Reception has traditionally been seen as a customer service function. Someone greets visitors, answers the phone, manages deliveries and helps people find their way around the building.
For many commercial properties, however, the role has become much broader.
With reception desks often responsible for visitor access, contractors, deliveries and keys, businesses are increasingly looking at how reception and security can work together rather than treating them as completely separate services.
Reception is becoming part of the wider security picture
For a busy commercial property, there can be a constant flow of people through the front entrance.
Employees arrive throughout the day, visitors attend meetings, contractors come and go, and deliveries need to be accepted.
The reception team is often in the best position to notice when something does not look right.
That does not mean every receptionist needs to become a security officer. It does mean property managers need to consider what responsibilities sit with the person behind the desk and whether they have the right training and support.
This is one reason security concierge and reception security services are becoming an option for commercial properties.
What is a security concierge?
A security concierge combines front-of-house responsibilities with agreed security duties.
The role can include welcoming visitors and managing meeting rooms, while also dealing with access control, visitor registration, contractor access and key holding where required.
For the person arriving at the building, the experience should still feel like a professional reception service.
Behind the scenes, however, the team is also following the property's security procedures.
Why are property managers looking at this approach?
For facilities and property managers, combining services can make practical sense.
A building may already require security officers, mobile patrols or key holding, while also needing reception staff during the working day.
Using one provider for some or all of these services can make management simpler.
It can also provide better communication between the people working on reception and the wider security team.
For larger or multi-tenant properties, this can be particularly useful. Reception can become a central point for visitor management and access, while the wider security team provides support when needed.
It is not just about security
Good reception security is still about providing a good experience for visitors.
People arriving at a commercial property should be greeted professionally and given the help they need.
That could mean directing them to a meeting room, contacting the person they are visiting, arranging a taxi or helping with a delivery.
The security element should support that experience rather than get in the way of it.
For this reason, the right staff need both good communication skills and an understanding of the property's security procedures.
What should businesses consider?
There is no single approach that will suit every property.
Before changing a reception or security service, property managers should consider:
How many people enter the building each day
How visitors are currently managed
Whether contractors need access outside normal hours
Whether reception is responsible for keys
Whether the building operates evenings or weekends
Whether security incidents have occurred at reception
Whether reception and security are currently managed by different suppliers
What additional support reception staff have if an incident occurs
These questions can help establish whether a standard reception service is sufficient or whether a combined reception and security service would be more suitable.
What does this mean for commercial properties?
The role of reception is unlikely to be limited to greeting visitors.
As buildings become more complex and property managers look for simpler ways to manage their suppliers, there is a clear case for considering reception as part of the wider security operation.
That does not necessarily mean replacing reception staff with security guards.
In many cases, it means finding people who can provide a professional front-of-house service while understanding the security responsibilities that come with working at the entrance to a commercial property.
V-Guard reception and security services
At V-Guard, we provide reception, concierge and security services for commercial and residential properties.
Our services can be tailored around the individual property, from reception and visitor management through to access control, key holding, manned guarding and mobile patrols.
Where required, our on-site teams can also be supported by our 24/7 control centre.
If you are reviewing the way reception and security are managed at your property, contact V-Guard to discuss your requirements.
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