Home / Non-Accredited / Administration & Office Support / Reception and Telephone Etiquette Training (2 days)
Quick Look Course Summary:Reception and Telephone Etiquette Training (2 days)
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Length: 2 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 10,326 EX VAT 3 Person R 7,594 EX VAT 10 Person R 5,491 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
Telephone Etiquette – self-paced online, 6 months’ access: R750 per learner (ex VAT); teams of 10 or more pay less.
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Reception and Telephone Etiquette Training (2 days)
Every caller and visitor gets the same courteous, professional welcome – whoever answers the phone or the door.
The person who answers your phone or greets a visitor is often the first contact a customer has with your organisation. A rushed greeting, a lost message or a caller left on hold costs enquiries and damages your reputation in ways that rarely show up in a report. This telephone etiquette training sets one clear, professional standard for everyone who handles calls and visitors on your behalf.
Day one covers the telephone: answering and closing calls, questioning and listening, holding and transferring correctly, taking messages that reach the right person, voicemail and switchboard technology, and calming difficult or abusive callers. Day two moves to the front desk and business etiquette: welcoming and signing in visitors, handling the phone and the counter at the same time, protecting personal information under POPIA, introductions and forms of address, professional image, meeting protocol and working respectfully across South Africa's many cultures.
The course is practical throughout. Delegates practise on realistic call scenarios and role-plays – ideally built from your own call types – get feedback from the facilitator, and leave with a personal action plan for their desk.
Why this course
For your organisation
- One consistent answering standard across reception, switchboard and overflow staff
- Fewer lost messages, dropped transfers and frustrated callers
- A front desk that handles visitor and caller information properly
- A professional first impression that supports your sales and service effort
For your delegates
- Ready-to-use greetings, hold and transfer phrases and a call-closing routine
- A simple message-taking method that captures everything the first time
- Confidence with angry, abusive or persistent callers
- Practical guidance on protocol, dress and cross-cultural courtesy
What delegates will be able to do
- Answer and close calls professionally, using a consistent company greeting
- Establish what a caller needs through open questions and active listening
- Hold, transfer and screen calls without leaving the caller stranded
- Take complete, accurate messages and follow them through to the right person
- Use voicemail, headsets, call recording and conference bridges correctly
- Stay calm and de-escalate difficult, abusive or emergency calls
- Welcome, sign in and direct visitors while still covering the phone
- Apply business protocol: introductions, titles, forms of address and meeting etiquette
- Present a professional image and communicate respectfully across cultures
Who should attend
Receptionists, switchboard operators, front-desk and office staff, personal assistants, contact-centre agents and any employees who handle callers or visitors on behalf of the organisation – including staff who pick up overflow calls alongside their other duties.
Course outline
Day 1 – Telephone skills: the voice of the organisation
The professional voice of the organisation
- Why every call shapes the company image
- The role of the receptionist and switchboard operator
- Tone, pace, pronunciation and clarity on the line
- Matching your style to different callers
- Why posture and body language still carry over the phone
Handling incoming calls
- The professional greeting: company, name and an offer to help
- Open and closed questions to establish the caller's need
- Active listening and building rapport
- Words that help and words that hurt: slang, jargon and negative phrasing
- Telling callers what you can do, not what you cannot
- Closing the call with clear next steps
Holding, transferring and taking messages
- Asking permission before placing a caller on hold
- Keeping callers informed about delays
- Announced and unannounced transfers
- Screening calls and deciding what information may be disclosed
- Complete messages: who called, why, when and how to respond
- Message slips, call logs and email hand-overs
Outgoing calls, voicemail and telephone technology
- Preparing before you dial: purpose, information and notes
- Identifying yourself and your organisation clearly
- Recording a professional voicemail and out-of-office greeting
- Leaving messages that others can act on
- Switchboards, headsets, hands-free and conference bridges
- Mobile phone courtesy at work
Difficult, abusive and emergency calls
- Why callers become angry or frustrated
- Staying calm and not taking it personally
- De-escalation: listen, acknowledge, act
- When and how to end an abusive call
- Threatening and emergency calls: following procedure
- Role-play with facilitator feedback
Day 2 – Reception and business etiquette
Front-desk professionalism
- Welcoming, signing in and directing visitors
- Managing waiting visitors and delays
- Handling the telephone and the counter at the same time
- Visitor registers, access control and personal information under POPIA
- Keeping confidential conversations confidential
Business etiquette and protocol
- What protocol is and why it matters in business
- Being an ambassador for the organisation
- Introductions, titles, seniority and forms of address
- Business cards, name tags and remembering names
- Courtesy in front-desk email and correspondence
Professional image and conduct
- Punctuality and the business concept of time
- Dress codes, grooming and accessories for different settings
- Confidence and body language at the desk
- Managing your attitude and emotions on a busy day
Meeting and visitor protocol
- Preparing boardrooms, documents and refreshments
- Hosting guests and senior visitors
- Communicating before and after meetings
- Safety and evacuation responsibilities for visitors
Working across cultures
- High-context and low-context communication
- Greetings, language and non-verbal signals in South Africa's diverse workplace
- Religious observances, public holidays and dietary needs
- Gift policies and accepting hospitality
- Safe and sensitive topics of conversation
Your front-desk standard and action plan
- Agreeing your greeting, hold, transfer and message routine
- Personal strengths and development areas
- A 30-day action plan for your desk
- Evaluation and close
How it is delivered
Two days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; call scenarios can be built from your own call types and scripts. Workbook, role-play scripts and a personal action plan included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“The training was practical, engaging and relevant to our workplace environment, providing participants with valuable knowledge and practical skills that could be applied in their respective roles.”
“We have been very impressed with their service and rollout of the training.”
“We were particularly impressed by the quality of facilitation and the practical relevance of the content presented. The programme was delivered with professionalism, clarity, and a strong emphasis on real-world application.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online, which suits branch and remote staff.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. Larger front-desk teams are often split over two sessions so the phones stay covered.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Can you use our own call types and scripts?
Yes. Send us your standard greeting, your most common enquiries and two or three difficult calls you have handled, and the facilitator builds them into the role-plays.
How is this different from Professional Receptionist Training?
This course focuses on the telephone and on business etiquette at the front desk. Professional Receptionist Training focuses on running the reception area itself: its presentation, safety and security, and stationery control. Many organisations send new receptionists on both.
Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.
Related courses
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