Business Journal

First impressions are crucial in business, and your company will never recover if a visitor has a bad first impression of your company. There can be a multitude of aspects which can result in a bad first impression
• A website, which doesn’t work or portrays inaccurate information
• A run down office which is poorly maintained
• An office which doesn’t look anything like the picture on the website and staffed by two people and not the 30 members that were advertised
• An employee who doesn’t hold the door open or who answers the door rudely
• An untidy reception area

The reception area is what I want to focus on in this post. Most businesses have a reception area where visitors wait until their appointment time. The reception area is one of the first areas of your business premises that your visitor will encounter.
Ensuring that this reception area is clean and tidy should be the first priority, this is not a difficult task, nor is it expensive. You should have measures in place to ensure that the reception is cleaned daily, repairs that are needed are reported promptly and that any company literature on display is up to date and in good condition.
I also think that creating a relaxed and comfortable environment is important, and so here are some top decoration tips:
• Provide good lighting – don’t make your visitor sit in the dark, struggling to read the provided pamphlet
• Provide comfortable seating, which is in a good condition – I would recommend a group of tub chairs, they look great and are sturdy
• Decorate the walls with any company awards, logos or team photos – help create a positive impression of your company and be proud of any achievements
• A vase of flowers is always a nice touch – just remember to change them regularly, dead flowers in a vase doesn’t look good!

Finally ensure that if you have a staffed reception area ensure that they are polite, friendly and smartly dressed, they are often the first members of your team to make contact with a visitor and need to convey a professional image.

Some of the tips here are very easy to implement and do not need to be expensive, other updates such as furnishings may require an investment but creating a strong brand image and a positive first impression is a crucial business step.