Reception etiquette

Reception etiquette includes many aspects.

1. Greetings and welcoming guests

Under normal circumstances, when you hear the doorbell or knock on the door, you should answer quickly and go to open the door at the same time. Usually the door can be divided into outward opening and inward opening. If the door opens outward, block the door with your hand or body and let the customer enter first; otherwise, if the door opens inward, you enter first, hold or block the door before inviting customers. Customers enter; usually called customers who open the door from the outside go in first, and customers who open the door from the inside go in first. When blocking the door, stand sideways to allow sufficient entrance and exit, smile at the customer and say "come in" and extend your hand to indicate the direction. Ask the client to slowly close the door after entering and follow them into the house.

After opening the door, greet customers politely with a friendly attitude and a smiling face, such as "Hello" and "Welcome". You can also directly address customers you know, such as "Zhang Hello, sir"; "Aunt Li, welcome". If there is someone you don’t know, you can first ask for their surname, then address and greet them immediately, and report it to your employer. Under normal circumstances, there is no need to shake hands with customers. If the customer extends his hand, you should shake it naturally and invite the customer into the room. If the customer needs to take off his coat, put down an umbrella, or change into slippers, he should take the initiative to help. If there are children at home, also ask them to say hello to customers. If the customer has a heavy object in his hand, after greeting him, he should take the heavy object and help put it away. If the customer is carrying a gift, he or she cannot take the initiative to accept it. However, if the employer is not at home and there is no clear explanation, do not receive the customer easily. You should wait for the employer's instructions before deciding whether to receive the customer.

When leading a client to meet the host, you should follow the other person's pace and guide the client from the front left side. When walking, the upper body should be turned slightly to the right, with the left shoulder slightly forward and the right shoulder behind. Turn sideways towards the visitor, keeping a distance of about two steps. You can introduce the environment to the visitor while walking, and at the same time, pay attention to the visitor's wishes. When you want to turn a corner or go up stairs, you must first make some movement to let the other person know where you are going. If you want to take a customer to the host's room, you should knock on the door first, and then open the door and guide the customer to enter after getting permission.

2. Entertaining guests

(1) Seat arrangement

After the customer enters the room, the guest is usually asked to sit in the seat far away from the door. The seat closest to the door is the lower seat. Currently, it is generally believed that the right side is up, so guests are always asked to sit on the right side of the host when sitting down. If the guests are a couple, it is best for them to sit together rather than apart. Generally speaking, sitting on a long sofa is more distinguished than sitting on a single sofa. Of course, the specific method of giving up your seat should be comprehensively considered based on the environment of the employer's guest room, the quality of the seats, the convenience of drinking tea, and the employer's habits.

When you come in and give up your seat, you should have a "please, give up" reception voice and corresponding gestures at the same time, and immediately ask the customer to take a seat. Of course, you should choose sofas and chairs with better seats according to the actual situation. After the customer arrives, your main task is to meet the customer's needs. Don't leave the customer alone, but make him feel that you are thinking about him at all times.

(2) Entertaining guests

After the customers sit down, you should take on the task of entertaining. First, you should serve tea and water. If it is midsummer, you can also serve cool drinks, such as If possible, propose several drinks for customers to choose from. When making tea for the first time, don’t fill the cup too full. Usually, 70% full is enough. It is best to use a tray when delivering tea. Put the teacup into the tray and hold it at chest height. Place the tray on the table first, then take out the teacup. Offer your hands to the guest first, then the host, and say softly: "Please Use tea!"

Be sure to place the tea cup in a safe place with the ear facing the customer. If the teapot needs to be placed on the table, the teapot spout should be facing away from others. When exiting, usually hold the tray, take a few steps back facing the customer, and then turn your back to the customer to exit quietly after leaving the customer's sight. If the door is closed when tea is served, you should knock first, open the door and enter after getting permission, and then say "I'm sorry!" before entering the house. If the customer stays for a long time, you should take the initiative to refill the customer's water and serve tea at any time; when refilling the water, take the teacup away from the tea table to avoid pouring it on the table or soiling the customer's clothes.

If your employer has no explicit request when visiting guests, try not to walk around the room or do odd jobs while they are talking.

During the reception, you can also serve fruits, snacks, etc. to the customers according to the employer's instructions. If the client has children, get some candies and toys for the children, and allow the employer's children to play with the client's children. If it is inconvenient for your employer to bring your children with you when visiting guests, you can ask your employer for instructions: "If you have nothing to do, I can take your children to play elsewhere; if something happens, you can call me at any time." After obtaining the employer's consent, respond to the customer Give a polite gesture and then take the children elsewhere to play.

If the customer has stayed until the meal time and neither your employer nor the customer has any intention of saying goodbye, you should ask your employer whether you need to prepare meals. Note that when asking for instructions, you should ask the employer to go elsewhere and ask clearly about the characteristics and richness of the meals. Do not ask the employer in front of the customer whether meals need to be prepared; if meal preparation is required, the employer should take the initiative to prepare the meals as required. After the meal, you should prepare some washed fruits, peel them if necessary, and put them on the tea table in the living room for customers to enjoy.

(3) See-off etiquette

If a customer says goodbye, wait until the customer gets up before accompanying the host, and follow the host. Do not wait for the customer to get up. It is very rude to stand up before the customer. "Three steps to greet guests, seven steps to see them off" is the most basic etiquette for welcoming guests; therefore, every time you finish entertaining guests, you must send them off with a welcome "meet you again" mood. Usually when a customer gets up to say goodbye, the housekeeper should take the initiative to take off the customer's coat and hat, and help him put it on if necessary. At the same time, he should choose the most appropriate words to say goodbye, such as saying "I hope to come again next time" and other polite words.

When you are sure that the customer has left and gone far away, gently close the door tightly. You must not slam the door as soon as the customer leaves; otherwise, the customer will feel unwelcome. If a customer brings many or heavier items when leaving, you should help the customer carry the heavy items when seeing them off, and follow the etiquette of guiding guests to see off guests. Especially for customers who are visiting for the first time, they should be more enthusiastic, thoughtful and meticulous. Usually, it is possible to send guests to the main entrance for bungalow residents and to the elevator entrance for high-rise residents. When saying goodbye to customers at the door, elevator or next to the car, watch the customer get in the car, close the elevator door or leave. Bow or wave with a respectful and sincere attitude, a smiling expression, and do not rush back. You should wait until the customer completely disappears from your sight, or the elevator door is closed, or the car is out of sight before you can say goodbye.