office

Your office is a place of business where all the “magic” happens. It’s the place where you bring potential and existing clients to gain new business and close deals. If your office isn’t designed to leave a positive impression and experience with each visit, finding and retaining clients becomes all but impossible. 

Whether you’ve recently acquired an office space or you’re looking to improve the overall functionality and aesthetic appeal, continue reading for advice on how to design a workspace that wows your clients. 

Welcoming Entryway

First impressions are everything in business. From the moment anyone enters your office building, they’re paying attention to their surroundings. What they see, helps them to make a quick assessment of your company. If you’re trying to impress both your clients and employees, wowing them from the moment they step into your office is highly recommended. 

One of the best ways to make anyone feel welcomed when entering a place of business is to have a reception area. This is an area where they are essentially greeted upon entry. You should go beyond just a simple desk and chair for the receptionist. Decide between a stylish carpet or tile flooring, place a few elegant chairs, side tables, and lamps near the receptionist desk, incorporate some plants and flowers, hang some original artwork, and if you can spring for it, add antique chandeliers for overhead lighting and a dramatic finish. 

Comfortable Waiting Area

After your clients have been greeted by the receptionist, they should be directed to an area where they can sit and wait to be taken care of. Whether your clients will be waiting just a few minutes or longer, the waiting area needs to be comfortable while also accommodating any immediate needs they may have. 

The waiting area should also have stylish floors, carpets, plantlife, artwork, and comfortable chairs. However, you need to go beyond the reception area to provide an inviting experience. You’ll want to have tables with reading materials, water coolers, and perhaps a television. You should also consider having light refreshments and drinks including bottled water, coffee, tea, donuts, muffins, bagels, or cookies. 

If possible, the waiting area should be situated somewhere near the restrooms to accommodate guests who may need to utilize the facilities. 

Impressive Conference Room

If your office is big enough to have a conference room, it needs to be impressive. This is where your clients will spend the majority of their time conducting business. Spring for a sizeable conference table with comfortable office chairs. You can incorporate a few pieces of artwork and plant life to give it more aesthetic appeal. 

You should also be sure to invest in the best of technology when designing the conference room. Having things like a projector and screen, laptops, desktop outlets for phone chargers and USB devices, and dimming lights will certainly give your clients something to talk about. 

Lastly, having an area in the conference room with light refreshments and beverages along with space for catering services should you decide to have lunch. 

Functional and Organized Workspaces

If your office doesn’t have a designated conference room or some of your employees take meetings in their individual workspaces, don’t overlook the importance of functional and organized spaces. Ensure that the office area is always clean, remove any tripping hazards, get rid of clutter, and provide your employees with the products they need to keep their office organized (i.e. filing cabinet, folders, desk organizers, etc.). 

You should also encourage your employees to personalize their workspaces. This is not only a great way to improve productivity and improve workplace morale, but it also gives clients more insight into the type of professionals they’re working with. 

It only takes one bad impression or experience for a client to walk away from your business for good. Though there are a lot of factors that play into first impressions and client experience, providing a comfortable, functional, and aesthetically-appealing office is at the top of the list. Utilize these design tips to put together an office that will leave your clients in awe. 

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Office stock photo by August_0802/Shutterstock