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5 Ways to Create an Inviting and Professional Office Reception Area

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Written By Editorial

Do you have an inviting office reception area?

A client’s first impression of your company should always be a good one, so it is important to make sure that the area where they will be greeted looks and feels appealing.

If you miss the mark, it could affect their perception of your business and result in them going elsewhere.

The idea is to immediately help the visitor understand the company’s priorities and personality. If you have a somewhat irreverent business attitude then a playful entrance will hit the mark.

If your business is more serious and you want the potential client to understand that their needs will be dealt with professionally, then this is your opportunity to set the tone immediately.

Here are five ways to create an inviting and professional office reception area.

1. Welcoming décor

Your reception should look inviting, bright and airy, not drab, dull, and depressing so, if you haven’t done so already, decorate and accessorize.

Wall signage displaying your company name will create a feeling of expense and help with brand recognition. Light wall colors will create a feeling of space and will help to produce a light and airy feel.

If you want to create a feeling of comfort and style, an array of commercial planters complete with unusual and eye-catching plants will help to add some natural color to your space.

You want your clients to feel comfortable while they are waiting, so make sure that your furniture not only looks great but feels fabulous too.

If your walls look a bit bare add some colorful oversized art. It should help to jazz things up a bit while retaining the professional feel.

2. Staff

Your reception staff is effectively the face of your company, so they must look and act appropriately at all times. When a client walks into your offices, they should be greeted immediately in a polite and friendly tone.

If they are ignored for five minutes while your staff catch up on the latest office gossip or finish a phone call with a friend, it isn’t going to create the professional feel that you want to portray.

Front line staff should be dressed smartly, look professional, and give clients their full attention.

You should also make sure that the reception staff has only one focus. On the customer, or visitor management.

If you give them other work to try to avoid paying another employee, then the guest impressions suffer. They should feel that the receptionist is there to help them and not be trying to do three jobs at the same time.

Even when they are only responsible for checking guests in, they should have their role clearly defined.

How they need to cover the desk in case they have to leave for a moment or how to handle a waiting guest if they have to take a call.

These things will make a big difference in how the initial experience of any visitor will go.

3. Check-in process

5 Ways to Create an Inviting and Professional Office Reception AreaTo give the impression that your company is working in the current century, avoid a paper-based check-in process.

A digital process will help the guest understand that every detail of your business is a state of the art and efficient.

Going digital will allow the guest to have a seamless experience when checking in or having their information processed. 

Not only is it a good impression, but it also will allow for time-saving.

If they have to repeat their check-in or have to give the same information to multiple people during the course of their visit, then this can lead to them feeling frustrated.

When it is digital it is shared with all the relevant departments immediately to make the process more streamlined and easier on your guest.

4. Branding and services

When clients are waiting to be seen, they will usually reach for a magazine or other literature to read whilst passing the time. Use this opportunity to market your services and enhance brand awareness.

Have leaflets produced explaining the history of your business and your company’s mission statement?

It is also a good idea to include full details of the services you offer. Chances are that clients will read them whilst waiting or take one with them to peruse later.

Your brand should convey what your business is about immediately and your entire reception area should be branded and reflect the company’s values.

The color scheme should match the logo and the vibe should too. It should be professional, but still, match the feeling that you are trying to portray through your brand.

When there is cohesiveness between the brand and the decor, it makes it feel like the guest or visitor is becoming part of the brand themselves.

This goes a long way to helping people identify with a brand and become fans. When every other part of the reception or check-in process is working well, it solidifies your standing as an established brand.

5. Cleanliness

If your office reception is not impeccably clean, it doesn’t matter how nice it looks.

Ask your cleaners to provide you with a cleaning specification and make sure it matches your expectations.

It is pointless having a beautiful office only to discover that your clients can write their names in the dust or can’t see through the smudges and smears adorning your windows.

Attention to detail is crucial, so keep an eye on things and make sure the cleaning is being done properly. 

If you are not happy with the results, deal with it immediately. A cleaner that doesn’t take pride in their work could prove costly for your business.

Conclusion: Create an inviting office reception

Don’t treat the reception area as an afterthought.

If you treat every part of the visitor process as being important to your company’s bottom line, then it will help your bottom line accordingly. 

Think about the times that you have dealt with a company that had every piece of the puzzle working together for a cohesive experience.

It surely stood out to you so you should be thinking in the same terms for your business as well.

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