Receptionist

Daniel Robinson & Sons Ltd; East Hertfordshire; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Daniel Robinson & Sons Ltd is seeking an experienced Receptionist for our Bishop's Stortford office. You will be the first point of contact for bereaved families, combining front-of-house duties with admin tasks while supporting Funeral Directors and coordinating with external contacts.

The role requires warmth, emotional intelligence and the ability to stay composed in sensitive situations. Full-time, permanent, office-based position.

Qualifications

• Proven front-of-house or receptionist experience is mandatory.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.
• Warm, professional and empathetic telephone manner is essential.
• High emotional intelligence and the ability to respond well to distressed or grieving people.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to stay calm and composed while handling multiple priorities.
• Competent IT skills, including Microsoft Office, with the confidence to learn new systems.
• Absolute discretion, integrity and professionalism.

Responsibilities

• Welcome bereaved families, visitors and the public with warmth, dignity and discretion.
• Handle telephone enquiries sensitively, including calls after a death.
• Manage appointments, viewings and chapel of rest arrangements.
• Coordinate diaries and information between families, Funeral Directors and third parties.
• Liaise with clergy, crematoria, cemeteries, doctors and other suppliers.
• Prepare and maintain funeral paperwork and records accurately.
• Handle payments, invoices and account queries.
• Manage incoming/outgoing post, emails and general correspondence.
• Ensure reception areas and meeting rooms are maintained to a high standard.
• Provide wider administrative and branch support as required.
• Handle sensitive information with confidentiality and GDPR compliance.

Skills

Front-of-house experience

Verbal and written communication

Empathetic telephone manner

Emotional intelligence

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Discretion and professionalism

Professional appearance

Customer service mindset

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Receptionist

Location: Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire

Salary: £25,420-£27,500 per annum, DOE

Contract: Full-time, permanent | Office-based

Daniel Robinson & Sons is a long-established, family-owned independent funeral directors, proudly serving families and communities across Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas since 1892.

We understand that losing someone you care about is one of the most difficult experiences in life. Our role is to provide families with care, compassion and professionalism at every stage, and our people are at the heart of delivering that service.

We are now looking for an experienced Receptionist to join our Bishop's Stortford office.

About the role

As our Receptionist, you'll be the first person a bereaved family meets and will play a vital role in creating a warm, welcoming and supportive experience.

This is much more than a traditional reception role. You'll combine front-of-house responsibilities with a varied administrative workload, coordinating appointments, handling enquiries, supporting Funeral Directors and liaising with a range of external contacts.

You’ll need genuine warmth and emotional intelligence, alongside the ability to remain calm, organised and professional when dealing with sensitive situations and competing priorities.

What you'll be doing

• Welcoming bereaved families, visitors and members of the public with warmth, dignity and discretion.
• Handling telephone enquiries sensitively, including initial calls following a death.
• Managing appointments, viewings and chapel of rest arrangements.
• Coordinating diaries and information between families, Funeral Directors and third parties.
• Liaising with clergy, celebrants, crematoria, cemeteries, doctors, coroners, florists and other suppliers.
• Preparing, completing and maintaining funeral paperwork and records accurately.
• Handling payments, invoices and account queries.
• Managing incoming and outgoing post, emails and general correspondence.
• Ensuring reception, meeting rooms and public areas are maintained to an excellent standard.
• Providing wider administrative and branch support as required.
• Handling highly sensitive information with absolute confidentiality and in line with GDPR and company procedures.
• Supporting local community activities, events and fundraising where required.
• The above gives a flavour of the role rather than a complete list of duties. This is an advert, not a job description, and should not be considered exhaustive. A full job description will be provided at interview stage.

What we're looking for

Essential

• Proven experience in a front-of-house or receptionist role - this is mandatory.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• A warm, professional and empathetic telephone manner.
• High emotional intelligence and the ability to respond appropriately to people who may be distressed or grieving.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills, with excellent attention to detail.
• The ability to remain calm and composed while managing multiple priorities.
• Competent IT skills, including Microsoft Office, with the confidence to learn new systems.
• Absolute discretion, integrity and professionalism.
• A smart and professional appearance and manner.
• A flexible, helpful approach and a genuine commitment to providing excellent service.

Desirable

• Previous or current experience within the funeral industry.
• Knowledge of Bishop's Stortford and the surrounding area.
• Experience dealing with funeral-related organisations or third parties.
• Experience in another client-facing role involving sensitive or emotionally challenging situations.
• A full UK driving licence.

A role that makes a difference

This is a rewarding opportunity to become an important part of a team supporting families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

The role can be emotionally demanding, and you may occasionally come into contact with the deceased, so we ask applicants to consider this carefully.

In return, you'll join a well-established, award-winning family business with a strong reputation for care, professionalism and service, where the contribution you make to families and the local community genuinely matters.