Why Your Office's Reception Matters

Many relationships are forged within the first few minutes of a business encounter, with some figures suggesting that 75% of business is lost based on first impressions. As such, creating the right experience for those visiting your business could mean the difference between a customer for life and a negative word of mouth review.

Your office’s reception is the first thing visitors to your workplace will see. But it is not only your visitors whose impression of your business will be formed by what they see the moment they walk in through the door. A dismal, dreary and unwelcoming reception space can also have a significant impact on staff morale, setting the stage every day for disappointment. Even simply attracting the right employees in the first place will be a tricky proposition if the best candidates are greeted in a space that makes them think poorly of your company.

This means that an office reception will be important across the board, from employing the best workforce right through to converting the interest of potential clients into long-term customer relationships. Get the approach wrong here, and you will create a poor impression of your company that will be very hard to reverse.

There are a number of steps to take when looking to give your business the perfect environment in which to welcome existing employees and to greet new clients and workers alike.

The Right Design

To create the right reception environment, your interior design will very much need to suit your brand, while your seating will have to be comfortable and plentiful enough to cater for the very busiest of times. If your office’s reception is too big or too small, it could leave guests feeling cramped or, conversely, too exposed.

Once you have identified how much space you will need, the next job will be to identify the materials and furniture you will need. From the reception desk to the floor on which you place it, every single aspect of your design should be representative of your business and conducive to creating the right atmosphere for guests.

Each option will need to be chosen based on the company’s own specific needs, taking everything from space to style into consideration. Even the distance from the reception area to the outside world should be considered. If your reception is on the top floor of a high-rise building it may need very different flooring and heating to one whose doors open directly onto the street. With the latter, the wrong flooring choice may leave the entrance looking filthy every single time there is adverse weather.

This brings us neatly to organisation and cleanliness - a stack of boxes shoved carelessly in the corner and dirty marks across the walls will not inspire confidence, and may leave visitors wondering whether you are as slapdash in all your endeavours.

A Warm Welcome

When it comes to giving visitors a warm welcome, there will be more to think about than just setting the thermostat to the correct temperature. While leaving your guests shivering or sweating will not be advised, being courteous and offering them a pleasurable wait will be equally as important.

Because of this, it is wise to pay as much attention to finding the right reception staff as you pay to getting your reception’s interior design just so. There will be many occasions when your receptionist will be the face (and voice) of your business. Choosing the right candidate is therefore imperative if you want them to impart the best possible view of your business upon all those who visit your premises.

Receptionists are thought by some to be less important than other workers in an office, and as individuals who are easy to replace. This could not be further from the truth. The right candidate will be courteous, polite and welcoming, choosing to take care of their guests ahead of texting their friends. They will also have an image that is suitable for the company. This will be different for each and every business, and while some will need to have a very sleek and respectable individual to meet and greet, others may well want someone who looks extremely fashionable or edgy.

Facilities are another aspect to pay close attention to. Are you able to make your visitors a wide variety of beverages, and will they have something to do while they wait - whether that is watching television or reading material that is a little more recent than 1985? If visitors will have to wait for you in your reception area, then it is wise to make sure they feel well looked after, rather than being made to stand in the corner with nothing but a draught and a filing cabinet for company.

Some companies even choose to offer complimentary snacks such as nuts or fruit for guests to enjoy while they wait. Furthermore, when it comes to reading material, try to keep things as relevant as possible. While promotional leaflets about your business may be a good way to give them some background about your business before any meeting begins, consider providing other materials relevant to your industry as a whole to show you are knowledgeable about the related world beyond your four walls.

An Inviting Reception Makes A Big Difference

Many businesses overlook making important changes to their reception spaces, choosing to spend funds on areas they view as more important. In turn, far too many businesses have outdated furniture, designs and protocol that could well be losing them custom without them even realising it.

Simple touches can have a very positive impact too. Try doing away with harsh overhead lighting in favour of softer, wall-mounted lights, and don’t forget that the right artwork, some appropriate music and fresh flowers can go a long way to making your guests feel even more at home.

Your office reception is not just a place to keep people waiting until the person they are there to see is ready. Instead, it is the perfect place to instil confidence and the very best view of your business within your guests before the meeting has even begun.