Your reception area is the first thing that customers will see when they pay your business establishment a visit. Naturally, you want your customers to perceive your business as an organization that is orderly, meticulous, methodical, and cares about the welfare of its people and its customers. However, you won’t be able to project this image if you have a reception area that is shambolic, uncomfortable, or beat up. If the place where you welcome your customers has seen better days, a makeover is definitely in order. In this article, we’ll provide you with a few tips on how to accomplish the big change.
Have the Right Person Manage Your Reception Area
First things first: it’s one thing to carry out renovation work on your reception area to make certain cosmetic changes, it’s another thing entirely to choose the people who will manage all front desk requirements. How capable your reception staff is can have a significant impact on how your customers perceive your business. If you have individuals who are impatient, rude, and unprofessional manning your front desk, they you’re more than likely to receive negative feedback from your customers. In short, make sure to pick the right people who will be in your reception area to welcome your guests and attend to their needs.
Install a Water Feature
One way to make your reception area immediately more welcoming is by incorporating a water feature like a tabletop fountain or a logo fountain into the space. A tabletop fountain makes for a great corner piece, turning an otherwise dead spot in the room into something more appealing. It comes in different varieties, too—from ceramic, slate, and copper to natural stone and bamboo fountains. On the other hand, a logo fountain is usually constructed such that it can be mounted on the wall or made to stand from the floor. It consists of a glass, stone, or ceramic panel upon which water slides down from top to bottom, creating a dramatic effect that will be appreciated by your visitors. As the name suggests, a logo fountain is a design element that can accommodate your company logo.
Mount Art Pieces on Your Wall
Whether you’re planning to hang impressionist paintings or abstract sculptures on open shelves, accommodating a few art pieces in your reception area can imbue the room with a touch of color, sophistication, and character all at once. Make sure to pick items that fit with your company culture and with the image you want to project to your clients and guests.
Tailor Your Amenities to the Needs of Your Customers
If your company is managing property development for retirees and seniors, it’s probably not a good idea to get reception room furnishings that are hard on the body or difficult to get on to and off from. You need ergonomic furnishings that your target customers will be able to use easily, plus more that accommodates the requirements of those with accessibility needs. Similarly, if your business renders interior design services, you don’t really want to stock your reception area with magazines like Cosmopolitan or Horse & Hound. Instead, consider acquiring coffee table books that feature beautiful homes, copies of magazines like Architectural Digest, and other forms of literature that are relevant to the interior design industry.
Ensure Proper Lighting Around the Room
Proper and sufficient lighting can have a tremendous impact on the look and feel of your office’s reception area. Ideally, you want a perfect balance of ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting, which pertain to 1.) the general lighting in your reception area, 2.) the lighting that allows your employees and guests to accomplish their duties and tasks, and 3.) the lighting that mainly serves decorative purposes, respectively.
Make Use of Music
Sound is another great element that you can use to your advantage when you want to improve your reception area. Music in particular, can create a calm and relaxed atmosphere while at the same time serving to tone down the awkward silence in a place where strangers usually wait for their appointments all at the same time. Musical genres like classical music, smooth jazz, bossa nova, and meditative instrumentals are great choices for a reception area musical playlist.
Creating a pleasant, agreeable, and tranquil reception space is ideal if your company consistently attends to the needs of customers in person. First impressions last, so you really want people’s first glimpse into your organization to be an overwhelmingly positive experience.
