How Sprucing Up Your Office Could Help Client Relationships Flourish

Our surroundings can be very important to us, and we put a lot of time and money into making sure that our homes look and feel the way that we want. We spend hours perusing paint charts and finding the perfect finishing touches to make it our sanctuary. However, the décor at work can often be more of an afterthought, with nothing more than a family photo and a cactus to make our workspace look appealing.

Interior design is about more than making things look pretty, as the space we find ourselves in can change how we feel and how others feel about us.

Have a look around your office now and imagine what it might say about you to a client who is about to walk through to door? Is it bare and cold or warm and welcoming? Does it scream professionalism, creativity, or something less appealing? Maybe now is the time to think about how you can give your office a makeover to help bring in new clients and boost your relationships.

Reception

Your reception area is often the first thing that a customer will see, so you need to make sure that it makes the right impression. It will set the tone for the rest of the visit, so it needs to embody your business. Consider the energy and the mood that you want to convey through big decisions such as colour lighting and furniture.

However, you should also look at the small details as these will be the things a customer notices as they sit waiting for you. You should put some thought into what reading matter you might leave on a table, the decorative pieces that you choose and the facilities that you might provide, as these can all say a lot about you.

Signage

There are obvious things to think about when it comes to furnishing an office, but once you have chosen your desk, your chair, and your blinds, you need to turn your attention to your office signage. How well do you advertise where you are? If someone could walk past your office without even knowing, then you need to think about installing some eye-catching and professional signage to announce your presence.

Attractive signage outside your business or in reception plays a large part in the first impressions that your customers make. Not only will good signage show that your business is a long-term, permanent fixture, but it will also help to reinforce your brand identity. Thinking about what your signage conveys to visitors, customers and your staff can help to influence your design when it comes to colours, fonts, and styles.

Think about what you want your signage to say about your business from the start and remember that it doesn’t just need to be your logo. Your signage could include a business slogan or strapline, company values, a motto, or even an inspirational quote. Let your imagination run wild and get creative.

You might also need signage for more practical reasons. If your workplace is a bit of a maze, then your directional signage can quite literally point people in the right direction. Making it easier to find you takes away some of the stress of a visit and can emphasise your presence in the building.

Seating

You are likely to spend hours searching for the perfect office chair. After all, you need to feel comfortable and supported when you spend many hours sitting in it. This can often be an expensive purchase and can look quite grand behind your desk, but do you put the same thought into the seating your clients will enjoy. Relaxing back into a huge leather chair looks less impressive when your client is perched on something cold, cheap, and plastic.

It says a lot about how much thought you have given them, so make sure that they can be just as comfortable in your office as you are.

Lighting

Your lighting might seem simple, but this needs some thought too. Natural light will always be your friend, so try and maximise whatever you can. Various studies have found that natural light is linked to elevated satisfaction levels for both clients and employees and plays a part in healthier moods and overall happiness.

The world has changed, and face to face is no longer the only way to meet your clients. If you are conducting meetings through video calls, it is important to think about your light source and where it is. Natural light is still your best option, and the light should always come from behind your screen. If this is not practical, then a ring light that provides a variety of tones can be beneficial. These can be large and freestanding or something that you clip onto the top of your screen.

Maintenance

You can invest time and money into setting up a beautiful office, but you need to make sure that it stays that way. Commercial cleaners can keep everything spick and span, but you should also keep an eye out for signs and wear and tear.

Fraying carpets, broken chairs, damp patches, dying pot plants and trailing wires will all draw the eye of your client, and they will not leave a good impression. If you don’t care about your office, they are likely to question how much you care about your work.

Taking some time to regularly look around your office and replace or repair any issues can go a long way when it comes to winning over a client.

Your relationship with your client is vital, so it’s important that you do all you can to make sure that it is a healthy one. Inviting them into your business is a big step and it tells them a lot about you. That means that it deserves both time, money, and imagination to make sure that it projects all of the right messages and gets any meeting off on the right foot. Then, it’s just up to you to show them how great you are!