Here’s how a virtual reception benefits your company
Now that far fewer employees work in the office and far fewer customers are visiting, more and more companies are working with a virtual reception. And that’s understandable; it’s the easiest way to welcome visitors, customers, and suppliers and to implement the corona measures automatically. But did you also know that such a virtual reception solution gives your company a lot more than just a safe, properly functioning reception area? You can also save a lot of money with it.
The average “classic” reception costs £64,754
An average reception area is staffed by one to two reception employees. One full-time employee is often not enough: people get sick, take leave and the opening hours of the company exceed the 38-hour week.
Converted into operating costs, the total cost of an experienced London-based receptionist is around £43,170 per year. That’s £30,835 in wages, plus 40% overhead for SMEs. To be able to staff the reception area permanently, you need at least 1.5 FTE. So that’s an average total of £64,754 a year. That all adds up.
For more information, read “Why each company’s reception costs are too high”
The virtual reception costs £13,390
And now back to the virtual reception, with all the costs added up neatly, just like in the previous example. A smart doorbell that welcomes visitors, opens the door, and gives clear instructions to suppliers costs £850 a year. A visitor management system that works without the help of a reception employee costs £4,740 a year. As an average company, you’ll pay around £4,350 a year for a smart parcel box that functions as a self-service delivery box for couriers and suppliers. When it comes to larger companies with more suppliers and couriers, this goes up to approximately £6,940 a year. You’ll also need an external professional phone service to transfer your phone calls. Oh, and by the way, that last one works 24/7, something your receptionist can’t do… Average cost: £3,450 a year. All in all, that’s a total of £13,390 a year.
92% of the tasks are repetitive and can be automated
Let’s look at it in percentage terms. With a virtual reception, you can automate up to 92% of repetitive tasks done by your reception employee. All that’s left is 8% of the tasks, which are exceptional and remain the responsibility of the reception employee (or another employee). This means that 8% of £64,754 – or £5,180 – remains.
An average return of... £46,184 a year!
You read that correctly: that’s how much a company saves on average with a virtual reception: £46,184 a year. It’s clear, with or without a calculator: that’s the cost of £64,754 for the ‘classic’ reception desk minus the cost of the digital reception at £13,390, with the remaining 8% in exceptional management costs of £5,180.
After five years, you’ll already be making an additional profit of £230,920.
And you have to admit, five years will fly by. Butyou’ll save even more because a virtual reception not only improves the health of your company. Your employees will also be healthier thanks to the contactless deliveries and the daily health check at the virtual reception desk. Digitisation and automation occasionally result in money in the bank, but no other department can match such a significantly high ROI: the virtual reception beats them all…
