First Impression: How to Make Your Office More Inviting to Clients
Image source: Unsplash
One thing that is universally true is that you can never get a second chance to make a great first impression. You see, the major problem with this idea lies in the fact that a lot of business owners disagree on where this should start. To some, this happens when a person first hears about your brand. To others, it begins when they first enter your website or contact you via phone or email. Finally, for traditionalists, this happens during the first face-to-face meeting, which, almost exclusively, takes place when they first enter your office. In order to exploit this last idea, here are several tips that might help turn your office into a more inviting environment for the clients.
The exterior
Chronologically, before your clients even get the opportunity to enter your office, they will encounter the exterior of the building your headquarters are situated in. For this reason, you need to ensure several things. First, if there is any landscaping to be done, it has to be done immaculately. Second, the name and the logo (or just banner) of the company should be visible from the driveway. Finally, there should always be several parking spots, right next to the entrance, reserved for clients, at least on the days you are expecting them to visit.
Starting with the reception
Once they’re past the threshold of your company, the first area of the office they will encounter is your reception area. Here, absolutely everything matters. The most important thing, however, is the choice of the receptionist. You need the most professional-looking, enthusiastic and welcoming person you can get to fill this role. Remember, they are the first representative of your company that your client will ever meet in person, so this is your staff’s opportunity to shine.
Image source: Pixabay
As for the décor of the reception area, the choice of the desk is also something that matters very much. For instance, a desk that is too tall can seem intimidating, while the one that is too low may seem casual and even unprofessional. Furthermore, you need to display your promotional materials and certificates everywhere around the reception room. Placing them on the wall behind your receptionist is probably the most obvious solution but you might want to go one step further than that and get a LED light box or two for this area, as well.
Take them through the work area
This particular step is a bit controversial, seeing as how it is a bit risky, as well as somewhat distracting for your employees. You see, in order to get a client to the conference room, you might want to get them through the work area, so that they can see your capacities. If you take them from the reception area straight to the conference room, you might make an impression of a premeditated (even staged) tour. In other words, they will assume that you are showing them just what you want them to see while sweeping everything else under the rug. By taking a route through the work area, you will give away the impression of a company that has nothing to hide.
The conference room
It goes beyond saying that the conference room is the area of your office in which your clients will spend the most of their visit. Because of this, you need to give its design your full and undivided attention. Depending on the average number of your visitors (are you hosting individuals, small groups or large groups) you get to choose a table configuration. The light in the room plays a vital role in setting the mood, which is yet another thing to consider. Finally, seeing as how most meetings nowadays focus on the visual presentation in the form of a video or slideshow, the choice of an adequate screen is more than important.
Image source: Pixabay
In conclusion
At the end of the day, it is important to mention one thing. Making a great first impression can be ground-breaking but it is not all that matters. In a situation where what your offer is far inferior to those of your competitors, not even the most amazing office in the world will do you any good. Keep in mind that the layout of your office is there merely to give you a competitive edge, not to deliver you a complete success on its own. Still, for a lot of industrious entrepreneurs out there, this slight boon is more than enough.
