When it comes to moving into a brand new office, you will probably think that getting it set up won’t be too difficult. You just need to redecorate and add plenty of furniture and tech equipment, right? Well, that’s certainly the basics of putting together a great office, but it’s not all there is to it.
Some entrepreneurs will tell you that you need to think about your employees when you create your office. That’s so you can ensure the office helps to improve your staff’s motivation and productivity. It’s true that it is key to creating a productive work environment for all of your staff, but there are some other people you need to think about as well when you create your office – your clients!
It’s becoming increasingly important that businesses, both large and small, are now setting up offices that are welcoming and open to clients. More and more clients are now expecting to meet with the businesses that they do business with on a face-to-face basis, so it’s important that you consider these individuals when you are setting up your newest office. Doing so could help you land a lot more work and help you greatly improve your profits.
So, are you ready to make an office that can accommodate all of your clients, even the ones who turn up unexpectedly? Here are some of the best tips that can help you do just that.
Ensure It Is In A Convenient Location
If you are still in the process of looking for new office space, you should try and find somewhere that will be very easy to find. After all, some of your clients who come to visit you might have never been in your town or city before, and they might not be too familiar with the roads or public transport links. So, try to ensure you choose office space that is conveniently placed in the center and easy for individuals to find. Ideally, you should be within walking distance from public transport links. Not only does that then mean your clients will be able to find you very easy, but it also means that your employees will be a lot more likely to take public transport than drive into work each day.
Make It Easy To Find
There’s a good chance that you won’t be in your own building – you will find that it is a lot cheaper to rent out office space in a larger office block. So, once your clients have arrived at your office location, they need to be able to easily and quickly find your main entrance. There are a few ways you can ensure this. For instance, you should think about getting signs made to place around the building. You should place the biggest sign outside your door so that your clients realize that they have found you. It’s also a good idea to have some directions on your company website. That will give visiting clients an idea of which doors to take when they do get to your building and they shouldn’t take too many wrong takes.
Make Sure It Is Accessible To All
It’s important that your office is accessible to everyone who wants to come and visit you. So, that means you need to make it accessible for everyone who has a disability. The first step you need to take is adding a disabled parking space to the parking lot if there is one on your property. This should be larger than the other spaces and as close to the main entrance as possible. Make sure that the space is clearly marked as a disabled space so that no one takes it who shouldn’t. Ideally, your office space should have an elevator up to it if it is on the first floor or a higher floor. If there isn’t one in the building, you might want to think about adding one. However, if you can’t afford that, you could simply add a stair lift onto the main flight of stairs. You should also ensure that you have the necessary equipment needed to help people in wheelchairs out of the building as quickly as possible in the event of a fire. Don’t forget that your whole interior office space needs to be disabled-friendly as well, so try to make sure that the aisles in the rooms are wide enough for wheelchairs to get down and that there aren’t any hazards in the way.
Create A Professional Atmosphere
It’s important that each of your employees is aware that there might be a number of clients on site in your office at any given moment. So, they need to always act in a professional manner. It could be a good idea to offer your employees regular training in professionalism and customer service, even if they do not work in a customer-facing department. But that will ensure that they are always ready to meet and greet clients so that they can be a good representation of your company. It’s also important that your employees are always on their best behavior when at work. If your clients visit and see anyone messing about or being far from professional, it will give them a very negative impression of your whole company.
Go For A Relaxed Decor
Did you know that your office’s decor will also give your clients an impression of your business? It’s true! So, it’s actually really important that you stick to a relaxed interior design. Otherwise, you might go for colors and designs that are quite overwhelming and a bit too bold for some people. Ideally, you should go for a relaxed decor that uses fairly neutral colors. Try and keep your use of patterns down to a minimum as well. They can sometimes end up quite confusing and make the whole interior design seem a bit too busy. If you aren’t too sure how you should have your office decor, you could always hire an interior designer to come in and create you a very stylish and welcoming office.
Offer Self-Serve Hot Drinks And Snacks
It’s a nice touch to have some self-serve hot drinks and snacks that your clients can help themselves to whenever they are waiting before a meeting. This gives them the chance to get whatever they want without needing to bother any of your employees. Plus, they will feel like they can help themselves to as much as they want. So, you might want to place a Nespresso coffee machine in your waiting room or area and tell each client to help themselves if they would like a drink. You should also place some healthy snacks out for them. For example, you might want to fill a basket with some fresh fruit. Other great snack ideas include cereal bars and freshly prepared crudites. It’s also a nice idea to have some chocolate bars out just in case your clients want to treat themselves.
Keep Things Tidy
Let’s not forget that your office needs to be extremely tidy as well. If a client visits your office and sees that it is full of clutter or that it is very messy, this could not reflect too well on the company. They might think that you and your team could be equally messy when it comes to your work and communication processes. Plus, they might just not want to meet with you in such a messy environment. So, it’s a good idea to try and keep your office as tidy as possible. You should put each of your employees in charge of their own individual work space, so they will be responsible for their desk. It might also be necessary to hire cleaners to come in at the end of each day to keep the place as clean as possible.
Put A Dress Code In Place
One further way you can improve the overall impression of your office is to get all of your employees to adhere to a dress code. This doesn’t have to be overly stuffy, though. Getting employees to wear formal shirts is no longer in fashion these days as it is seen as quite dated and not convenient for warm office environments. The best dress code for the majority of offices is smart casual. That way, your employees can wear things that they are comfortable in and will also appear highly professional to those who visit your office.
Match The Interior To Your Own Brand
If you are able to, you should consider matching the interior of your office to your company’s brand. For example, you might want to use the colors that are in your logo to decorate your office with. Not only will this cement your branding in the mind of your clients, but it will also help you with the consistency of your business’s brand.
Hopefully, all of these great tips help you to create a fantastic office that really impresses your clients. And don’t worry – you can always get a decorator to help you with the hard work.
