I don't live an exciting life by any means, but I will say that I have a lot of excitement by working with lawyers. My life motto has become "I work for attorneys hence I work smarter, not harder." Not too many people know what it's like being a receptionist, or as my former boss called it, director of first impressions. There are blogs out there on every topic on earth, but not one for the receptionist. So ladies and gentlemen, this one is for you! And to start off my life in the blogging world, here is a list of rules that everyone should know before dealing with the receptionist at a law office (or any office for that matter).
1. Don't argue with the receptionist. Period. You will not pass go, nor will you collect $200. When it comes to the reception area, I am the gatekeeper and you are not the key master with that attitude.
2. If we tell you that the person you want to talk to is away from their desk, don't whine and try to tell me that you JUST talked to them. I know for a fact they have been in someone else's office gossiping for the past hour.
3. If I offer you a drink when you come in the office, go with whatever is easist. I'm not a bariesta at Starbucks. Water or black coffee are your two choices.
4. Just because the person you're looking for is not at their desk, does NOT mean they are out of the office. It means they are wandering around the office, probably talking with another attorney about what their kids' soccer teams are doing. Just leave them a voicemail.
5. Don't ask me to take a hand written message for you. I'm busy and do not have time for you to sit and remember what your cell phone number is.
6. No, I will not page your attorney. We only page with the server goes down or if there is birthday cake. You are neither an important piece of computer equipment nor are you covered in buttercream icing.
7. Keep your conversation with me short and to the point. I typically have 3 calls going at once and I don't have time for your sales pitch or life story.
8. Don't ever take your gum out of your mouth, hand it to me and say "Can you throw this away?" Excuse me, but I'm not your mother. I will not touch your chewed gum, but I will however, point you to the nearest trash can.
9. If you decide to bring your kids with you for your meeting, do not expect me to babysit. I haven't done that for years and I will not start doing it again. I will not play cards with them, sit with them as they color, nor will I hold a conversation with a 4 year old who keeps asking me when daddy is coming home.
10. If you call and tell me that you want to sue the city/state/county because they were mean when you got arrested- I will laugh. That really is hilarious because you obviously were doing something wrong and when you got caught, all of a sudden everyone is mean!? Oh please honey, find something better to do with your time, like preparing for your grand jury hearing.
Do you have any rules that you live by? And if you do, please share!
Oh God, I can relate to so many of these. I started off my career in law as a receptionist so I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteAnother one? Know who called you in the first place if you are returning a call. I don't read minds, and have no idea who called you, out of an office of 50 people. How can you not know your attorney's name? Get a clue.