Top Tips for Creating a Comfortable Reception Area
First impressions are crucial and there is no way around it. Because of the ways our mind functions, just a few split seconds can be the deciding factor for visitors, potential clients and partners when forming an opinion on yourself or your business. In the same way that when we attend a meeting, we always make the effort to be well dressed, the same applies for a company’s branding. This ultimately leaks down to reception and welcome areas which often offer that first impression for those coming to your business for the first time. If a potential client walks into a dirty room, poorly ventilated and greeted by a receptionist who looks as though they would rather not be there, then it is not hard to imagine what that first impression is going to be like.
Show Your Identity
Being smart and professional is not always the answer. Of course, it is a very much tried and tested approach, but is a customer likely to purchase surfboards from a business with whitewashed walls and staff dressed in suits? Perhaps not. The design is completely in your hands and it is always important to begin integrating your branding here so that the environment is familiar and simply serves by reassuring guests that they are in the right place. As a word of warning, if your colour scheme likes to incorporate every colour in the rainbow, then try to avoid plastering the walls in the same selection, as the organisation may start to create its own definition of ‘quirky’.
Printed office partitions are a successful way to bring in subtle branding and will effectively break down an area into sections.
Help Guests Feel at Home
Simply because a guest may be in a reception area for less than five minutes is no excuse for letting the standards of the area slip. Keeping the design clean and tidy can be quite easy to do by making the most of open layouts, but making guests feel comfortable can take a bit more tact. Comfortable seating is obviously a must, but not too comfortable! Then introduce some home comforts to keep them occupied, rather than sat twiddling their thumbs and perhaps thinking too much into how your reception area represents the company behind it. Small additions like a television, a few plants and a water machine keep the eyes and the mind occupied and make the building look more than just a corporate front.
Why not add some acoustic office screens, which will help keep the noise down and tie in greatly with the comfortable home feel.
Remember the Small Details
We’ve covered the visual impact now, but it’s as important to get in touch with how the guest is feeling to make a complete impact. Don’t worry, this does not mean delving deep into their minds, but by ensuring they are comfortable. So make sure the temperature is set correctly and the room is well ventilated. Allowing natural light to flow through can have a subtle effect and can be a simple catalyst in brightening the mood when guests walk in.
Office dividers don’t have to shut out the light completely, opt for a full or glazed office partition to keep the space light and airy.
