The Receptionist

Pros

There is not enough space to say all the Pros with the receptionist. The most astounding and remarkable feature of The Receptionist is the customer service and support. In the several months I've been using it, I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a problem solution. The problems are solved almost immediately, and if they can't be, we figure out an alternate solution to the problem at hand.

Furthermore, this is a company that actually LISTENS and DEPLOYS suggestions. I've submitted several suggestions to them, and almost all of them have been implemented. If the suggestion benefits the overall experience of the customers, it gets added very quickly! In the years I've spent in IT and using dozens different applications and software, this is one that actually listens to it's customers and works very close with them to ensure everyone is happy.

There's an abundance of different features you can customize to what you need your receptionist to do. We use 2 for lobby "visitor" check-in, and one for the shipping department for truck drivers to check in and clock their time. It's incredibly versatile!

Cons

For an advanced user, some features feel a little bit limited, however they are quickly working on improving functionality of certain features to make it even more versatile! There aren't many cons I can come up with!

Pros

The entire software really is superb, I cannot fault it. I have had many of our visitors remark on its simplicity.

All in all, I have found my user and administrator experience excellent. That's from my first inquiry about the software, straight through to delivery, including iPad and printer!

And the support, which for me is the strongest attribute, is absolutely outstanding. I have found the support to be responsive, professional, patient and polite. And with me being in the Republic of Ireland, that's all with a time difference.

I have for the most part been dealing with the lovely customer service agent, who has been brilliant, but that said, any other operator I have been in touch with have equally been as helpful and obliging.

On a few occasions, I have also used the extremely useful notes and guidelines and they are spot on, so accurately written and easy to follow.

The value for money is amazing and with unlimited everything, you simply can't beat this product. So simple to use as a guest and so easy and straight forward to use as an operator.

I highly recommend The Receptionist to any business looking to introduce a visitor management system.

Cons

There is nothing I dislike about The Receptionist BUT if I had to choose one thing, the only con I can come up with (and it really is not a big deal) is that our logo doesn't print out in its full colour.

Pros

Customer support is fantastic! Can't stress that enough. The ease of use and keeping track of our visitors is very helpful and works great. A lot of our visitors are impressed with the use of technology to keep track of things. The use of printable badges helps everyone to know who is on campus and why, great product on that end.

Cons

One of the main reasons we chose this product was for attendance tracking. There was very little follow up on whether this product was capable of handling this for us aside from the initial sales pitch where we were sold on the idea it could. After a few months there was no clear resolution made from The Receptionist side and it was determined from our side that it was not able to support this need. We were sold three accounts and only needed two, one for each of our locations. The transition to this product would have been better had these issues been addressed better to start.

Pros

The portal interface can be mastered in a couple hours. There really isn't much investment needed to learn everything about the product and get your account up and running. Great customer service.

Cons

The actual options of this application are minimal. I've found myself on more than one occasion "hacking" together a solution based on the options available.

Pros

None of the other systems tested came close to being competitive in regard to cost and customer service. Another feature we like is the system is regularly being updated with improvements and more options. The people that we have spoken with and emailed at the company give us a real feeling that they care about your needs as a customer.

Cons

The only issue we have had has been that our badge printer is networked and for some reason it occasionally goes to Wifi mode and badges will not print, but the system still notifies the host.