Luring new clients and retaining their patronage is paramount to the success of your business. But if your office environment is lacking, you could be current or potential clients every time you host an office visit.
It takes only seven seconds to form a first impression, and once set you’ll have a hard time surmounting a negative one. To make sure you start every client relationship off on the right foot, here are some key points to cultivating a positive and welcoming office space.
1. A Smile Is the Best First Impression
Humans are sensitive beings. If you were to walk into a room full of miserable people, you would pick up on the fact that something was amiss even if you don’t consciously realize what.
That’s why the best way to make a positive first impression is keeping a positive office staff. Reception staff, in particular, should be drilled on not only the procedure for greeting outside guests but should be encouraged to be cordial and friendly. An ill-tempered, disinterested receptionist can sour a meeting before it even begins.
2. Allow for Comfortable Meeting and Breakout Areas
The next most important aspect is the comfort of your guests.
What this means specifically will depend on the nature of your business. Private meeting rooms away from the distracting activities of the rest of the office are usually a necessity. And depending on the nature of your work, break-out spaces can be a great way to help you and your clients brainstorm solutions to issues.
Whatever the specific spaces you need, they should be well furnished and appointed to ensure a comfortable experience for the duration of your time together.
3. Provide Amenities for Clients and Staff Alike
Besides providing comfortable meeting places, you would be surprised how far having a few extra amenities available can go towards currying favor among clients.
These could include rest areas where clients can relax before or in between meetings, as well as places where they can help themselves to refreshments or freshen up. If your office space allows for it, it’s usually a good idea to make these areas separate from the staff break areas. It gives your clients the impression that they’re enjoying exclusive treatment and helps prevent staff from making any unintended impressions on them.
4. Cleanliness Is Key
Above all else, a tidy office is critical not only to a positive appearance, but to the health and wellbeing of your clients, your staff, and yourself. You could have an immaculately decorated workplace full of bleeding-edge tech and amenities. But it won’t matter much if a prospective client ends up suffering an asthma attack because no one has done the dusting.
The surest way to ensure a tidy, sanitary environment is to outsource the task to professional cleaning services. They’re thorough, a bargain for the service provided, and can take care of the office during the off hours so as to not disrupt daily workflow.
Perfecting the Office Environment
Cultivating and attractive office space won’t just help with client retention. According to one study, a happy workplace can boost employee productivity by up to 12%. So creating the best office environment that you can is an investment that pays dividends.
But there is always more that can be done to improve your relationships with employees and clients alike. To ensure you’re always fostering positive associations, be sure to keep up with our latest business place guides.
