Creating a Better Business Impression.
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When was the last time you really considered what your visitors see when they first enter your business? First impressions count in the overall assessment of a business when someone walks into a commercial premises, and yet it is amazing how often little attention is paid to the interior of a business and its potential impact upon visitors. Just as the selection of a choice of restaurant is often as much down to the ambiance and environment as it is to the quality of the menu, so the interior of an office or business has a direct impact on the confidence and general impression that is left with clients. To assess whether your business interior needs an update, take the time to look with an objective eye at the first impressions created for new visitors when entering your business premises. Take our 10 point check to learn if its time for an office overhaul. 1.) Does reception look like a bomb has hit it? Are there files and paperwork in disarray? Worse yet, does this impression directly conflict with the nature of the service your business provides? For example, if your business offers a service that seeks to assign order to someone's affairs, (Accountancy, finance, admin consultancy etc.) then it is particularly discordant to present an image of chaos and disorder within your own premises! |
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2) Is there a risk of confidential documents being on display to visitors? It is alarming how often a visitor to business premises can gain an obvious visual insight to customer, names, addresses, order details, & so on, simply by the documentation left carelessly on display upon staff desks. If this is the case, this shoddy storage of sensitive information may be enough to undermine peoples confidence in the discretion exercised by your business when dealing with their own custom.
3) Are you making best use of signage & company branding? - A company visitor not only will benefit from finding your company more easily with clear, obvious multi-point signage, but consistent signage, banners and corporate branding repeated at multiple points throughout your business premises will help your brand to live in the mind of your clients and creates the impression of a vibrant, thriving established company, that is likely to inspire confidence & trust. In addition, strong company branding is an excellent way to incite staff pride and confidence in their company.
4) Are your visitors having to pass the smoking circle on the way in to your premises? It is amazing how often companies allow staff to smoke directly outside the front of their premises, or in the direct path of visitors. Business visitors (Smokers and non smokers alike) universally tend to find this both unprofessional and intimidating.
5) Does the conduct of your staff meet expectations when visitors are on site? All too often employers forget to brief staff of the common courtesies that are expected of them, and should be extended to, business guests. It's not rocket science, but all too often business visitors (particularly within large corporate organisations) are faced with blank, inquisitive, even borderline hostile stares across the floor by staff upon arriving within commercial premises. This is both off putting and unprofessional, especially if they have already had to fight their way past the smoking circle! A courteous, friendly well-mannered conduct should be standard within a business environment but often needs to be officially requested in order to be fulfilled.
6) Is your office interior in need of an update? Do you have peeling paint/blue tack remnants on the walls/water marks evident on the ceiling? Are your premises suffering from outdated interior design? Is your office furniture past its best or covered in graffiti? Do you have fraying chairs,? discarded equipment lying around? Are there stacks of files on show? If so, it may well be the time to consider an office refurbishment!
7) Ask yourself what your overall assessment would be of your business? Take a truly good look around as an objective visitor, and you may be surprised at the outcome. Do your premises actually inspire mistrust or a lack of confidence in your business and your services?
8) Does your dress code need revising? The average office of 20+ people usually consists of at least one person wandering around in their socks, several tattoos on show, the intermittent woollen beanie hat, and generally one carefully placed butt crack peeking out of someone's trousers. Suited and booted may not be necessary for every working environment nowadays, but it is worth regularly reviewing what is acceptable dress code and what impression the existing dress code creates with your business visitors.
9) Do your staff treat the workplace like a youth club? On top of the questionable impression left with clients, if the answer to many of the previous questions above errs on side of negative, it may be having a substantial impact on the morale and general conduct of your staff. Generally, if you put someone a dump, they will treat the place like a dump. Place them in a palace and they will usually raise their game and be on their best behavior.
10) Does your meeting room withstand client scrutiny? It may be an obvious point but, before showing a potential client into a meeting room, cast an eye around and ensure that the room is suitably clear and ready to take visitors. How often has a visitor glanced over & read the un-wiped whiteboard in the meeting room, revealing sales figures or worse still, declining revenues or under target performances!
Solutions
Interior extras - It maybe that a few simple, subtle touches could do the job. Sometimes the addition of plants, pictures, a fresh coat of paint, and a thoroughly good tidy up is sufficient.
New Statement Furniture Items. A few key pieces of interior furniture may work wonders. A stylish desk, chairs or sofa awaiting guests on arrival, accentuated by display plants or flowers, can give an excellent impression of a modern, thriving business.
Update your office furniture - For a more compelling stylish and impressive overall look, update your office furniture, ensuring consistency in style and colours in keeping with your company branding. For a relatively low investment, new desks & chairs can breathe a new lease of life into a tired, aged workspace.
Partitions, panelling & screens. Screens and panels emulating your company colours can be an excellent way of re-theming your office and giving the working environment a modern update. They can also be an excellent way of creating or dividing space and minimizing noise in loud work environments. Fabric covered screens are the best sound absorbents and come in a wide range of colours.
Corporate branding - There are numerous opportunities to make your company branding work harder for you within your business premises. From the cups you serve customers drinks within to branded mouse-mats, coasters, stress balls, corporate work-wear, hats and so on, there are a multitude of ways you can make your branding really live within your premises and every option inevitably inspires both customer and staff confidence. It really is an excellent investment.
Corporate Gifts - For really effective, insightful use of company branding, why not have a stock of company branded umbrellas available as give-aways to visiting clients. For a relatively tiny investment you achieve not only a thoughtful, memorable corporate gift, but also benefit from your clients and visitors actually advertising your company on your behalf! Alternatively hold a stock of company branded corporate gifts, pens, notebooks, key-rings, mugs & so on. Everyone likes receiving a gift and even something as basic as a branded pen is a useful & thoughtful give-away plus acts as a consistent advertisement for and reminder of your business!
Make the most of signage. Window stickers, nameplates, interior & exterior signs, designer light-boxes, sign written company vehicles and branded visual displays, effective signage and banners enhance the visitor experience to help engage your brand in the mind of your company visitors (and passers by) and inspires customer and staff confidence.
Time for a refurbishment? - For an absolute overhaul which is sure to breathe a fresh lease of life into the workplace, one can also completely transform the business environment via a professional office refurbishment company who, in addition to completely re-designing your business space, may recommend clever functional additions such as glass paneling, partitions, screening, shelving, an interior re-design and modern storage options to entirely transform the work-space and breathe a new lease of life into your business premises.
3) Are you making best use of signage & company branding? - A company visitor not only will benefit from finding your company more easily with clear, obvious multi-point signage, but consistent signage, banners and corporate branding repeated at multiple points throughout your business premises will help your brand to live in the mind of your clients and creates the impression of a vibrant, thriving established company, that is likely to inspire confidence & trust. In addition, strong company branding is an excellent way to incite staff pride and confidence in their company.
4) Are your visitors having to pass the smoking circle on the way in to your premises? It is amazing how often companies allow staff to smoke directly outside the front of their premises, or in the direct path of visitors. Business visitors (Smokers and non smokers alike) universally tend to find this both unprofessional and intimidating.
5) Does the conduct of your staff meet expectations when visitors are on site? All too often employers forget to brief staff of the common courtesies that are expected of them, and should be extended to, business guests. It's not rocket science, but all too often business visitors (particularly within large corporate organisations) are faced with blank, inquisitive, even borderline hostile stares across the floor by staff upon arriving within commercial premises. This is both off putting and unprofessional, especially if they have already had to fight their way past the smoking circle! A courteous, friendly well-mannered conduct should be standard within a business environment but often needs to be officially requested in order to be fulfilled.
6) Is your office interior in need of an update? Do you have peeling paint/blue tack remnants on the walls/water marks evident on the ceiling? Are your premises suffering from outdated interior design? Is your office furniture past its best or covered in graffiti? Do you have fraying chairs,? discarded equipment lying around? Are there stacks of files on show? If so, it may well be the time to consider an office refurbishment!
7) Ask yourself what your overall assessment would be of your business? Take a truly good look around as an objective visitor, and you may be surprised at the outcome. Do your premises actually inspire mistrust or a lack of confidence in your business and your services?
8) Does your dress code need revising? The average office of 20+ people usually consists of at least one person wandering around in their socks, several tattoos on show, the intermittent woollen beanie hat, and generally one carefully placed butt crack peeking out of someone's trousers. Suited and booted may not be necessary for every working environment nowadays, but it is worth regularly reviewing what is acceptable dress code and what impression the existing dress code creates with your business visitors.
9) Do your staff treat the workplace like a youth club? On top of the questionable impression left with clients, if the answer to many of the previous questions above errs on side of negative, it may be having a substantial impact on the morale and general conduct of your staff. Generally, if you put someone a dump, they will treat the place like a dump. Place them in a palace and they will usually raise their game and be on their best behavior.
10) Does your meeting room withstand client scrutiny? It may be an obvious point but, before showing a potential client into a meeting room, cast an eye around and ensure that the room is suitably clear and ready to take visitors. How often has a visitor glanced over & read the un-wiped whiteboard in the meeting room, revealing sales figures or worse still, declining revenues or under target performances!
Solutions
Interior extras - It maybe that a few simple, subtle touches could do the job. Sometimes the addition of plants, pictures, a fresh coat of paint, and a thoroughly good tidy up is sufficient.
New Statement Furniture Items. A few key pieces of interior furniture may work wonders. A stylish desk, chairs or sofa awaiting guests on arrival, accentuated by display plants or flowers, can give an excellent impression of a modern, thriving business.
Update your office furniture - For a more compelling stylish and impressive overall look, update your office furniture, ensuring consistency in style and colours in keeping with your company branding. For a relatively low investment, new desks & chairs can breathe a new lease of life into a tired, aged workspace.
Partitions, panelling & screens. Screens and panels emulating your company colours can be an excellent way of re-theming your office and giving the working environment a modern update. They can also be an excellent way of creating or dividing space and minimizing noise in loud work environments. Fabric covered screens are the best sound absorbents and come in a wide range of colours.
Corporate branding - There are numerous opportunities to make your company branding work harder for you within your business premises. From the cups you serve customers drinks within to branded mouse-mats, coasters, stress balls, corporate work-wear, hats and so on, there are a multitude of ways you can make your branding really live within your premises and every option inevitably inspires both customer and staff confidence. It really is an excellent investment.
Corporate Gifts - For really effective, insightful use of company branding, why not have a stock of company branded umbrellas available as give-aways to visiting clients. For a relatively tiny investment you achieve not only a thoughtful, memorable corporate gift, but also benefit from your clients and visitors actually advertising your company on your behalf! Alternatively hold a stock of company branded corporate gifts, pens, notebooks, key-rings, mugs & so on. Everyone likes receiving a gift and even something as basic as a branded pen is a useful & thoughtful give-away plus acts as a consistent advertisement for and reminder of your business!
Make the most of signage. Window stickers, nameplates, interior & exterior signs, designer light-boxes, sign written company vehicles and branded visual displays, effective signage and banners enhance the visitor experience to help engage your brand in the mind of your company visitors (and passers by) and inspires customer and staff confidence.
Time for a refurbishment? - For an absolute overhaul which is sure to breathe a fresh lease of life into the workplace, one can also completely transform the business environment via a professional office refurbishment company who, in addition to completely re-designing your business space, may recommend clever functional additions such as glass paneling, partitions, screening, shelving, an interior re-design and modern storage options to entirely transform the work-space and breathe a new lease of life into your business premises.
