Jan McGuigan from Kennedys
Trying to interview Reception managers for law firms has proved exceptionally difficult – not because they won’t be interviewed, but because it’s almost impossible to get them to stand still!!! Jan McGuigan is no exception, but we finally got her to answer all our questions and found out what life is like on corporate reception.
Please tell us how you came to be managing the Front of House for Kennedys, a leading International law firm in the city (London city).
I’d worked my way up through the travel industry, ending up as a PA for a regional manager at Thomas Cook. I’d always enjoyed the customer service aspect of the work, and so jumped at the chance to make a total career change. I began at Kennedys as a receptionist, and loved it! The role was varied and interesting, and there was a lot of input and enthusiasm from the Partners with regard to strengthening core values and respecting our position as representing Kennedys. After 2 years as a receptionist, I was offered the job managing the FOH team as the firm was expanding.
Do you find that FOH at Kennedys is more specialized reception work than any other corporate company, or would the same kind of training be useful where ever a receptionist worked?
Our firm have devoted time to protect and strengthen our culture and values and I strongly maintain this ethos when training our staff. We are the first contact that our visitors have and the welcome we give them reflects on the firm. Anyone can be trained to answer the phone, pass on messages or tap numbers on a switchboard, but to have the essential skills to make a good impression within the first few minutes is extremely important. My buzz phrases are 'Put a smile in your voice' and 'Everything I do or say is either a service or disservice to another person'. It takes just 4 seconds to form an opinion of someone, and then 3 months to rectify that opinion if it was wrong.
Kennedy's has offices all over the world - is there a lot of contact between the various reception areas?
Although we don’t have regular contact with our worldwide offices we do occasionally arrange hotels and travel for their Partners when they visit London. It’s coincidental that our new receptionist in our recently opened Sydney office was trained and worked in my FOH team for 2 years whilst here in London. She therefore had not only the necessary experience but also knowledge of the Kennedys' way of doing things which would help enormously in the newly opened Sydney office, in terms of our attitudes, values and cultures".
How many reception areas in the London offices? - Do your staff have specialized roles in each area, or are they expected to be versatile and able to swap to where they are needed?
We have three London offices, Chiswell St, Mark Lane and Lloyds Ave but we are moving to new premises in 2008 when all three London offices will merge. We have a FOH team in each office, being reception, switchboard and catering. Our reception is open from 8.30-6.30 each weekday and each member of staff has their designated role, but we are all versatile enough to swap roles when cover is needed.
How many members of your FOH team?
11 - they are 6 job share receptionists, 2 switchboard operators and 3 caterers. We also have 2 receptionists in Chelmsford. Most of reception staff work in pairs on a job share basis, I still work on Reception a few hours each day as it helps to keep in touch. The switchboard operators are full time job sharers and caterers full time. The manageable daily work time hours are 67.5
Chelmsford reception
What kind of things are your team responsible for, apart from taking calls?
Switchboard and Reception are separate at Kennedys, if you mean the receptionists, then apart from the definitive role of a being a blue chip receptionist, which duties include: meet and greet, organising room layouts, taking room bookings, 'ownership' of the reception area, the Reception staff are responsible for organising flights, rail, hotel & cab bookings for the firm.
What changes have you made during your time as manager?
The biggest change would be introducing an automated room booking system for the London, Chelmsford and Cambridge offices, which has updated and improved our service. The reports I've been able to produce have helped decide on how many, and the type of meeting rooms we should request in our new building. Also, having had a travel industry background I'm able to track our Travel Management, seeking out the best deals from different agencies for the firm.
I'm the first person to manage FOH for Kennedys I didn't step into anyone's shoes so had to start from scratch, organising the team involving improving motivation and mind-set to deliver a superior service to the Firm.
Can you tell us about any incident where a member of your staff has excelled at their job?
Most of my staff pull together and go the extra mile for both clients and colleagues, but checking flight details out over the weekend and laundering table linen at home at short notice, rather than pay the extortionate laundering prices springs to mind.
Can you tell us about any disasters?
Oh yes, A VIP in-house lunch Christmas 2005, I still have nightmares. A last minute request on the day was for an agency waiter to take coats, serve drinks and 'wait' the tables. After a desperate round of pleading phone calls one agency told me the only person available was an office assistant who had experience, I realised that his experience was clearly in another area when he asked for a corkscrew to open the champagne!
What do you look for when employing staff?
‘The X factor’………. i.e. good personality, good manners, 'can do' attitude, someone who listens deeply and is gracious. I’ve recently recruited and realise that if first impressions are positive then we are onto a winner. The necessary technology involved can be taught.
What advice would you give to someone hoping to progress into a supervisory role?
Be dedicated and enjoy the role. Know what is expected of you from the firm you work for, work very hard and lead by example, multi-task to Manage, know your team and their work load. Think about why things are done rather than just doing them. Don't expect respect from a title....gain it. And ban the words 'unfortunately' and can't'.
What do you do when you're not working?
I have a busy home life, which takes up my entire out of work hours!
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