Visitor Management and Modern Office Blog

How to Greet Customers the Modern and Professional Way

Written by Isabelle | Jan 18, 2022 1:00:00 PM

Executive Summary

  • Customers have more choices than ever making it crucial to offer them a quick, welcoming, and professional greeting. Immediately after the greeting, associates should assure customers that you will meet their needs quickly.
  • During and after a greeting, show customers how much you value their business. Make personal greetings, and ask for relevant information to help serve them best.
  • While a great first impression is vital, the greeting is not enough. You must handle customers properly throughout their visit to turn a transaction into a relationship.

In the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic, people are interacting less as per health requirements from the CDC. In addition to workplaces adopting hybrid work systems, where employees spend alternating days working from the office and at home.

Understandably, more and more companies are turning to visitor management systems to minimize disease transmission. So, how then can businesses greet and welcome customers without feeling impersonal and detached?

Studies show that social distancing increases social rejection, individuality, impersonality, and the loss of a sense of community. And, even though it is necessary to maintain social distancing for safety reasons, you can still find ways to make customers feel welcomed with a warm greeting.

Why Greeting Customers Right Is Important

Some customers know what they want but may not proactively ask for it. Without a greeting, that customer may walk out the door, which translates to a sales loss on your end.

Greeting them takes the pressure off themselves, allowing them to say why they are there and what they need from you.

Even if your business uses a virtual receptionist, having employees personally welcome customers adds warmth to the brand. Sometimes, a customer will not find it necessary to sign in to the customer check in system if they need to make a quick inquiry.

If you do not have an employee ready to attend to them, the customer may walk out, and you could lose a potential client.

Steps in Greeting Customers Right

While there is no right or wrong way to greet clients, here’s how you can greet them better:

Quickly and Be Very Welcoming

Professionally

Make Eye Contact

Assure Them That Their Needs Are in the Process of Being Handled

Capture All Relevant Information

Keep It Simple

Make It a Branded Experience

Show Customers That You Recognize Them

 

Quickly and Be Very Welcoming

Keep an eye out for any customers coming through the door. Have a smile on your face before addressing them. Please introduce yourself and then welcome them warmly. You can include temperature scanning to determine whether it’s safe for them to access the premises.

Professionally

Have a calm and composed demeanor but still exude warmth. Do not appear over eager, nor should you chat too much. Determine what the customer needs help with, and inform them why you are best suited to help. Maintain proper social distancing and ensure you’re both wearing proper masks to protect yourselves.

Make Eye Contact

Make eye contact with the customer as soon as they enter. Making eye contact establishes a connection between two people and makes you seem approachable.

Assure Them That Their Needs Are in the Process of Being Handled

Once the customer has identified what they need help with, assure them that you are handling their needs. Whether you or a colleague will do so, the customer should know that you are addressing their needs.

Capture All Relevant Information

It is essential to have all the necessary information. Depending on what products and services your company offers, ask them for information like their names, what they need, and how they found out about the company after the greeting.

Integrate ID scanning to scan and verify driver’s licenses, passports, and company or military ID to quickly capture all identification information.

Keep It Simple

Speak in a clear, concise tone. Be courteous and understanding of customers who may not speak English fluently. If you greet a customer and realize they do not understand English, look for an employee to help translate.

Make It a Branded Experience

You hear your marketing department telling you that every touchpoint is a brand-building experience. Well here is your chance to apply that theory.

Make sure your customer check in system reflects your brand imagery, colors, slogan, and general persona. This will reinforce other marketing materials making them more powerful than if you miss making your greeting system a branded experience. Each time the customer hears that phrase, they will quickly identify with your company.

Show Customers That You Recognize Them

When a regular client walks in, personalize your greeting. You can do so by greeting them by name and asking them questions about products or services they’ve previously used from the company.

Show them that you care enough to remember their name and that you value their business. A touchless visitor management system can quickly help you remember a customer’s name when they step into the premises.

What to Do After Greeting Them

Needless to say, it is not enough to greet customers warmly. Here’s how you can create a great overall experience after greeting them:

  • Make sure they are handled quickly by the person who can best help them. After identifying their needs, connect them to an employee who is best suited to help them.
  • Do that quickly to show the customer that you value their business. You can train staff on how to manage new customers efficiently.
  • If they must wait, don’t make them wait too long. Get their contact information and send them a notification of when they can expect service. Gather more information about the customer and their needs during this time to help you serve them better.
  • As they wait, you can also offer them a business brochure, newsletter, or magazine to further acquaint them with the company and the different services or products you provide. Have a variety of refreshments on hand if the wait will take long.
  • After customers leave their contact information, be sure to follow up with an email or text message asking for feedback on their visit. Also, after they leave, you can conduct a short survey to determine whether the service they received was satisfactory.

Thank them for their visit, and inquire whether there is anything else they need.

Conclusion – Greet Customers With a Smile, Cheer, and Helpful Attitude

Greetings infuse warmth into an otherwise sterile corporate environment. You can easily win over customers’ hearts, set them at ease, and encourage repeat business with a smile and helpful attitude.

Greet them with a warm smile as soon as they set foot into the building, and assign them a competent employee to solve their issues, and you will quickly have multiple repeat customers.