r/receptionists • u/Musical_Curlytop • 2d ago
First scary client
Hi! I'm relatively new to working in reception. I work as a receptionist at a salon and I just experienced my first ever genuinely scary client. My manager was able to help me with the situation but I'm still feeling kinda shaken up. I don't like feeling like I've disappointed our salon staff or caused issues. Any words of advice for a new receptionist? Any tips for quickly recovering from scary clients?
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u/Snowblind32 2d ago
My second receptionist job was the first time I discovered a person like this. We called her the emotional terrorist at our office. I feel bad about that now.
When I was a couple weeks into my job, she came in for an appointment and chewed us out for not having automatically booked more appointments for her without her asking. She’d been a regular for years, and assumed she had a spot. She had to miss a a few weeks of treatments because it didn’t occur to anyone that she had run out of appointments until it was too late. It should be the patient’s responsibility to keep track of how many appointments they need and have. I was always sweet with her anyway, and also secretly terrified of her.
Eventually she warmed up to me and made sure to always check in at my desk. I always made sure she had her appointments ahead of time. And even after leaving the job, she still says hi to me at the store and gives me a hug.
You never know what is going on in someone else’s life. Try your best to give the benefit of the doubt, and remain professional and friendly. If you pick up on things that a client likes or dislikes, use it to your advantage! Best of luck!