As a dispensary receptionist, it's your job to master the customer intake flow in order to provide great service and an efficient experience. But knowing how and where to start can be daunting, especially if you're new to cannabis retail.

That's where Dispensary SOPs come into play. Creating and implementing dispensary standard operating procedures will help streamline operations, and ensure consistency within your cannabis business. Cannabis SOPs outline step-by-step processes to be used as a "playbook" for your current staff to reference and to help train your future employees.

If your dispensary does not have a receptionist, this article may not be for you. However, it might be a good idea to consider adding this role to your roster and workflow. You may think that a security guard is good enough to kick off the customer journey at your dispensary, but consider this—adding a receptionist can be integral in providing an amazing experience for customers and unlocking potential sales opportunities.

With Meadow as your guide, taking that first step couldn't be easier. Our tailored solution helps cannabis businesses build a system for success, allowing them to create repeatable processes with verifiable data—ultimately leading to increased efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Here are some tips to help you master the customer intake flow and keep your customers coming back as loyal patrons for years to come.

Employee Management Strategies

The dispensary receptionist's primary job is to provide exceptional customer service while managing the front desk. From greeting customers as they enter to verifying patient paperwork—there are plenty of responsibilities that come with this role. The cannabis industry is an unpredictable landscape between customer demographics and regulatory compliance changes, requiring you to be flexible and adaptable to ensure smooth operations.

Find the Right People and Train Them Well

That means who is hired for this position must have excellent customer service skills, multi-tasking capabilities, and a high window of tolerance for busy service days—they need to be able to stay calm, cool and collected and offer a warm welcome, even when there's a line out the door. Training them with clear cannabis SOPs and best practices will help make it possible to create an inviting experience for every single customer.

Things to look out for when considering candidates for this role:

• Experience: It is important to ensure that a potential receptionist has relevant experience in the field, as they will be the first point of contact with customers. It’s essential that they possess professional skills (and ideally experience from another dispensary or cannabis culture in general). Don't be scared to hire newcomers; everyone has to start somewhere. Do not focus on experience with cash management protocols or inventory management. Consider applicants with retail or restaurant experience.
• Reliability: Look for someone who is reliable, trustworthy, as this role requires dealing with confidential information and valuable assets. It's preferable to seek candidates seeking a long term solution, as it minimizes the need for frequent onboarding processes and ensures stability in the role.
• Communication Skills: The ideal candidate should be able to communicate effectively in both verbal and written form in order to answer phone calls, interact with visitors, and leave clear, typed notes within customer profiles inside the point of sale system that can be useful to budtenders and other teammates.

Once hired, receptionists must be trained on your point of sale platform. Fortunately, as technology evolves, there are now solutions available to streamline the process and make it easier for you to handle high volumes of clients efficiently and effectively. All POS systems are different and the steps may vary.

Choosing the best POS System for your Cannabis Business

Meadow’s best-in-class intake flow feature can help you simplify administrative tasks like document collection so you can focus on providing an excellent customer experience every time. Quickly train your staff with Meadow Mastery–the free, online, self-paced video training resource that can be used to quickly get new employees up to speed. Not to mention, virtual training and planning ahead will save you on dispensary payroll and overhead. Meadow offers an online course that was specifically created for the front desk check-in role.

Read more: How to Create A New-Hire Training & Onboarding Plan for Your Dispensary Staff

Create your check-in process

Greeting customers and verifying their medical recommendations and IDs is an important part of the dispensary experience in states like California, New Jersey, Michigan and Massachusetts. Before you get started there are a couple steps to take: getting familiar with your POS system as each offers different features; understanding shop flow such as how many people can or should be on the retail floor at once; then finally checking customer's IDs for authentication purposes along with proper medical recommendations when needed.

Regulatory compliance and HIPAA are must-knows for receptionists at dispensaries. It's essential that they understand the relevant laws to keep customers safe and in the know. That's why it's so important for dispensary staff to get the right training on legal requirements, so they can make sure their shop meets all regulations while safeguarding customers' privacy.

Make a great first impression with Meadow's cannabis dispensary check-in process. Featuring the fastest, simplest, and most secure flows available to quickly process customers, the check-in flow provides flexible options that can be tailored to the unique experience of your retail space. With automatic age verification and automated tax calculations, customers can be processed in as little as 45 seconds, while allowing you to create custom groups, opt-in customers for future loyalty programs and text communications, and mark where customers heard about you to help you hone your future marketing efforts. Learn more about Meadow’s point of sale features.

Let’s walk through a simple receptionist check-in flow

Greet your customer 👋

A receptionist greets customers by providing a warm, welcoming, and professional atmosphere. Upon entering the building, they will typically greet the customer with a friendly smile and polite greeting such as “Welcome” or “Good morning!” Bonus tip: customers enjoy being remembered. As they develop themselves in this role, a great way to greet a customer is to say “welcome back,” instead of “new or returning?” It's up to your team and management style if you'd like to have a strict script in place for receptionists to refer to inside of your cannabis dispensary SOPs.

Verify their ID

In order to shop at a licensed dispensary, customers must show a valid driver's license, government issued identification card, passport, or military photo ID card.

Keep an eye out for fake IDs:

• Ragged or square edges
• Bumps or air pockets under lamination
• Corners are peeling
• Weight or thickness is different than other IDs
• Over or under-used holograms
• Watermarks missing
• Misspellings or discrepancies with the expiration date, birthdate, height, hair color, etc

Verify any supporting documents

It is important to verify the age of customers who are purchasing cannabis. Customers between the ages of 18-20 can shop only if they have a valid doctor’s recommendation or physician’s letter. It is essential that receptionists verify these documents before allowing the customer to purchase.

The steps for verification are usually listed on the recommendation form itself, and often simply require entering the corresponding recommendation ID and expiration date. Once verified, employees should take a picture of both the customer's ID and the doctor's recommendation for their records as an extra precautionary measure. If a customer presents an expired doctor's recommendation and is not 21 years of age or older, then unfortunately they will not be allowed to shop in the store.

Bonus tip 💡

You might want to consider creating an opportunity for customers to apply for a Medical Recommendation while they wait. This has potential to increase basket sizes for customers who like to shop and who like to smoke. Customers who have medical recommendations can purchase more than recreational customers. You can do this with an iPad or tablet in the lobby.

Create or update the customer’s profile

For new customers, it is important to take the time to collect and store all available information. This data can be invaluable when it comes to future reference points for reporting or marketing campaigns.

Additionally, asking questions like "where did you hear about us" can help inform marketing budget decisions and strategies around where more attention or resources are needed.

When it comes to returning customers, it's good practice to confirm their existing data is accurate and up-to-date. Check customer notes for any outstanding issues or recent events they may have experienced; many dispensaries use the customer notes field to record items such as product returns or instructions like "get manager on next visit.”

Having a quick chat with customers before they see the budtender can speed up the sales transaction process. This helps the budtender understand what the customer wants, making the whole process smoother. And your coworkers will appreciate the support!

Monitor the budroom and send in the next guest

As a receptionist, it is important to understand when the next customer can enter the retail floor.

A few strategies that may be helpful include: closely monitoring video surveillance cameras or windows to check how busy the sales staff is and allowing customers in only when there are sufficient personnel to help them; providing social distancing markers inside and outside of the store, or creating a clear queue that is easy to follow. Then, be sure to notify customers immediately of their turn so they don't have to wait in line longer than needed.

A great customer service technique to try during especially busy times is to engage customers in conversation while they wait. As the receptionist, you can ensure the customer has all of the necessary questions and suggestions ready before they enter the showroom, helping to minimize waiting times for other customers. Additionally, chatting with a customer provides an opportunity to connect and create a more personal experience.

Maximize the role

Maximize your retail sales by taking the receptionist station to the next level. Learn how to create an engaging customer experience through effective conversation, providing helpful suggestions, and gaining customer insights that can inform future sales.

Create sales from inside the lobby

Optimize your retail sales with omnichannel opportunities from the receptionist station or lobby. Omnichannel sales are a strategy that enables customers to shop in multiple ways. This type of selling allows customers to have access to product information and purchase products from anywhere at any time. These channels can include your lobby in various ways.

Give customers the convenience of quickly purchasing their needs even if waits are long. Understand why it's important to have omnichannel sales--with its ability to increase customer satisfaction, drive up profits, and build lasting relationships. Discover how Meadow can offer powerful support with its omnichannel approach right inside your lobby:

Kiosk Mode

Make your lobby more inviting and convenient with an extra iPad, tablet, or kiosk stand. With just a single link to an easy, secure shopping experience, customers and visitors can browse through your menu while they wait. They can even place their desired order for pick-up if they know exactly what they’re looking for. Offer your customers the convenience of being able to shop anytime with this simple solution.

Drawerless, Floating, Roaming iPad

On especially busy days, speed up the wait with an extra iPad in Drawerless mode. With a drawerless shift in Meadow, you can create a pick-up order at POS without selecting a payment type or amount. You can also update existing orders (for example changing products, discounts or packages). For example, on a holiday like 4/20, get the orders flowing to keep the line moving by creating orders for pick-up with a drawerless iPad. This role does not need to be involved in any sales transaction processes. These are budtenders or receptionists who are dedicated to moving the line along.

Express Check-out

Make it easier for customers to pick up their orders with Express Check-out. Set up an additional point of sale station inside the reception area, dedicated exclusively to cash handling for pick up orders. Advertise a quick and efficient check out experience if customers place their orders ahead of time. Reduce customer wait times by encouraging them to take advantage of the Express Check-out option. Not to mention, assigning the receptionist cash management and register roles will reduce your dispensary payroll by minimizing the need for additional personnel. Once implemented, be sure to train your receptionist on basic cash management protocols.

Create sales from outside of the shop

Train receptionists to monitor multiple channels, such as phones and live chat, providing rapid responses with accurate information. This will create a positive experience for customers, increasing the likelihood of repeat sales.

Take Phone Orders

Offering phone support and orders as part of a receptionist's duties is an essential part of the omnichannel sales experience. By providing customers with the option to place phone orders, you are giving them added convenience and accessibility. Having a well-trained receptionist on staff can also help streamline processes and ensure high quality customer service for both in-person and phone orders. This provides customers with a seamless shopping experience, regardless of where they make their purchase.

Live Chat

Offering a live chat option on your website can be a great way to increase sales of cannabis products and enhance the customer experience. This allows customers to ask questions quickly and get answers in real-time, providing a more personalized shopping experience. For busy shops, having a receptionist monitor the chat ensures that all of your customers' inquiries are handled promptly and with care. Additionally, this removes the need for customers to wait on hold or leave messages that may not be answered, creating an overall positive customer experience that can result in increased sales. Once implemented, be sure to include monitoring this channel constantly or in intervals inside your Dispensary SOPs.

Curate an experience inside the lobby

Customers do not like waiting. Give your customers a reason to stay, despite the wait, with the right vibes. Make sure they are aware of what you have to offer by placing a visible menu in the lobby. Give them something interesting to do while they wait, like providing magazines or reading materials. Add additional comfort with the right furniture and lighting. Furthermore, decorate your shop's lobby with art and music that showcase its unique atmosphere. If someone should be in charge of maintaining this part of your store, look no further than the receptionist. However, atmosphere isn’t everything, your staff plays a role in this too. Having an outgoing receptionist who isn’t afraid of chatting up your waiting customers can impact the customer experience greatly.

Develop and share your new Dispensary SOP

Mastering the customer intake flow at your dispensary is important for providing customers with an efficient, helpful experience. This will help to increase sales while also creating a positive reputation for your business. Taking the time to train and mentor your receptionists in all aspects of customer service will ensure that every customer receives the care and attention they deserve.

Read more: 7 Effective Ways to Bring New Customers Into Your Dispensary

Be sure you compare this SOP template with all local and state regulations in your area to ensure compliance. Regulations are always changing; please continue to check your workflows with all regulations in your region.