With businesses facing substantial financial pressures from factors such as rising energy costs, increased National Insurance contributions, and the conclusion of VAT relief for hospitality organisations, the search for efficiency without sacrificing service quality is paramount. While outsourcing front-of-house duties might not initially spring to mind for many executives, it boasts a notable potential to cut costs; approximately 80% of organisations that choose to outsource for the first time report an average cost reduction of 20%.
Time Efficiency and Cost Reduction
Outsourcing can generate significant time savings in areas such as team management, administration, recruitment, and service delivery, translating into roughly one day saved per week. Recruitment exemplifies this, with companies like Portico witnessing a 75% increase in applicant numbers compared to in-house roles. Furthermore, about 15% of Portico staff move into leadership positions, which helps mitigate employee turnover, thus generating cost efficiencies while allowing firms to focus on strategic growth initiatives rather than daily operational concerns.
Expertise in Learning and Development
Employers make considerable investments in learning and development to enhance their staff’s skills and motivation. A specialised outsourcing provider can often offer superior training solutions. Portico, for example, offers over 70 training courses acclaimed in the guest services sector, often recognised as exemplary. These programmes, designed by experts, are consistently updated to stay contemporary and effective, saving companies the investment and time typically required for in-house training programmes.
Evolution of Receptionist Roles
The role of receptionists has evolved from traditional secretarial tasks to acting as community builders who foster a welcoming and engaging environment for building occupants. Portico trains its staff to create dynamic and appealing workplaces, moving beyond mere functionality to provide a key advantage over home working.
Integration and Employee Engagement
External colleagues can indeed integrate well into internal cultures. Portico ensures its staff are fully engaged, benefiting from being part of both Portico’s and the client’s culture. This involves participating in comprehensive induction programmes that cover values, customer knowledge, goals, and CSR initiatives. Where a client lacks such a programme, Portico collaborates to create one, facilitating deep alignment with the client’s ethos.
Outsourcing for Modern Challenges
In today's challenging economic climate, businesses strive to maintain operational effectiveness while adapting workplaces to welcome back employees post-remote work. Outsourcing front-of-house roles presents a viable solution to these dual objectives, offering a way to alleviate pressures without compromising on the quality of the employee experience and service delivery.
It is no secret that businesses are operating under enormous financial pressures. Energy prices are at record highs, National Insurance contributions have risen and VAT relief has ended for hospitality firms after being hammered by the pandemic.
Organisations are therefore looking for efficiencies anywhere they can be found, providing they don’t compromise on quality and service.
While outsourcing reception duties may not be the first option on many bosses’ minds, it should certainly be a consideration – 80% of the clients who opt to outsource for the first time see their costs reduced by an average of 20%.
Time saved deliverables
It is largely down to how one can deliver time saved (around a day a week) in team management, administration, recruitment and delivery.
Recruitment is a good example. Portico typically receive 75% more applicants than in-house vacancies and on top of that around 15% of the colleagues move into new leadership positions, helping to reduce employee turnover.
Not only does all of this create cost efficiencies, but it also enables clients to focus their time and energies away from the day-to-day of front of house and onto more strategic matters that will drive growth in their business.
Service excellence
Learning and development is a big (and necessary) investment that employers make
Even more of that time is liberated by not having to invest in reception/front of house training.
Learning and development is a big (and necessary) investment that employers make to hone the skills of their staff and keep them motivated. A specialist outsourcing provider can cover this and in the vast majority of cases can cover it better.
The programmes are devised and delivered by subject matter experts. Portico can have more than 70 courses available to employees, many of them recognised as best-in-class within the guest services industry. This is because they are constantly evolved to remain on trend.
Role of receptionists
In recent years, the role of receptionists has been evolving away from traditional secretarial duties and towards a community builder responsible for creating a compelling and friendly experience for building occupants.
Portico trains and develop their colleagues so they can make a buzz around their clients’ workspaces, creating events and experiences that will provide a crucial differentiation from home working.
Fully engaged employees
Employees are fully engaged, which itself comes from being a part of two families – Portico's and the client’s
This is only possible because the employees are fully engaged, which itself comes from being a part of two families – Portico's and the client’s – enabling them to combine the best of Portico’s culture and values with those of the companies they are representing.
This is another common myth associated with outsourcing, that external colleagues cannot fully engage and get on board with internal culture.
Portico ensures employees join their clients’ induction programmes that cover key elements such as values, customer base, ambitions, CSR and more. If a client lacks a formalised induction programme, we offer to sit down with them and build one together.
The road ahead
Times are tough. Businesses are tightening their belts while also trying to open up their workplaces for employees to return following long stretches of remote working.
On both of these levels, outsourcing front of house duties could help to alleviate some of the associated stresses and strains.
