Diary of An Agent: Virtual Receptionists Keeping Your Hotel Guests Happy Through the Night

One of the late-shift virtual receptionists on my team asked me to cover for her so that she could take her son to visit her parents over the weekend. I usually have the morning shift so I jumped at the opportunity to see who was calling in during the wee hours of the morning over here at A Courteous Communications.

Being a live receptionist service, you never know who is going to be on the other end of the line and how you are going to be able to help them. I love being one of Courteous’ virtual receptionists because we all have the same mentality, “How can we help our customers’ customers and brighten up their day just a bit.” After talking on the phone a few hours on some of our business and medical lines, I was able to save the day for a family out in North Carolina.

Our Virtual Receptipnists can help keep your guests happy

1:05 am 

A telephone call came in on a cabin rental account we handle. I picked the line up on the first ring with a bright and cheery voice, “Good evening and thank you for calling Forest Cabins where we hope you are enjoying your stay. How can I assist you tonight?”

A woman on the other end of the telephone hushed her children and I could tell from her breathing that she was both frantic and tired, “Hello, we are actually booked for one of your cabins but we have gotten completely lost and turned around and are running late. We just got back on the interstate and wanted to call you and let you know we are about fifteen minutes away. Is late check-in going to be a hassle? Tommy, if I have to tell you one more time, get back in that seatbelt! I’m sorry.”

I quickly started scanning the account notes while I chuckled into the phone, “No worries at all, I completely understand. My name is Sara and I will be helping you out with your check-in. Which cabin are you booked for this evening?” The woman responded, “I think we’re in cabin twelve but I am not certain. The reservation is under Charles or Rita Wilson.”

Courteous is the best answering service because we are able to customize all of our customer accounts and have answers to frequently asked questions and other important information. I clicked away and I started to really help, “I see here that you have reserved our lovely cabin twelve and that you were scheduled to arrive at 11:00 pm. Let’s get you all situated.” I clicked away on my keyboard a little more and found that John was the groundskeeper on-call and he would be available to show the family to their cabin.

I quickly started to walk my caller through the next procedure, “Mrs. Wilson may I place you on a brief hold while I get the front desk on the line and confirm your arrival?” The tired mother responded, “Sure, thank you.”

I quickly dialed John’s cell phone and he picked up within two rings, “Yellow,” John said with a southern accent. “Hi John, this is Sara calling from your live receptionist service. I have Mr. and Mrs. Wilson checking in for a late arrival in about 10 minutes. They have had a long night and got a little lost in the woods. Will you be able to check them in at the office?” I heard some grunting and loud clanking in the background as he responded, “Sure thing, just finishing up with this pesky water heater now. I will wrap it up and meet them at the parking lot for a quick tour. Which here cabin will they be resting in?” “Cabin 12,” I replied with a giggle at his fun terminology. “Well alright then. Thanks for the call, Sara and you have a good night, ya hear.”

With a push of a button, I was back on line with Mrs. Wilson, “Thank you so much for holding, Mrs. Wilson. John will give you a quick tour of the property personally and he will meet you right when you pull into the parking lot.” A sigh of relief was heard from the woman’s voice, “Oh thank you. I saw on the website that the front desk closed at midnight and was so worried. Thank you so much for your help, Sara.”

I smiled at the woman’s gratitude, “No problem at all, Mrs. Wilson, that’s what I am here for. We’d like to thank you for choosing to stay with Forest Cabins and don’t be shy to call, day or night, if you need anything at all.” Mrs. Wilson ended the call with a few more thank you’s and a sweet goodnight.

1:55 am 

The caller id on my ringing telephone said the call was coming in from Forest Cabin 12 and I knew who it was, “Good evening Mrs. Wilson, I see John got you all set up in your cabin. How may I assist you?”

In a hushed tone, Rita quietly spoke with me, “Hello again, Sara. I am sorry to bother you. I know that there is a scheduled breakfast tomorrow morning and I wanted to know if you could tell me what time it starts.” I smiled while pressing the keys on my computer with expert speed, “The full country breakfast starts tomorrow at 9:00 am in the main hall and will be served until 11:00 am. I also see a jamboree scheduled for 2:30 pm and think your family might enjoy it.”

If a smile could come through the receiver, Rita’s smile would have, “Oh, well isn’t that fun. Thanks so much, Sara. I promise I won’t bother you again. I hope you have a good night and don’t work too hard.” Another smile poured out of me, “Thanks so much Rita, you really have put a smile on my face tonight. I hope the rest of your stay is amazing and you all have loads of fun. Goodnight.”

All In a Night’s Work as a Virtual Receptionist

Rita Wilson is just an example of why I love being a part of the best answering service out there. Our virtual receptionists are able to help countless people every day and in return, our callers give us the warm and fuzzy feeling of helping in tough situations. Tonight I was like a superhero and who knows what tomorrow will bring. Man, I love my job!