Reception Customer Service Foundations Course
A deeper two-session program that lifts reception, front desk and concierge service across face-to-face, phone and email.
$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 (ACXPA), the industry body committed to helping Australian businesses deliver better customer experiences and stronger results.
Build Stronger Reception, Front Desk and Concierge Service — Over Two Focused Sessions
The Reception Customer Service Foundations course is a practical, high-impact program delivered over 2 × 3-hour live sessions (six hours total). It’s designed to lift capability for reception, front desk, concierge and admin roles — greeting visitors, managing calls and handling inbox enquiries with confidence.
Ideal for offices, clinics, accommodation, education, property, fitness and community settings, the course strengthens first impressions, clarity of communication and professional follow-through across face-to-face, phone and email.
Across two interactive sessions, your team will:
- Create strong first impressions that build trust and reduce effort
- Communicate clearly and empathetically across channels
- Handle difficult situations with structure and composure
- Lift professionalism while improving speed and accuracy
This isn’t theory for theory’s sake — it’s hands-on learning shaped by 30+ years of assessments, coaching and live observation of customer interactions.
Endorsed by the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA), the program gives employees practical tools and behaviours they can apply immediately.
Outcome: more confident people at the first point of contact, better experiences for customers, and smoother operations for your team.
Reception Customer Service Foundations — Fast Facts
Deeper practice, stronger skills, better first impressions.
Purpose-built for reception, front desk, concierge and admin roles, this course develops confident, professional service across face-to-face, phone and email with more time for coaching and scenarios than Essentials.
Built for Live Online Learning — Interactive, Practical and Focused
Online doesn’t have to mean passive. The Reception Customer Service Foundations course is purpose-built for virtual delivery so participants stay engaged and build real capability from start to finish.
Across two sessions, your team practises the behaviours that matter most at reception and front desk: confident greetings, clear call handling and professional email responses.
- 💻 Live demonstrations with immediate expert feedback
- 🧠 Breakouts and group activities to apply concepts fast
- ⚡ Scenario role-plays that embed skills and confidence
Led by Simon Blair, sessions are energetic, structured and outcomes-driven — even through a screen.
Format: 2 × 3-hour live sessions — long enough to build skill, short enough to maintain energy and minimise disruption.
Join from anywhere — no travel, no venue costs, just streamlined, effective learning.
Prefer onsite for a larger group? We offer private delivery. Contact us for availability and pricing. Still weighing up online? Read more: Why our online training works >
Who Should Attend?
The Reception Customer Service Foundations course is designed for teams who are the first point of contact — greeting visitors, answering phones and managing inboxes — and who need deeper practice beyond the Essentials level.
It suits any industry where reception, front desk, concierge or admin roles require consistent, professional service across face-to-face, phone and email.
This course is ideal for:
- New hires who need a structured approach to customer interactions.
- Experienced staff who want to sharpen skills and lift consistency.
- Teams that haven’t had formal reception/customer service training.
Typical roles that benefit:
Outcome: confident first impressions, clearer communication and smoother resolutions across every reception touchpoint.
What Your Team Will Learn
Your reception team shapes the whole experience from the first moment. This program builds the behaviours that matter most — confident greetings, structured conversations, and professional wrap-ups that keep things moving.
Through discussions, role-plays and realistic scenarios, employees practise techniques they can use immediately to handle enquiries, manage expectations and defuse tricky moments with composure.
The Reception Customer Service Foundations course runs over two live 3-hour virtual sessions (six hours total), balancing depth with minimal disruption and better retention.
Each module builds on the last — from first impressions to advanced service recovery — so skills stick and performance lifts.
Participants receive a Certificate of Achievement and, more importantly, practical tools that improve customer outcomes and internal efficiency the very next day.
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 Gain from the Reception Customer Service Foundations Course
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 (retail/hospitality/in-person) teams, phone-based staff, tech support, and inbound sales roles.
Looking for lower-cost options? Explore our self-paced online courses, including the popular Online Customer Service Course pathway. Explore all our live customer service training categories →
Trainer for the Reception Customer Service Foundations Course
The Reception Customer Service Foundations course is designed and delivered by Simon Blair , one of Australia’s most respected and engaging customer service trainers.
With over 30 years’ experience, Simon blends behavioural science, proven frameworks, and live coaching to help staff at reception desks, front counters, and concierge roles deliver more confident, consistent, and professional service in every interaction.
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:
Absolutely Brilliant Trainer and Content!
This course was a great reminder of simple steps to polish our skills on reception. The presenter (Simon) made it fun and light hearted, but very informative.
I took away some great tools to use in my workplace. I would highly recommend this course!
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.
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 as both public and private training, with flexible delivery options — live online or onsite at your workplace.
Our public sessions are ideal for individuals or small teams who want to join a structured program with participants from other businesses. They provide fresh perspectives and shared learning experiences.
Public delivery is also perfect for organisations with regular staff turnover, providing a simple way to onboard new reception and admin staff consistently throughout the year.
For a tailored experience, our private courses give you complete flexibility. We’ll customise examples, role-plays and scenarios to reflect your industry and team needs, and deliver training at a time and format that works for you.
Use the comparison table below to find the best fit — or contact us and we’ll help you choose the right option to elevate your team’s reception customer service skills.
| Feature | Reception Foundation PUBLIC Course | Reception Foundation PRIVATE Course |
|---|---|---|
| Who Attends | Open to all companies and individuals | Your team only |
| Learning Environment | Gain fresh perspectives and insights from other industries and roles | Training customised to your organisation’s specific challenges and goals |
| Dates & Times | Fixed schedule for easy planning | Fully flexible to suit your needs |
| Content | Standardised Foundations curriculum covering core skills | Content tailored to your business needs and scenarios |
| 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 ready-made training solution with fixed dates | Companies wanting a customised 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.
Book a single ticket or register multiple employees in one transaction — whatever suits your team.
Select 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.
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.
Reception Customer Service Foundations — FAQs
Receptionists, front desk staff, concierge and administrative professionals who interact with customers face-to-face, over the phone or via email. Ideal for employees with some experience who want to build stronger skills and confidence.
Foundations goes deeper than Essentials: it runs over two live 3-hour sessions (six hours total) with more interactive role-plays, coached feedback and practice of advanced techniques, resulting in stronger capability and confidence.
How to make strong first impressions, communicate clearly and empathetically, and confidently manage difficult or sensitive interactions. Training covers in-person, phone and email with a focus on professionalism, structure and efficiency.
Live online via Zoom in two separate 3-hour sessions, making it easier to schedule around rosters and workloads. Private onsite delivery is available for larger groups in Melbourne or regional Victoria (travel costs may apply).
Yes. Every participant who completes the Foundations course receives a Certificate of Achievement recognising their professional development and commitment to customer service excellence.
$428 per person (ex GST). Discounts are available for group bookings (3+ staff in one transaction) and ACXPA Members save 25%. Larger teams can access tailored rates — contact us for details.
Choose the faster, entry-level option: Reception Customer Service Essentials (one 3-hour session). For more advanced training, see Reception Customer Service PRO .
🚀 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 >