The Importance of a First Impression and your Reception Area

Everyone knows that first impressions are important – they’re crucial! Especially in the retail, office and hospitality sectors. When customers, employees or business partners enter your reception area, they form an opinion of the organisation that goes beyond the furniture.

That’s why it’s so important to get the visuals and functionality of your reception area just right.

The right impression lasts a lifetime.

It might seem completely obvious but more often than not, companies don’t afford the due care and attention to their reception areas that they should.

When you meet someone for the first time, a few things can make or break how they feel about you. Your hygiene, how well you dress, and how much effort you put into making small talk affect how they see you. The same is true in business.

Creating a good first impression will help you to stand out from your competitors and set the tone for your company. The more comfortable customers are with your brand, and the more they feel like you care, the more likely they will continue using your services.

If you want to get ahead in business and impress clients at every turn, it’s essential to create a warm and inviting reception area that helps to convey your professionalism, highlighting to existing and new clients that you are there to help them.

As we touched on above, your reception area is the key factor in creating a positive first impression with your visitors.

This is where you greet them, where they spend the first part of their journey with your company. Here are our top tips for ensuring your reception area impresses all of your guests:

Layout:

The layout is key to create a welcoming reception area. An effective layout should facilitate an easy traffic flow and make the area aesthetically pleasing. Consider the size of your reception area and plan where furniture needs to be placed, for example, reception desks, chairs for visitors, and an area for magazines and leaflets.

Need help? Simply call us on 0800 014 8590 and we can help with everything from dimensions, design and product selection.

Furnishings:

Select furniture that best suits your brand and your customers. Choose comfortable seating for visitors and opt for stylish and modern pieces. Pay attention to fabric choices, as well as wood and metal finishes.

Branding:

Branding is an important factor when creating a welcoming reception area. Incorporate your company logo into the design and make it visible and eye-catching.

Durable Materials:

Create a space which is long-lasting and will withstand the test of time. Look for durable furniture that is well-made and has a timeless design.

Ask yourself – when a customer walks through the door of your business, what do they see?

It’s easy to forget that we almost always judge based on appearances. What does your reception area say about who you are and what you value as a company?

Is it pretentious, casual, creative, or bland?

Does it inspire confidence in your brand and help customers understand the message you want to convey?

When the brain automatically starts cataloguing surroundings, you need to ensure that your reception area sends the right message to your visitors.

Your reception area is a powerful tool for building customer loyalty, attracting new clients, employees, and establishing an emotional connection with your visitors. It’s also a great way to build brand recognition, boost customer service satisfaction scores, increase sales conversions, and create a memorable experience for everyone who comes through the doors.

Consider the following when designing your waiting area:

• What does your company stand for? What do you want the world to know about you? Think about how you want people to feel when they enter your business.
• How can you make it easier for people to learn what makes your business special? Think about how much time people spend standing at the front desk before being greeted by a staff member. Can your reception area make people feel they’re being taken care of immediately?
• How can you ensure that visitors see themselves as valued customers from the moment they enter until they leave? If you don’t care how your brand or company are perceived, how can you make the client feel valued?

Once upon a time, reception areas were generic. They were used to welcome visitors and give them a place to sit while they waited to be seen by a staff member.

But today’s reception areas are much more than that. They’re a crucial part of the company’s brand identity and message and a way for visitors to learn about what makes that business unique.

Today, companies are much more aware that their reception areas can influence visitors’ perceptions of them. Therefore, they put a lot more focus on comfort. Always having someone friendly and professional looking at the front desk to welcome visitors. On strategically displaying company branding and simply owing the place to send a clear message.

The generic magazines have been replaced with leaflets to read, where visitors can learn more about the company. And office reception rooms have been upgraded from generic “waiting rooms”, whose only roles used to be welcoming visitors, to crucial areas in companies’ office buildings. Whose role is to welcome visitors AND communicate to them what those businesses are about. What their values are, and what they stand for.