Reception Customer Service Foundations Course
$428 per person ex GST (Discounts Available)
Delivered via 2 x 3-Hour Sessions
ACXPA Certified: This course is officially certified by the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association.
Course Introduction
The Reception Customer Service Foundations course is a practical, high-impact training program delivered over two structured 3-hour sessions (six hours total). It’s built to help your frontline team deliver exceptional service — whether they’re greeting walk-ins, answering phones, or responding to emails.
Ideal for receptionists, admin teams, medical and dental staff, front-desk professionals, and anyone in a customer-facing role, this course equips your team to handle first impressions with confidence and skill.
Across two live, interactive sessions, your team will learn how to:
- Make powerful first impressions that build trust and loyalty
- Communicate clearly and empathetically across phone, face-to-face, and email channels
- Handle difficult customer situations with confidence and control
- Maintain professionalism while increasing efficiency
This isn’t lightweight theory or generic customer service fluff — it’s hands-on, practical training shaped by 30+ years of coaching, live observations, and industry expertise.
Endorsed by the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA), this course gives your team the structure, tools, and techniques to thrive in real-world customer interactions.
If you’re ready to build confidence, boost capability, and strengthen every customer-facing moment — this course delivers.
Reception Customer Service Foundations Fast Facts
Give your frontline team the confidence and skills to shine in every customer interaction!
This live, interactive course is designed for receptionists, admin teams, and anyone in a customer-facing role. Over two engaging sessions, your team will learn how to deliver outstanding service across phone, face-to-face, and email channels — with confidence, empathy, and professionalism.
Designed for Live Online Training – Highly Interactive & Engaging!
We get it — online training doesn’t always have the best reputation. But when it’s done right, it can be just as impactful as in-person learning — sometimes even more!
The Reception Customer Service Foundations course has been purpose-built for virtual delivery, using proven strategies to keep participants engaged, interacting, and building real skills from start to finish.
Unlike passive webinars, this course is hands-on and highly practical, with:
- 💻 Live demonstrations and expert feedback
- 🧠 Group activities and breakout discussions
- ⚡ Practical role-plays that embed skills fast
Led by Simon Blair, one of Australia’s top-rated customer service trainers, the sessions are energetic, interactive, and focused on delivering real-world outcomes — even through a screen.
Delivered over 2 x 3-hour sessions, it’s the perfect balance — long enough to build skill and confidence, short enough to maintain energy and focus.
Because it’s online, your team can join from anywhere — no travel costs, no scheduling headaches, just streamlined, effective training.
Prefer onsite delivery for your team? We also offer private training options for larger groups. Contact us to discuss availability and pricing.
Still unsure about online? See what past participants say about our online courses!
Course Suitability
The Reception Customer Service Foundations course is designed for employees in any industry who interact with customers — whether face-to-face, over the phone, or via email.
It’s ideal for staff who are the first point of contact in your business and need the confidence, structure, and skills to deliver consistently professional service in any situation.
This course is ideal for:
- New employees who need to develop strong customer service skills from the start.
- Existing team members who need a refresh or confidence boost.
- Staff who’ve never had formal customer service training.
Typical roles that will benefit from this course include:
Whether you’re onboarding new hires or upskilling experienced employees, this course equips your team with the confidence, professionalism, and communication tools to deliver outstanding customer service in any reception or front desk role.
Course Modules
Your frontline team plays a crucial role in shaping customer perceptions and experiences. This course is designed to equip them with practical, real-world skills that will elevate their confidence, professionalism, and ability to handle any customer interaction effectively.
Through a mix of engaging discussions, hands-on role-playing, and real-life scenarios, employees will learn techniques that will immediately improve their interactions with customers — whether it’s handling an inquiry, managing expectations, or defusing a difficult situation.
The Reception Customer Service Foundations course is delivered across two live 3-hour virtual sessions (six hours total), designed to minimise operational disruption while maximising engagement and retention.
From first impressions to handling tough conversations, each module builds on the last to ensure long-term skill development and real-world application.
With role-plays, group discussions, live demonstrations and expert feedback, your team will return to their roles with proven strategies they can implement immediately — and the confidence to use them.
All participants receive a Certificate of Achievement — but more importantly, they’ll walk away with practical skills that improve the experience for your customers and results for your business.
Session 1 (3 hours): The Art of First Impressions & Customer Engagement
This session focuses on the foundational skills required to provide exceptional service from the moment a customer makes contact.
Whether over the phone, in person, or via email, employees will learn how to create positive and professional interactions that build trust and credibility — and set the tone for a great customer experience.
We’ll equip your team with the proven behaviours and techniques used by top-performing service professionals to confidently handle any first contact — no scripts, just genuine connection and capability.
1. Customer Service Psychology and Standards
A short exploration of what customers want and need when they engage with your business, based on decades of research.
Includes an introduction to the five core competencies of the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association’s Phone Customer Service Quality Standards and how they enable an enhanced reception experience for customers.
2. How to Engage
Your employees will learn how to create a strong first impression and an improved customer focus through strong ownership, intent and the management of customer expectations to build trust and confidence.
3. How to Discover
We’ll teach your employees and practice the three critical discovery techniques (as used by the FBI) to more effectively converse, mirror and confirm customer needs in an efficient manner either in person or over the phone.
4. How to Educate
Participants learn how to proactively educate customers through consistent checks of understanding, comfort and suitability with key information provided..
Session 2 (3 hours): Handling Challenges & Maintaining Professionalism
Difficult customer situations are inevitable — but with the right skills, your employees can turn a negative experience into a positive one while maintaining control and professionalism.
This session builds your team’s capability to respond to challenging interactions with confidence and composure, whether face-to-face, over the phone, or in writing.
We go beyond outdated advice like “just stay calm” or scripted empathy lines. Instead, your team will learn practical techniques and real-world strategies to defuse tension, communicate with clarity, and guide conversations toward successful outcomes.
5. Closing Conversations with Impact
Your employees will learn how to avoid those often awkward, clunky finishes through a simple method of strong final checks, expressions of gratitude and thanks in a warm farewell.
6. Body Language & Voice Projection
Participants will explore and practice the use of good posture, breathing, vocal delivery, and body language to enable strong face-to-face and phone communication that builds confidence in customers and enhances their impact.
7. Handling the Most Difficult Customers
Exploration of the use of Empathy and various vocal techniques to acknowledge and diffuse heightened customer emotions and how to respond to more difficult customer types and behaviours.
8. Email Structure and Writing Style
Critical tips, techniques and written examples of how to structure and write effective email responses to both standard enquiries and complaints/concerns to both engage readers and communicate information in a clear and concise manner.
What Your Team Will Walk Away With:
Compare Reception Customer Service Course Options
You're currently viewing the Reception Customer Service Foundations course – our most popular option for building confidence and skill.
If you're just getting started or need a quicker introduction, the Essentials course is a great entry point. For teams wanting to go even deeper, the PRO course offers advanced techniques and extended practice time.
Not quite the right fit? We also offer customer service training for frontline teams, phone-based staff, tech support, and inbound sales roles. Explore other training categories →
About Your Trainer
The Reception Customer Service Foundations training course is designed and facilitated by Simon Blair , one of Australia’s leading Customer Service Trainers.
Simon is a father of 4 and lives in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. His twin girls keep him busy running around following their footy careers (one is an AFLW footballer with Collingwood) and he has a great love of music.
He does land the odd corporate or private gig around town as an acoustic guitarist and singer belting out rock and pop classics.
He has great adventures with his partner Ines, loves the North Melbourne Kangaroos footy team and every now and then escapes into other worlds when playing Dungeon & Dragons with his mates. He likes to call himself a ‘cool nerd’.
Recent Testimonials from Our Reception Training Courses
What makes CX Skills training stand out is the quality of our trainers — real industry experts who bring practical experience to every session.
From Reception Essentials to Foundations and PRO, our reception-focused courses consistently earn praise for their engaging delivery, real-world relevance, and lasting impact. Here's a sample of what recent participants had to say:
Interactive & Enjoyable!
Simon’s training was a great learning experience. His interactive teaching style made the class truely enjoyable.
Engaging, informative and fun!
Simon was an engaging, supportive and fun facilitator for these sessions. He welcomed our mistakes, but also gave us information on how to work on them in the future. I would recommend Simon to anyone that wants to boost their customer service skills.
I think for me as someone who has been in customer service for over 5 years, the course was a bit simplified and I didn’t really learn anything new, but, if a newbie in customer service wanted to develop their skills then this would be the place for it. Nonetheless it was an excellent reminder of customer service processes I have learnt in the past.
Just What I Needed!
This course just what I needed. It was clear on its content and easy to follow. Thank you Simon for making it engaging and practical.
Great course - Informative and Enjoyable!
Thank you Simon for a great course. I not only learnt information about the psychological ways and behaviors of customers via phone/in person but also some dating tips too! We got to do role play of scenarios to understand and practice what it’s like to handle customers in various ways which was a great way for us to interact and be a part of the course. Very informative and especially enjoyed understanding the science behind our brain and how we process our emotions and logical side. e.g. amygdala part of the brain.
Great course! Great Trainer
I recently completed a 3-part training course with Simon (Reception PRO). It was incredibly helpful and practical, significantly enhancing my communication and writing skills. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to improve their communication abilities.
Trusted by Leading Organisations Across Australia
Hundreds of businesses — from local councils to national brands — have chosen CX Skills to upskill their teams with practical, real-world customer service training.
Public vs Private Reception Customer Service Foundations Training Options
The Reception Customer Service Foundations course is available in both public and private formats, with flexible delivery options to suit your needs — live online or delivered onsite at your workplace.
Our public courses are ideal for individuals or small teams looking to join a scheduled session alongside participants from other businesses. It’s a great way to build skills in a structured environment — while gaining new perspectives and shared learning experiences.
Public delivery is also perfect for businesses with regular staff turnover, giving you a simple and consistent way to onboard new reception and admin employees throughout the year.
Prefer a more tailored approach? Our private courses offer a confidential training environment where content can be customised to suit your team’s roles, challenges, and industry. You choose the timing, the format, and we’ll bring the training to you.
Use the comparison table below to find the best fit — or get in touch to chat through your options. We’ll help you find the right solution to uplift your team’s reception customer service skills.
| Feature | Public Course | Private Course |
|---|---|---|
| Who Attends | Open to all companies and individuals | Your team only |
| Learning Environment | Hear different perspectives and insights from others in various industries. | Training is customised to your organisation’s specific challenges and goals. |
| Dates & Times | Fixed schedule making it easy to plan ahead | Fully flexible to suit your needs |
| Content | Standardised curriculum covering core skills | Customised to your business needs |
| Delivery Method | Live online | Live online or onsite |
| Cost | $428 per person ex GST | More Cost-effective for larger groups |
| Best For | Businesses needing a hassle-free, ready-made training solution with fixed dates | Companies wanting a customised training program tailored to their team’s needs |
| Minimum Numbers | No minimum - book a single employee or the whole team! | Minimum of 4 participants |
| View Upcoming Public Courses > | Learn More About Private Training > |
Not sure which option is best for your team? Contact us to discuss your needs, and we’ll help you choose the right solution.
Pricing and Payment Options
Facilitated by Simon Blair, the Reception Customer Service Foundations course is $428 per person (ex GST) for six hours of engaging, live training delivered across two sessions.
You can book a single ticket for yourself or a team member — or register multiple employees in one go.
Choose your preferred session dates below, then follow the prompts to complete your booking.
💳 Credit card or invoice payments are both accepted.
Secure your team’s training now — pick the dates that suit and you’re good to go! 🎯
Purchase a Ticket to a Public Reception Customer Service Foundations Course
All publicly available course dates are listed below. Simply click on your preferred session to purchase tickets instantly.
💳 Secure checkout is available via credit card, or you can request an invoice during the booking process.
Have questions about this course?
Want to train your whole team or explore a customised training solution?
Speak with us directly on +61 3 9008 7287 (Mon–Fri, 8:30am–5:30pm Melbourne, Australia) or send us a message.
New public course dates are published on a regular basis!
October 2025 Reception Foundations
Online via Zoom Price: $428.00 AUD ex GSTThe October 2025 Reception Customer Service Foundations course teaches premium customer service skills specifically for front desk/reception roles.
🚀 Save on Training & Improve Customer Interactions with ACXPA
The Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA) helps businesses across all industries deliver better customer experiences, improve service quality, and develop high-performing teams.
As an ACXPA member, you'll get 25% off all CX Skills courses, plus access to industry benchmarks, expert insights, best-practice resources, and a network of professionals to help you enhance your customer service capabilities.
📢 Annual Membership starts from just $35 per employee – saving you money on training while providing ongoing professional development.
🚀 Learn How ACXPA Helps Your Business >