2. Scheduling Appointments and Receiving
Visitors
Making Appointments
Receiving Visitors
Managing Diverse Situations
Office Security
Ethics and Visitors
Hosting International Visitors
3. Making Appointments
Keeping an appointment schedule
You and your manager should each keep an appointment schedule
Learn manager’s preference for scheduling appointments
Which appointments should be given priority
How much time for appointments
5. Making Appointments
(continued)
Appointments made by telephone or e-mail
Confirm whether manager is person caller should see
Does manager approve all appointments?
If so, check before confirming
If not, indicate a follow-up call only if a conflict exits
Confirm date, time, and location
6. Making Appointments
(continued)
Using an electronic calendar
Located on personal computer or network
Switches easily to from another application
Allows accurate, up-to-the-minute schedule
Can be shared by you and manager
7. Making Appointments
(continued)
Software, such as Microsoft Outlook, takes you beyond a typical calendar
Combines several functions with calendar
Allows you to “connect, communicate, and collaborate”
Schedules group meetings
Manages client information–tracks location and schedules meeting
Others?
8. Making Appointments
(continued)
Using Web-based calendars
Available for use free on Internet
Useful for the following reasons
Stores information online
Is communal, plugged in, and wired to the world
Is available in various languages
Is integrated with e-mail, address books, instant
messaging and areas where community groups can
publish material
9. Making Appointments
(continued)
Useful for the following reasons cont’d.
Events can be either
Totally private
Visible to everyone on the Web
Allow people to see which time slots are booked, but can’t see
purpose
Features
Share your schedule
Can access calendar on the go
Never forget another event again
Schedule meetings and track RSVPs
Sync with your desktop applications
Work offline
10. Making Appointments
(continued)
Using paper desk calendars
Computer software is not the answer in all situations
Limited computer capacity
Manager may keep own calendar and not take time to enter information on
computer
12. Making Appointments
(continued)
Executive appointment books and calendars
Consider manager’s commitment
Make appointments months in advance
Need a full month calendar displayed on one page
Make several appointments in one day
Need a daily appointment calendar
Electronic organizers
Includes calendar, schedule, and address area
13. Making Appointments
(continued)
Office professional’s daily appointment calendar
Preprinted desktop calendar divided into 15- or 30-minute segments
Use to enter everything within a given time slot
Manager’s appointments
Things to be taken care of by manager
Things to be taken care of by you
To-do list of tasks you must perform
14. Making Appointments
(continued)
Making entries in desk calendars
Appointments should be entered in your and your manager’s calendars
Adopt system for making entries
Make tentative entries in pencil
Make confirmed entries in ink
Once meeting or task is complete, draw a diagonal line through it
15. Making Appointments
(continued)
Record appointments confirmed
Incoming letters and e-mail messages
Outgoing letters and e-mail messages
Compare appointments daily
Transfer information–manager’s and your calendars should be identical
Discuss incomplete items
Transfer any item that still needs attention to next day
16. Making Appointments
(continued)
Type a separate note on each one when not sure manager
Returned phone calls or made promises to call
Ask manager of status on each
Discard unnecessary notes
Give your manager others as reminders
Once a week, check your follow-up file for entire week
17. Making Appointments
(continued)
Canceling appointments
When someone calls to cancel
Offer to schedule another appointment
Update all calendars
When you cancel an appointment for your manager
Notify person appointment is with at once
Give general reason without stating any confidential information
Express regret and offer to re-schedule
18. Making Appointments (continued)
Preparing a list of appointments
Provide manager with appointment list
For each day
Place on form he or she prefers
Print a copy of computer calendar
Information provided should state
Time, name of caller, affiliation, purpose of visit
Include dinner meetings or commitments
Location—if not in manager’s office
19. Receiving Visitors
Greet a visitor the minute he or she arrives
Stop what you are doing immediately
If on the phone, nod and smile–let visitor know you are aware of his or her
presence
Keep materials on your desk out of sight
20. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Greeting visitors
Greet visitor by name
If name is unknown, wait for them to introduce themselves
Do not call manager by first name when visitors are present
Use manager’s last name
When speaking of your manager
When addressing your manager in presence of others
21. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Advance preparation
Provide files needed for preview prior to meeting or used during meeting
Data or information from other departments
Collect early and compile in advance
Supplies needed that are relevant to purpose of meeting
Note taking, brochures, slides, projector, etc.
22. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Attending to the visitor who has an appointment
Make visitor feel comfortable
Indicate where to leave his or her coat
Escort visitor to manager’s office
Early arrivals may have to wait
Provide current magazines, morning paper, etc.
Do not feel obligated to carry on conversation
When manager is free, tell manager that visitor has arrived
23. Receiving Visitors (continued)
Visitors with appointments should not be kept waiting
Apologize for unavoidable delays
Give indication of wait time
Reschedule if necessary
Be cautious about how you state the reasons for a delay
Do not forget about a visitor
Regardless of reason, approach visitor in a relaxed manner
Your only duty at the moment is to meet his or her needs
24. Receiving Visitors (continued)
First time visitor
When manager is available, escort to manager’s office and make introductions
If manager knows visitor
When manager is available, invite caller to go in or you open door
Provide refreshments, if appropriate
See if manager needs anything
25. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Staff visitors
Many managers use “open-door” policy
Hold meetings with employees in manager’s office or conference room
Assume manager’s meeting with his supervisor will be in supervisor’s office,
unless otherwise noted
26. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Terminating meetings
Know your manager’s preference for tactful interruptions
Use predetermined guidelines for
Crowded schedules
Getting rid of visitors who overstay their allotted time
Acknowledgement of next appointment
27. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Interrupting a meeting
Most managers discourage interruptions
Know what conditions are important enough to justify interruptions
When in doubt–do not interrupt
Know manager’s preference or method to follow for interruptions
28. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Attending to unscheduled visitors
Be friendly and pleasant
Listen carefully and decide what to do, if there is someone in manager’s
office
Family or friend
An executive
Use caution in turning away someone your manager might want to see
29. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Salesperson
Can you help the person yourself?
Can your manager call them?
Find out purpose
Can someone else help them?
Offer to make appointment
Inform salesperson that manager is not seeking the product or service
Turn away courteously
30. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Tips on screening visitors
Establish clear guidelines with manager
Ask direct questions
Offer to help visitor
Politely be persistent
Have visitor write a note to the manager
31. Receiving Visitors
(continued)
Refusing appointments
Manager is in, but needs to work without interruptions
Don’t make untrue statements
State manager cannot crowd anything more into today’s schedule
Ask if manager can call or if appropriate, make an appointment
32. Managing Diverse Situations
Visitors with language barriers
Listen actively
Do not interpret and finish their sentences
If you recognize the language, locate an interpreter
Don’t assume visitor does not understand your language
Always display a positive attitude to visitor
33. Managing Diverse Situations (continued)
Promote having one phone for hearing impaired
visitors
Encourage basic audio aids for the office
Show courtesy by facing a visitor who is hearing
impaired
Post signs in reception area about any special
aids
34. Managing Diverse Situations (continued)
Familiarize yourself with location of wheelchair-available restaurants, fullservice gas stations, and other businesses
Arrange to have a supply of juice and liquids for visitors with medical
condition such as diabetes
35. Managing Diverse Situations (continued)
Complaining customers
Don’t get emotionally involved in problem
Don’t get defensive or aggressive
Provide solutions, not excuses
Customers are not always right, but don’t tell them
All customers have a right to be heard
Do not allow a customer to abuse you
36. Managing Diverse Situations (continued)
If you promise action, carry through
Sorry without corrective action is an empty word
Preventing problems is easier than solving them
37. Managing Diverse Situations (continued)
Abusive visitors
Tips for handling abusive visitors
Use common courtesies
Listen to the visitor
Apologize if it is appropriate to do so
Show empathy and understanding
Promise follow-up
Follow through
38. Office Security
Safeguard your own personal security
Don’t take security for granted
Tips
Contact corporate security force or call police at 911
Challenge visitors or individuals walking through your office
39. Office Security
(continued)
Do not let anyone into your building with your
access keys or card after regular hours
If you have your own office, lock the door when
you leave for lunch or meetings
When it gets dark use the “buddy” system
Always keep valuables out of site
Do not allow any unknown unexpected
maintenance personnel free access to your office
40. Ethics and Visitors
Avoid sharing confidential information
Treat each visitor equally
Don’t ask questions of a personal nature
Never assume based on color of skin a person is from a certain country
41. Hosting International Visitors
If your manager travels, chances are those
clients will also visit your office
Handling international clients requires a new
set of knowledge and skills
Tips for Success
Build positive relationships
Be flexible, adaptable, & tolerant (FAT)
Experiences and customs are different than yours
42. Hosting International Visitors
Do your homework
Research their culture and company
(continued)
Show an interest
Learn a few words and phrases in visitor’s language
Greeting
Tip: Maybe write welcome in visitor’s language at top of meeting agenda
43. Hosting International Visitors
Locate client’s nearest consulate’s office
(continued)
Have location, phone number, and ambassador’s name should you need
them
Keep an open mind
Do not judge behavior
Attitudes, values, manners, greetings and gestures are product of a different
culture
44. Hosting International Visitors
Listen carefully
International client may speak in broken English
Don’t correct
Research the attitude about time
In North America time is a priority
Time does not have the same priority in all cultures
(continued)
45. Hosting International Visitors
(continued)
Learn preferred eating habits of country
Many international travelers are open to experimenting with new foods;
others are not
Some cultures do not eat pork
Some cultures do not eat beef
Include food and beverages international client will enjoy
46. Hosting International Visitors
(continued)
Determine if gender plays a stronger role in client’s culture than our
own
In some cultures, women do not hold high-level positions where decisions
are made
Conversations are between male members at meetings
If gender is an issue, decide ahead of time whom to send to negotiate in
boardroom or whom to send abroad as best company representative
47. Hosting International Visitors
(continued)
Identify the proper greetings
In the United States–firm handshake
Many cultures–bowing and kissing
Some cultures–men and women do not touch
Members of same gender may deliver a very warm and physical greeting
48. Hosting International Visitors
(continued)
Body language is often misinterpreted
What’s friendly in one country may be obscene in the next and actually
illegal in another
Pay attention to how others use gestures to say what they mean
Movement of hands, arms, legs, or head
50. Hosting International Visitors
(continued)
Learn to pronounce names correctly
In some cultures the surname is placed before the given name
Learn the titles of respect that go with others’ names and when appropriate
to use
51. Hosting International Visitors
(continued)
Determine if space when talking is different from our culture
Know the right distance
Too far way may be interpreted as rude
Too close may be interpreted as too casual or too informal
