What’s the first contact that potential customers make with your business? Chances are it’s with a receptionist, either on the phone or in your office. So how well is your receptionist representing your company?

Think of your receptionists as your managers of first (and last) impressions. You rely on them to set the initial tone for the whole business, meaning that they have the power to make or break deals, and determine if your clients walk away happy or not. So, pick your receptionists wisely, train them well, and treat them with the respect they deserve. They should be considered to be among your company’s most important marketing assets

In today’s economy, people are more likely to shop around, so you need to hire receptionists who can really sell your products. This means doing much more than just handing out leaflets and price lists. Are your receptionists trained to convey your company’s unique benefits clearly and persuasively?

A great receptionist is able to ‘smile over the phone’, handle 5 tasks at the same time, work under extreme pressure, and yet still remain calm while professionally representing your business. Not easy. Call Aim now to arrange a free English language audit for your company (including assessing the English of your receptionists), and see how well our font-line people deal with you!

There’s no substitute for taking a course at Aim, but there are plenty of things you can do outside class to accelerate your progress:

1. Bring more English into your life. Instead of reading detik.com, try bbc.com. Instead of Kompas, read The Jakarta Post. For experience of the very best business English in the world, try reading articles in The Economist.

2. Take notes! Keep a notebook with you all the time to record new words, then learn them. You need to repeat new vocabulary many times before it gets fixed in your memory.

3. Hunt down opportunities to speak English.

4. Use the Internet. You’ll find a long list of on-line resources on the Aim website.

5. Make mistakes! Don’t be afraid to try the language. Of course you’ll make mistakes, that’s how you learn. One of our clients, a brilliant scholar with a PhD from an English-speaking university, told us that he always sees an opportunity to learn from the mistakes he makes.

6. Never stop trying to improve. If you do, you’ll slide back.