She is the optimistic office receptionist for the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, a position previously held by Pam Beesly before she quit to go work for the Michael Scott Paper Company.

After Pam quits her job to work at the Michael Scott Paper Company, VP Charles Miner hires Erin as the new receptionist.

The office refer to her by her middle name, Erin, to avoid confusion with Kelly Kapoor, with whom she becomes good friends.

During the lunch, Michael reveals Andy's prior year-long engagement with Angela, a fact which was previously concealed from Erin.

When Erin gets assigned to Dwight's Sabre Store team in Tallahassee, she tells the camera that she is never returning to Scranton.

She ends up bonding with Pete Miller, a new customer service representative at the Scranton branch, and they continue to grow closer while Andy is away on his boat trip.

In the series finale, Erin reunites with her birth parents, who had seen the documentary and showed up at a Q&A forum with the office members.

[4] The character was named after the show's writer's assistant, Kelly Hannon, who later wrote some digital shorts for the series.

One of those plots was her romance with Andy Bernard, with writer Brent Forrester explaining that the characters seemed compatible for "both being left-footed socially".

Editor Claire Scanlon added that a particular turning point for Erin was "Secretary's Day", which highlighted how well the character played off Michael Scott.

"[8] Andy Shaw of TV Fodder said she "adds some freshness to the cast"[9] and Josh McAuliffe of The Times-Tribune in Scranton, Pennsylvania, said he liked Erin's "cheerful, appealingly goofy personality".

"[11] In addition, Kemper's performance in the episodes "Spooked,"[12][13] "Christmas Wishes,"[14] "Pool Party,"[15] and "Special Project,"[16] in particular, were praised by critics.