Reception Customer Service · Foundations · 2 × 3 hours
Reception Customer Service Foundations
Six hours of live training that lifts reception, front desk and concierge service across face-to-face, phone and email, plus the confidence to handle challenging customers.
Book a ticket on a live online public course, or train your whole team privately, online or onsite.
- ACXPA certified course
- Live, expert-led training
- Certificate included
Trusted by leading organisationsHundreds of businesses, from local councils to national brands, have chosen CX Skills to upskill their teams. See who we’ve trained
What’s in it for you
Immediate impact, with skills that stick
Your team can use the Session 1 skills at the front desk straight away, and the gap before Session 2 lets them try the skills and come back with questions.
Session 2 is all about handling challenges and staying professional, so tricky visitors and complaints are handled calmly and escalate less.
- Stronger first impressions, at the desk and on the phone
- More confident complaint handling
- Clearer, more professional emails
Know what customers want
What customers want and need, and the core service competencies.
Engage with confidence
Ownership, intent and clear expectations that build trust.
Find the real need
Three discovery techniques, in person or over the phone.
Educate clearly
Checks of understanding, comfort and suitability.
Handle the most difficult customers
Empathy and vocal techniques that calm heightened emotions.
Write better emails
Structure and style for enquiries and complaints.
The course
Two sessions: the reception framework, then handling challenges
Reception Customer Service Foundations runs over two live 3-hour sessions. Session 1 builds the core framework, and Session 2 focuses on handling challenges and staying professional.
It covers everything in Essentials, with more time to polish key skills, plus extra focus on trickier interactions and written communication.
Onsite, it can run as a half-day workshop.
- 2 × 3 hoursOr a half day onsite
- Online or onsitePublic online; private either way
- Public or privateOne ticket or your whole team
- CertificateFor everyone who completes
What’s covered: eight modules over two sessions
Session 1 builds the reception framework. Session 2 builds confidence with challenges.
Customer Service Psychology and Standards
What customers want and need, based on decades of research.
- What customers want
- The five core competencies
- The reception experience
How to Engage
A strong first impression that builds trust and confidence.
- Ownership and intent
- Managing expectations
- Customer focus
How to Discover
Three discovery techniques, in person or on the phone.
- Converse, mirror, confirm
- Confirming the need
- Efficient conversations
How to Educate
Proactively inform customers with the right checks.
- Checks of understanding
- Checks of comfort
- Checks of suitability
Closing Conversations with Impact
Avoid clunky finishes with a simple, warm close.
- Strong final checks
- Thanks and gratitude
- A warm farewell
Body Language & Voice Projection
Posture, breathing and vocal delivery that build confidence.
- Posture and breathing
- Vocal delivery
- Face-to-face impact
Handling the Most Difficult Customers
Empathy and vocal techniques to calm heightened emotions.
- Acknowledge and defuse
- Difficult behaviours
- Staying professional
Email Structure and Writing Style
Clear, engaging email replies to enquiries and complaints.
- Structure that works
- Clear and concise
- Replying to complaints
Three ways to train
Book a ticket for one person, bring the course to your whole team, or learn at your own pace.
Public course
Join a scheduled live online class
- Live online via Zoom
- Fixed dates, easy to plan ahead
- Book one ticket or several
- Save 15% when you book 3 or more
Private team training
Your team only, as-is or tailored
- Live online or onsite, on your dates
- Examples drawn from your own front desk
- Essentials, Foundations or PRO
- Minimum 5 participants
Self-paced online
Short video lessons, any time
- From $9.15 per person a month
- 400+ practical lessons and quizzes
- Manager dashboards, custom pathways
- Certificates for every course
Want to go further? See Reception Customer Service PRO
Compare reception courses
Compare the three reception courses
All three courses teach the same proven approach. Essentials is a fast 3-hour version, Foundations adds practice and handling challenges, and PRO goes further again for teams who want to master reception.
| Compare | Public or privateReception Customer ServiceEssentials | This courseReception Customer ServiceFoundations | Private onlyReception Customer ServicePRO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 1 × 3-hour sessionlive online or onsite | 2 × 3-hour sessionsor a half day onsite | 3 × 3-hour sessionsor a full day onsite |
| Price | $315per person, ex GST | $485per person, ex GST | $645per person, ex GST |
| Availability | Public or private | Public or private | Private only |
| Best for | New starters, or a fast refresh for experienced staff. | Anyone who wants skills to stick through practice. | Teams who want to master front desk service. |
| Includes |
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| Link | View Essentials | You’re on this page | View PRO |
Not sure which course suits your team? Ask for a recommendation
Getting sign-off?
Everything your manager needs, in one PDF
Download a two-page fact sheet for Reception Customer Service Foundations: outcomes, modules, format, price and options, plus how it compares with our other reception courses.
Course fact sheet (PDF)
Outcomes, modules, format, price and how to book, ready to forward or attach to an approval.
Download the fact sheetPrefer to talk it through?
Not sure which course or format suits your team? Get in touch and we’ll help you choose.
Talk to usUpcoming live public courses
Book a Reception Customer Service Foundations course
Public courses run live online via Zoom over two 3-hour sessions. Book one ticket or several, and pay by card or request an invoice at checkout.
Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November 2026
- Session 1 Tue 10 Nov · 9:30am–12:30pm AEDT
- Session 2 Wed 11 Nov · 9:30am–12:30pm AEDT
Online via Zoom · Bookings close Mon 9 Nov, 6:30pm
More dates
- 1Dec2026Tue 1 and Wed 2 Dec 20261:30–4:30pm AEDT · both sessions · Online via Zoom$485ex GSTBook tickets
- 4Feb2027Thu 4 and Fri 5 Feb 20271:00–4:00pm AEDT · both sessions · Online via Zoom$485ex GSTBook tickets
Who it’s for
Who is reception customer service training for?
Anyone who is the first point of contact for customers, patients or visitors, in person, on the phone or by email.
Medical and allied health
Clinics, imaging, dental, vet and allied health reception teams.
Education and school admin
Front offices handling parents, students and visitors.
Corporate and office reception
Front desks managing enquiries, calls and visitor traffic.
Executive assistants
PAs and support staff who represent senior leaders.
Hospitality and concierge
Hotel, venue and event teams welcoming guests.
Community and recreation centres
Bookings, memberships and public enquiries.
Looking for the full range of reception training? See all reception courses
ACXPA certified
Want your front desk trained to a recognised service standard?
CX Skills is the official training partner of ACXPA, which sets the standards used to assess customer service and publishes the Australian Call Centre Rankings.
Our reception courses are ACXPA certified, with call handling aligned to the standards used to assess phone service.
- ACXPA certified reception customer service courses
- Built on the standards used to assess customer service
- ACXPA members save 25% on every live public course
ACXPA membership
Want to save $121.25 on this course?ACXPA members pay $363.75, not $485, plus a year of self-paced courses, tools and live expert support
ACXPA membership is a practitioner-built, vendor-neutral toolkit for anyone who runs a front desk or answers the phone for a business, and you don’t need to book a course to use it.
Members get self-paced courses on phone skills and difficult customers, a Customer Service Health Check that covers medical practices, professional services and other front-desk businesses, induction checklists for new starters, and live access to experienced practitioners every fortnight.
- 17self-paced courses with certificates
- 65+tools, templates and resources
- 50+hours of live expert access a year
- 25%off CX Skills live public courses
Sharpen your skills, any time
Self-paced courses on phone skills, service excellence and difficult customers, each with a workbook, quiz and certificate.
Plus one-minute refreshers that work well in a team huddle.
See where your service stands
The Customer Service Health Check rates your business across 17 dimensions of customer service, weighted to the channels your customers use.
Members get the full 102-question diagnostic with a prioritised action plan.
Live expert access
A relaxed, off-the-record Open Mic on Zoom every second Tuesday with ACXPA’s founder and CEO.
Plus monthly CX and Call Centre Roundtables, kept in a searchable library.
Plus member tools built for front desk teams
Onboard new starters faster
Induction checklists so every new team member learns your service standards from day one.
A complaints framework that works
The 7-Step Complaints Handling Framework, staff cheat sheets and logging tools.
480 Customer Response Templates
Written replies your team can adapt, included with Business Membership.
An ACXPA Individual Membership is $197 ex GST a year, and Business Membership starts at $497 for a team of five, under $100 per person.
Every member gets 25% off CX Skills live public courses: five people on this $485 course save $606.25, more than a Business Membership costs.
Reviews
What participants say
Verified reviews from people who’ve completed our reception customer service courses, including Foundations.
374 verified reviews across all CX Skills courses
Read every reviewReception courses · 8 reviews
On Google · 39 reviews
Independently verified
Worthwhile training that builds confidence and enhances communication skills
The training course was very informative, well organised and well-paced. The facilitator (Simon) was experienced and explained the concepts clearly. I found it beneficial and would highly recommend it to others looking to build skills in this area. Thank you!
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.
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.
Highly Recommended!
Highly recommend this course to anyone wanting to boost their skills and confidence with customer interactions and providing a high level of customer service.
Simon was a fantastic teacher, super friendly, extremely knowledgeable and takes pride in what he does. Thank you!
FAQs
Reception Customer Service Foundations FAQs
Format, pricing, content and who the course suits.
Who should attend?
What’s covered?
How is it different from Essentials and PRO?
How much does it cost?
How is it delivered?
Will the course definitely go ahead?
Do participants receive a certificate?
Is the course ACXPA certified?
Is there a lower-cost or self-paced option?
An ACXPA membership is another option: members save 25% on live public courses and get 12 months of tools, templates and live sessions.
Can I get something to share with my manager?
How do I book?
Talk to us
Questions about training your team?
Book a call to talk it through, or send us a message and we’ll get back to you.
Book a callDownload the fact sheet
Prefer the phone? Call +61 3 9008 7287 (Mon–Fri, 8:30–17:30 Melbourne time) or email hello@cxskills.com.au.
Ready to lift every first impression?
Book a ticket on a public course, train your whole team privately, or start self-paced today.