Receptionist

Receptionist Inc., established on January 21, 2016, offers a suite of cloud-based services designed to streamline business communications and office operations. The company was founded by Mariko Hashimot, who drew upon her 11 years of experience in corporate reception roles at five different publicly traded companies. Frustrated with the persistent inefficiencies of traditional reception duties—such as handwritten visitor logs, internal phone calls for guest arrivals, and manual scheduling—Hashimoto was motivated to develop a solution. This direct experience informed the core functionality of the company's products, aiming to address real-world operational bottlenecks.

The firm's flagship product is "RECEPTIONIST," a cloud-based system that replaces traditional front desk operations with an iPad interface. Visitors check in on the tablet, which then automatically notifies the appropriate employee via business chat applications or a dedicated smartphone app, bypassing the need for an internal phone system. The service is designed to manage visitor information, streamline internal notifications, and reduce the administrative burden of guest reception. Building on this foundation, Receptionist Inc. expanded its offerings to create a more integrated workflow. In 2021, the company launched "Chosei-Apo," a corporate scheduling tool to automate appointment setting, and "Yoyaku Rooms," a meeting room management system that helps prevent issues like double-booking and unused reservations. This product ecosystem provides a comprehensive solution for managing the entire visitor journey, from scheduling the meeting to managing the physical space.

The company operates on a B2B SaaS business model, generating revenue through subscriptions to its cloud services. Its client base ranges from IT companies and startups to large corporations, addressing needs driven by digital transformation (DX), office relocations, and the adoption of flexible work arrangements like free-address offices. The initial market focus was on tech-savvy companies, but has since expanded to include sectors like manufacturing and major enterprises such as Nissan. The company has secured multiple rounds of funding from investors including Salesforce Ventures, Bonds Investment Group, and De Capital, among others. These funds are allocated towards product development, market expansion, and strengthening its organizational structure to support continued growth.

Keywords: visitor management system, office automation, SaaS, B2B, appointment scheduling, meeting room booking, cloud reception, front desk automation, business communication, workflow efficiency, Mariko Hashimoto, office DX, corporate reception solution, guest management, scheduling tool, space management, Japanese startup, office productivity, workplace technology, digital transformation, Yoyaku Rooms, Chosei-Apo