She should be informed of the names and times of appointments for each day. Greeting each of those people by name is a terrific way to start your guest's visit. She should be empowered with the tools to handle difficult situations, such as when someone shows up who doesn't have an appointment. She should be empowered to ask the visitor to please call and make an appointment or gladly check with the person to see if he can see the visitor. If she's on the phone and a visitor walks up, she should make eye communication and smile, perhaps raising a finger to signal that she'll be with him in a moment.
Posture is an extremely important nonverbal.
As the first impression of your company, an idle receptionist sends the signal of not enough to do, not busy, not successful. She should smile. Given the importance of that position, those that hold it should made to feel like part of your team. Barbara Busey, owner of Presentation Dynamics, provides training in communication skills.