking it to the post box.

Normally everything is sent 2nd class.

To set the franking machine, select postage type (Royal Mail), class (2 nd) then weigh each item individually. Once a letter is weighed, a weight and price will appear on screen, at this point press ‘yes’ and place letter in the slot to have its post mark printed on it.

What’s in a Party Pack? Party Packs are sent out in A5 envelopes, they contain: • 1 guest list,


• • • •

1 party leaflet, 1 welcome leaflet, 1 Party Feast sheet, 12 invitations (this is a minimum and should be added to if necessary before a Party Pack is sent out),

Reception Team in the Reception Area When should you be in the Reception Area? Reception Team should be in the Reception Area throughout their shift, as required. One person each day will need to leave the office to take the post to the post box. Reception Team should try to avoid eating their lunch in the Reception Area as this is visible to customers and can create a bad visual impression. If you find you need to eat your lunch in the Reception Area, be aware that customers will expect you to serve them and answer their calls and when in a working area you should be prepared to work.

What should you have in the Reception Area? •

You are allowed to have your uniform and any Hobbledown coats or fleeces you will need as part of your shift

Bags and personal effects should be kept in the Team Room

Mobile phones are not allowed in the Reception Area

Food and drink is not allowed in the Reception Area

Non-Reception Team in the Reception Area When should you be in the Reception Area?


If you are not a member of the Reception Team, or are not working a Reception shift, you should only be in the Reception Area to sign in/sign out or as part of your work (eg. contacting a Duty Manager, getting change or filing a first aid incident form). The Reception area is a very public area and our customers’ first point of contact with Hobbledown. It is also an area that is constantly busy with Team interacting with customers (in the shop, at the kiosks and by phone). Please have consideration for this when thinking about hanging around in the Reception. The Team Room is a perfect place to wait for friends…and it has a kettle!

How to be a great on Reception Customer Service •

Always be friendly

Always be polite

Always give customers an upbeat hello and goodbye

If you recognise a customer from a previous visit, why not say “welcome back” or add a personal touch to how you serve them

When dealing with a complaint or query, always listen to what the customer has to say

Never assume the customer knows anything about Hobbledown (but don’t patronise them, especially if they’re an annual pass-holder you’ve seen a hundred times before)

Try to not use in-house terminology (such as ‘F&B’) when dealing with customers

If in doubt, just think how you’d like to be treated if you were paying to visit Hobbledown!

On the Phone •

Always be polite


Be friendly

Say good morning/good afternoon and introduce yourself when answering the phone (for example, “Good Afternoon, you’ve reached Hobbledown, this is Amy speaking”)

Check the spelling for any addresses or names that you are unsure of by reading them back to the customer

Always double check telephone numbers

Always say goodbye in a friendly manner

How to transfer a call: Inform the caller that you are about to transfer them. Press the transfer button then dial the extension of the department/phone you are transferring to. Once the person you are transferring to has answered, hang up.

At the kiosks •

Always be polite

Be friendly

Say good morning/good afternoon

Follow the Reception scripts

Always offer customers a welcome leaflet/map and list of the events/activities on that day

Upsell annual passes to customers buying a day ticket

If an annual pass customer has arrears on their pass, make sure they are correctly enrolled. If they are, they will need to pay the outstanding balance.

Always say goodbye in a friendly manner

What to do if there’s a fire The alarm operates in the main site building and will give warning by sounding a continuous siren. The alarm system is a two stage system where the following applies: Stage 1 This is an alert advising of a possible incident, fire or problem in one of the zones within the buildings covered by the fire alarm system. It is also to alert the onsite team that an instruction to evacuate the building may follow. The alarm is a 5 second intermittent siren. If the stage 1 alarm has been activated the duty manager will determine if the alarm is true or false and inform the team and members of the public accordingly. What Reception Team should do


Stop admitting members of the public and advise parents to proceed to the assembly point in the main car park where they will be re-united with the children under their duty of care. Stage 2 On hearing the “Evacuation” message all Team Members should guide parents and children via the nearest fire exits and proceed to the Fire assembly point in the main car park. The Duty Manager will make sure that the site team have successfully evacuated the site and nobody is unaccounted for. No-one should be allowed to re-enter the building until informed either by a Fire Brigade or the ‘duty manager’ that it is safe to do so.


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