Top Six Reasons to Use a Virtual Receptionist

It’s harder than ever to get good help. And that’s not because there aren’t skilled workers out there. It’s because of things like sick leave and parents having to stay home to take care of their kids.

If you’ve been the victim of the labor shortage and are at your wits end trying to find a receptionist, consider hiring one that never takes a day off: a virtual receptionist.

We’ll go over what our virtual receptionist service can do for you and your clients, below.

What Is a Virtual Receptionist?

Have you ever been to a mall or airport kiosk where there’s a big interactive touch screen display, showing you how to navigate the building or providing flight information?

A virtual receptionist is somewhat like that, but much more personable. It can be a small or large kiosk that has an on-screen personality that can greet and orient your clients. Almost like Siri or Alexa had a video-based human form.

We call our virtual receptionist system ALICE — and we can’t wait for you to meet her. These video-based receptionist systems can do a lot more than you think. We’re going over ALICE’s capabilities and what it can do for you, below.

1. They Can Greet Clients

ALICE has a built-in motion sensor that greets individuals as they walk in the door. No visitors have to search your lobby for how to get assistance. ALICE draws their attention gives them instructions — explaining that she is the virtual receptionist and will be the first touchpoint for them.

The range of motion sensor has distance settings, so you can customize when ALICE greets someone.

Once they greet the guest, ALICE…

2. Can Check Clients In

Even though it’s well past 2020, it seems that reducing the number of people in offices or waiting rooms is the way of the future. And if that’s true for you, ALICE can explain that to your clients and check them in.

Or, she can simply make sure they’re in the right place and direct them to where they need to go.

3. Provides Security

Your virtual receptionist can collect information about your clients or patients, scan drivers’ licenses, and even print visitor badge stickers with custom fields. Active visitor reports mean you can know who’s in your building at any time.

4. Can Do Health Screenings

ALICE has built-in features to keep people safe. She can check temperatures using a thermal sensor and verify if clients are wearing a mask or not.

A short survey is available for businesses that are required to have their clients confirm that they are symptom and exposure-free.

Not only will this ensure your staff stays safe, but it takes the burden of awkwardness off you. No longer do you need to put your team at risk when turning away maskless individuals.

5. Can Send Employee Notifications

If your client is checking in to see a certain employee, then ALICE can send a text message or email notification letting the employee know that their guest is here. This text or email includes the guest’s name and their company — if applicable.

You can load ALICE with your entire company directory. If your client has a question at check-in, they can call for assistance. This can be either a simple phone call, or you can provide a face-to-face interaction using a video call.

6. Can Help with Guest/Meeting Scheduling

Many of our clients use ALICE as a receptionist in buildings with multiple businesses – so clients go to the right place on the first try and not get lost. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a perfect solution for individual companies.

ALICE can help schedule meetings for you, which is great for companies who are low on administrative help. It’s as easy as making a meeting invite and cc’ing the ALICE receptionist email account.

Once you’ve done that, the system will send a confirmation to your guest, along with an optional code that links them to any pre-appointment paperwork or forms.

Other ALICE Functions

Our virtual receptionist system can really do a lot. Along with being able to do everything above, she can:

•    Show building maps
•    Display calendars & company directories
•    Present the weather
•    Show local transportation (bus/train) times
•    Display a slide show
•    Give a customized welcome message
•    and more!

The ALICE system even has multiple language options – different voices for English and the ability to converse in several other languages. You can even pick what you want ALICE to look like. For example, changing to a male avatar. It’s fully customizable.

Your Life, Made Easier With a Virtual Receptionist

No matter what your lobby situation looks like, there’s an ALICE option for you. We have both virtual receptionist kiosks, wall-mounted displays, and desktop systems that come in a variety of sizes to fit your office. Visit our Hardware page to learn more.

ALICE is fully customizable to any business sector — from medical to tech. We’ll even send you a personalized quote, based on what you need.

But you know what’s even better about our virtual receptionist service? We offer trial options, so you can see if ALICE will work for you. Get started, here.