Your office design creates the first impression customers will have of your business, from its warmth to how professional you are.

First impressions are incredibly important for your office. When you first meet a new person, they’ll form an impression of you within the first seven seconds of that meeting. Your office has the same handful of seconds to form a great first impression on clients as they come in. Is your office creating the right first impression? Consider these important elements. 

What are your goals for your office?

When it comes to goals for your office, you probably have two key things in mind. First and foremost, you want to impress your customers, letting them know that your business is worth investing in. Second, you want to attract and retain employees–and not just employees in general, but the ones who will fit with your company’s culture and goals. 

What does your style look like?

The style of your office says a lot about who you are as a business. The environment you work in sets the tone for many of your interactions with customers, both the ones who have already decided to use your business and the ones who are considering everything your business has to offer. What does your style look like? Are you:

  • Comfy and welcoming? A welcoming environment might start with soft cushions, warm colours, and artwork designed to make both your customers and your employees feel at home in the office. 
  • Calming and zen-like? Pastel colors, soothing artwork, and rounded edges can all contribute to that feeling of tranquility–as can a neat, tidy office, where most of your supplies are tucked away and you don’t have to worry about a visual mess. 
  • Glamourous and elegant? You may want a modern office design with sparkly accents in just the right places. Modern furniture, a black, white, and grey color palate, and signs of your past successes can all help set your office apart. 
  • Bold and exciting? Bright colors, an open office design, and functional furniture can all help create the image of an energetic, exciting office where you’re getting things done. 
  • Eclectic and creative? This is one impression that makes it critical for your unique style to shine through. Choose your decor and your furniture with care. If you’re aiming for an eclectic impression, you can get away with trying out unique furniture placement and function, an open office design, and plenty of space for creative collaboration. 

A Redesign Can Help

If your office isn’t sending the right first impression, a redesign can help! If your company focuses on collaboration and creative problem solving, for example, a stuffy office with lots of individual cubicles and employees who are blocked away from one another may not make the right first impression. Likewise, if you’re trying to set yourself apart as glamorous and prestigious, you might find that the open-concept office design needs to give way to more private spaces for your employees–and for visiting customers. As you’re redesigning your office, ask these key questions:

  • Does your office design fit your specific needs?
  • How does each design element help accomplish your goals?
  • How will the design function once your employees actually use it every day?

If you’re ready to learn more about how your office’s design can help improve your first impression and set your business apart, contact us. We can help you design your dream office: the one that not only creates better function for your employees, but lets customers know exactly what they should expect from you in terms of character, quality, and more.