Commercial temp references — professional references for office and admin placements

What commercial temp references should cover

Commercial temp employment references should address professional conduct in an office environment, accuracy and attention to detail in administrative tasks, proficiency with relevant software systems (Microsoft Office, CRM systems, finance systems), customer service standards and communication with clients, telephone manner and professional presentation, ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritise workload, attendance and reliability, and conduct with colleagues and management. Standard reference templates asking about general performance generate some useful information for commercial placements, but sector-specific questions about accuracy, software proficiency and client-facing conduct generate significantly more.

Client-facing commercial roles — conduct and presentation

Commercial temp workers placed in client-facing roles — reception, customer service, front-of-house — represent the client organisation to their customers and visitors. A candidate with a poor track record in client-facing conduct can cause reputational damage to the client within a single shift. References for client-facing commercial roles should specifically ask about telephone manner, professional presentation, handling of difficult customer situations and conduct with external visitors. RefAssure commercial templates include these questions alongside standard office competency fields.

Commercial temp agencies placing workers across different office environments — legal firms, financial services, NHS administration, public sector — can configure templates appropriate to each client environment. A legal firm placement template might include questions about confidentiality and professional discretion. A financial services template might address accuracy in data handling. From 99p per reference with no subscription.