Front Desk Agents are typically seen assisting guests when they check-in to the hotel and assisting them with any potential concerns they may have. They are the initial point of contact for guests and are often the individuals that guests turn to should they experience a problem (Xiao160001, 2011). A typical work setting for them is at a highly visible location (i.e., the front desk of the hotel) where they can be easily approached. Career progression for this position focuses more on jobs that act as points of contact with guests to ensure they have a pleasant stay. This can entail becoming a front desk manager, a front office manager, to being the general manager of the hotel itself.
On the other hand, switchboard operators are the point of contact for guests that want to make their initial booking or reservations over the phone. They assist guests who call in by connecting them to the appropriate departments at the hotel or even connecting them to guests who are already staying in their rooms. Overall, this position entails a certain level of technical adeptness as well as the capacity to employ proper customer service over the phone. A typical career path for a switchboard operation involves advancement via the administrative side of hotel operations which entails overseeing day-to-day operations in various capacities or can even entail being part of the human resources division of the hotel.
Based on the information presented, it is clear that both positions have their own respective career paths, each with its own merits. As such, this analysis will delve into other aspects and benefits of these two entry-level positions to determine which is likely the best for me to apply for when I graduate.
Skills Used
The types of skills used by Front Desk Agents differ significantly from their Switchboard Operator counterparts since the former focuses more on guest interactions while the latter is more focused on hotel back office operations. Front desk agents communicate with hotel guests on a daily basis and, as such, often need to develop their ability for interpersonal communication. This due to the necessity of adequately communicating with guests, assuaging their potential concerns, and calming them down in cases where they perceive that the service they are receiving is less than adequate.
As such, Front desk agents need to be skilled in proper negotiation, guest retention, and the capacity to empathize with guests and show to them that they care about the concerns that are being pointed out. Aside from this, front desk agents also need to be able to adapt to a vast array of potential requests from guests. This can range from requesting a room with a window that faces away from the sun to arranging a dinner reservation for them. Customer requests can vary from the normal to the weird; however, it is the responsibility of the hotel to accommodate them and, as such, front desk agents need to be able to take the initiative and determine the best possible way of addressing a guest's needs. Lastly, front desk agents need to be able to accurately multi-task what they are doing since they often need to talk to a guest, arrange for a room, have a porter bring up the bags, and other similar tasks, all at the same time. Proper time management is vital in this endeavor given the sheer amount of guests that can check in or out of a hotel on a daily basis.
On the other hand, the skills needed by a Switchboard operator are more technical and less oriented towards interpersonal communication. The skills required for this job focus on knowing the different communication lines and codes needed to switch callers from one line to another properly. It requires an understanding of proper communication protocols, how to best connect guests and callers, and which departments in the hotel are the best at addressing a concern that a caller has. Taking both jobs into consideration, the role of a front desk agent appears to require more skills than a switchboard operator however the former seems to be far more stressful than the latter.
Work Conditions
Given my past internship as a Front Desk Agent at the Crown Plaza Hotel, I can state that I am uniquely qualified to give an appropriate overview of the work conditions associated with such a position. First, it should be noted that Lihe (2013) stated that: "hotel work often brings about a strong sense of fatigue since it is very cumbersome work that entails long working hours, no holidays, and is labor intensive, even in the smallest of hotels." Based on my internship, I would have to agree with the perspective of Lihe (2013) since, despite my position not requiring significant levels of physical exertion, I was still extremely tired at the end of each shift. Communicating with customers regarding their concerns, having to deal with angry guests who want compensation after receiving bad service, and the sheer amount of guests that you have to deal with on a daily basis are only some of the mentally exhausting activities that you have to deal with at the front desk (LiHe, 2013).
One of the most "memorable" instances that I can recall that almost made me reconsider a career in the hospitality industry occurred when I was assisting a woman in a blue dress with a red Gucci bag. There was a slight error in the receipt I gave her and, while I was correcting it, she was incredibly impatient, rude, and even spoke to my manager asking for compensation for the amount of her time that we wasted. This shows the "dark side" of interacting with guests on a daily basis and how having patience is an absolute requirement for a person at the front desk.
It is due to this experience that I consider a position as Switchboard Operator as being far less stressful. For instance, interactions with guests are kept under a few minutes since they usually call in to be connected to a different department or a specific guest at the hotel. Any complaints they may have are not towards the switchboard operator; instead, it is usually directed to an individual in maintenance, management, or another department within the hotel. While it is true that being a switchboard operator is a less dynamic position that does entail much in the way of direct interaction, it is at least far less stressful and has the potential for an equally fulfilling career path in the future.
Education/Training
Individuals who apply for either a Front Desk Agent position or as a Switchboard Operator are expected to have some familiarity with a hotel's operations and, as such, those with degrees that specialize in hospitality are often preferred. However, while people who apply for either position can have the same background, this does not mean that the training for either position is the same. Training requirements for being a Switchboard Operator often entails knowing how to utilize the internal communication protocols of the hotel when it comes to transferring calls. This means knowing how to correctly transfer and connect a call and how to disconnect your end of the line so that two calls can be properly merged. Aside from this, Switchboard Operators are often evaluated based on a set metrics that are set by the hotel when it comes to how they address every call. This means training in how to properly accept a call (for example immediately saying the required catchphrase of the hotel), how to address a caller's concern with the tools you have been given, and the general level of politeness and ability to resolve issues without having to escalate the problem to a manager. As such, training for a switchboard operator position focuses on technical details and proper phone-based customer service.
On the other end of the spectrum, Front Desk Agents receive a different type of training which entails focusing on properly inter-personal communication, appearance, and usage of the on-site booking system. Inter-personal communication consists of the various mannerisms, behaviors, and methods of verbal/non-verbal communication that a person utilizes when communicating with another individual. Understanding what type of mannerisms to use (like using the honorific "-san" at the end of a person's last name when talking to someone from Japan) is important since it impacts the perception of people regarding the services of the hotel. Aside from this, since Front Desk Agents act as "the face" of the hotel, it is important that they appear well-dressed with a clean-cut presentable appearance (switchboard operators obviously do not need to worry about their personal appearance to such an extent).
Overall, what this shows is that both positions entail entirely different methods of training given the objectives and operational roles of each job. However, it should be noted that employees that have hospitality management degrees (usually three to four years of college), are fluent in English, and have proven themselves to be hard workers are fast-tracked into the hotel's management trainee program which is meant to help create the next generation of operations managers, maitre d'hotels, public relations specialists, marketing managers, and other similar leadership positions within the hotel itself. Both Front Desk Agents or Switchboard Operators can be placed in such a program, albeit into different types of long-term leadership roles.
Affiliations
In cases where a Front Desk Agent has shown sufficient merit, they may be promoted to becoming a concierge which entitles them to apply for membership at Les Clefs d’Or, an international association of Front Desk Concierges. This international organization focuses on promoting both greater professionalism in the industry as well as enables its members to benefit from contacts in multiple different countries, locations, and industries. To become a member, a person must have been a part of the hotel lobby for at least five years (two of which must be as a concierge), and they also need the recommendation of two other current members of the organization.
The benefits of being a member consist of access to a vast contact network that allows concierges to pull off a wide range of potential actions. This can range from being able to book a hotel room in another country for a guest, along with a car that will pick them up from the airport to almost extraordinary actions such as being able to get them dinner reservations or concert tickets that would ordinarily be unavailable to most other patrons. It is through this network of connections that concierges show their capacity to adapt to and exceed the expectations of their guests.
Unfortunately for Switchboard operators, they do not have a similar type of organization since their work focuses less on guest relations and more on back-office work. As such, while the position is essential for the daily operations of a hotel, its relative lack of impact on the perspective of guests regarding the ability of a hotel to operate appropriately relegates it into a position that has no local, regional, or international association of individuals that are in a similar position.
Outlook/Salary
Presently, there are some potential future issues for Front Desk Agents and Switchboard operators given the progressive nature of technology. For example, hotels continue to promote the use of online reservation, payment, and check-in platforms which help to expedite and simplify the process of guest checking into a hotel (Wikipedia, 2017). As a result, fewer front desk agents are needed resulting in a decline in the number of open positions available. The same can be said about switchboard operators wherein hotels are increasingly utilizing more sophisticated automated systems. As a result, there are fewer positions available since the job is much easier to do. Based on this outlook, it can be stated that front desk agents and switchboard operators are entry-level positions that will be increasingly less common as technology and hotel operations become more sophisticated. Utilizing information from glassdoor.com, it can be seen that the average base pay for front desk agents is $27,239 which is relatively decent for an entry-level position (Glassdoor, 2018). On the other hand, Switchboard operators make an average of $26,000 annually based on data from recruiter.com (Recruiter, 2018).
Conclusion
In summary, this analysis has shown the different job requirements, work environment, skills, and career paths that are associated with applying for either a front desk agent position or as a switchboard operator at a hotel. Both have solid career paths in guest relations and hotel operations; however, after examining my own experiences as a front desk operator and the data that has been presented, I believe that applying for a job as a switchboard operator is a better option. The sheer amount of daily stress that a front desk agent gets is far from ideal, at least from my perspective. While it is true they are paid $1,000 more than a switchboard operator; I believe that the sheer amount of stress and having to deal with angry customers on a daily basis will likely cause my blood pressure to soar significantly. As such, a career on the operations side of a hotel is likely better for me than guest relations. This is not to say that I would not apply for a job as a front desk agent if a good enough opportunity presented itself; instead, it is more accurate to state that if I had a choice between the two, I would go for the switchboard operator as an entry-level position.
Reference List
1. Wikipedia (2017). Hospitality Industry. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospitality_industry
2. Xiao160001 (2011, Aug 13). The work of receptionist. Retrieved from https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/306283467.html
3. LiHe (2013, Feb 21) Hotel working environment analyze. Retrieved from http://bbs.meadin.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=679763
4. Glassdoor (2018). Front Desk Agent Salaries. Retrieved from https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/front-desk-agent-salary-SRCH_KO0,16.htm
5. Recruiter (2018). Switchboard Operator Salary - Private Companies. Retrieved from https://www.recruiter.com/salaries/switchboard-operators-including-answering-service-salary/
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