Ways that Front Office Staff Should Display Ethical Standards in Their Duties

When you work in an office that is set to be the first environment that the customer and clients see; it can change the direction and barometer of the relationship for most of the interactions you all have together. There are always stories that are told of the "good or bad" experiences someone has had as they have just entered the office. Whenever someone is referring a business by word of mouth; this setting is crucial to the reputation and survival of this business.

It is easy to "feel" when the employees of the office are professional and the setting is managed properly; but it is also very quickly related when no one has taken the care or time to set up the front office procedures, equipment, staffing, personnel, etc. to represent a calm, professional and well run atmosphere. This is a very big mistake especially in the sales or service industries; where your business must compete against others in the same industries that may have much more enjoyable and usually pleasantly repeated interactions that have to take place in this setting.

When the front office staff is hired they must be brought on board with the training that it is their responsibility first and foremost to be "on alert" because they are going to be representing the business by the way they interact in person, on the phone, how they handle the office equipment, vendors, other personnel, interruptions, or anything that may come up. One of the problems that does come up is that as long as everything is going fine everyday then it is a great place to be; but throw in an overscheduled calendar or too many deliveries, etc. and suddenly the professionalism goes out the window and the "real" feelings start to show. This can also be a no-no for any gossip or whispering; it is never to be done in the front office because it makes people uneasy, even if you are talking about a recipe you seen on the internet, the person who can barely hear you won't know that, all they can hear is pssssst, pssst, psst.

The pure integrity of the whole business is to be projected at all times; but in the front office it has to be amped up because it is much like being on a stage where everyone is watching you, even if you don't think of it that way. Or it is like when you are in a plane and the turbulence starts; the first thing the passengers do is check to see the flight attendance reactions, if they are calm and cool, then the passengers react accordingly.