A receptionist’s duties, one by one
A receptionist’s main duties are answering the phone and greeting whoever arrives, giving information, managing the appointment calendar, screening and routing enquiries, taking messages and helping with admin tasks.
- Answering the phone. They answer, introduce themselves, understand what the person needs and either help them or pass them to the right person.
- Greeting whoever arrives. They say hello, check the appointment, let the professional know and look after the waiting room.
- Giving information. Opening hours, services, prices, address, how to get there, what documents to bring.
- Managing the calendar. Booking appointments, changing, cancelling, confirming and reminding, and filling the slots that come free.
- Screening and routing. They decide which enquiry goes to the professional, which is resolved on the spot and which is urgent.
- Taking messages and collecting details. They note the name, phone number and reason so nobody has to ask again.
- Doing admin tasks. Payments, invoices, paperwork, post, orders or filing, depending on the business.
- Looking after the business’s image. A friendly manner and a tidy front desk: it’s the first impression.
- Following up. Reminding customers of appointments, letting them know of changes and asking for feedback after the visit.
Not every business gives them all of these: in a small one, a single person usually does them all; in a large one, they are shared out.
A receptionist’s duties by type of business
The core duties are the same in every business, but what is asked and what is noted changes: in a veterinary clinic, the animal and how urgent it is; in physiotherapy, the session package; in a hair salon, the professional and how long the service takes.
| Business | What it adds to the duties |
|---|---|
| Veterinary clinic | Appointments per vet, vaccinations and check-ups due, reminders to owners and alerts for anything urgent. |
| Physiotherapy | Appointments per physiotherapist with the length of each treatment, session packages and reminders. |
| Psychology | Sessions in person or online, reminders without the reason for the appointment and the utmost discretion with personal data. |
| Beauty salon | Bookings by treatment, room and length; session packages; questions about treatments. |
| Hair salon or barbershop | Bookings by service, length and professional; last-minute changes. |
The skills a good receptionist needs
A good receptionist combines a friendly manner, clear speech, organisation and discretion; the rest is learnt on the job.
- Clear communication and a friendly tone, even when the customer arrives in a hurry or annoyed.
- Organisation: a calendar without overlaps and changes made straight away.
- Discretion: they handle personal data and, in healthcare, health data.
- Judgement to know when to sort something out themselves and when to tell someone.
- Knowing the business in detail: services, prices and rules.
- Handling the tools: phone, calendar, email and WhatsApp.
If you’re looking for someone for the role, further down there is a list of duties ready to copy.
Which duties an AI can do today and which still belong to a person
An AI receptionist can do the remote part of the job (answering calls and messages, giving information, booking appointments and sending reminders); the in-person part and sensitive decisions still belong to a person.
| Feature | AI receptionist | Person |
|---|---|---|
| Answering the phone and WhatsApp | Yes, at any hour and up to 3 calls at once | Yes, during their working hours and one at a time |
| Giving information on opening hours, prices and services | Yes, with the information you give it | Yes |
| Booking, changing and cancelling appointments | Yes, in your CRM’s calendar | Yes |
| Sending appointment reminders | Yes: in Kairox, WhatsApp reminders come with the CRM | Yes, by hand |
| Greeting whoever comes into the premises | No | Yes |
| Taking payment at the till and handling paper documents | No | Yes |
| Handling a serious complaint or a sensitive situation | It notes it down and passes it to a person | Yes |
| Deciding exceptions or discounts | It notes it down and passes it to a person | Yes |
The usual approach isn’t to choose one or the other: the AI handles what comes in remotely and your team keeps the face-to-face contact and the decisions.
Template: receptionist duties for a job advert
To describe the role, list five to eight specific duties for your business and separate the essentials from what can be learnt on the job.
Duties of the role • Answer the business’s phone and WhatsApp in a warm, professional manner. • Greet customers and visitors, check their appointment and let the professional know. • Give information on services, opening hours, prices and how to get there. • Manage the calendar: book, change, cancel and confirm appointments. • Screen enquiries and pass to the team those that need their attention. • Take messages and contact details and pass them on to the team. • [Admin tasks specific to the business: payments, invoicing, post, orders.] • Keep the front desk tidy.
Replace what is in square brackets with what the role really involves in your business: the more specific the list, the better the applications you will get.
Receptionist, secretary and switchboard operator: not the same thing
The receptionist handles front-line service, the switchboard operator centralises calls and the secretary supports management with admin tasks.
In practice, in small businesses the same person usually does all three. So when describing the role, it is worth saying which part matters most: if they mainly handle calls and the public, it’s a receptionist; if they mainly organise one person’s calendar, documents and email, it’s more of a secretary.
When to rely on an AI receptionist
An AI receptionist fits when your front desk can’t keep up (calls not picked up, messages out of hours) or when you have no receptionist and don’t want to lose enquiries.
FAQ
What are a receptionist’s main duties?
Answering the phone and greeting whoever arrives, giving information on services and opening hours, managing the appointment calendar, screening and routing enquiries, taking messages and helping with admin tasks.
What does a receptionist do in a clinic?
On top of the general duties, they manage appointments by speciality and professional, confirm appointments and send reminders, look after new patients and route anything urgent. They must also handle health data discreetly.
Does a receptionist do admin tasks?
It depends on the business. In many, yes: payments, invoices, post, filing or orders. It is worth putting them in writing when describing the role.
Can an AI do a receptionist’s job?
The remote part, yes: answering calls and WhatsApp, giving information, booking appointments and sending reminders. The in-person part and sensitive decisions still belong to a person, which is why Kairox’s receptionist passes things to your team when needed.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
At Kairox, the AI receptionists are included in the CRM plans for your sector: the WhatsApp one in the Advanced plan, for €99/month, and the phone one, together with the WhatsApp one, in the Intelligent plan, from €189/month with 300 voice minutes. The CRM without AI reception costs €39/month, with 2 professionals included. Set-up costs €99 per business, once. Until 31 December 2026, Kairox offers free set-up for new sign-ups to any of its three plans. Prices exclude VAT, with no lock-in.
What is the difference between a receptionist and a secretary?
The receptionist focuses on front-line service (calls, visitors, appointments); the secretary, on supporting management with the calendar, documents and email. In small businesses it is usually the same person.