| Office Matters - Useful Office Articles |
or "Where Does the Client Sit?"
Most companies, no matter what they do, will have clients and/or partners that will visit their offices from time to time. It is important that your offices make a good first impression every single time someone visits them.
This does not mean you need a fancy waiting room with a wide screen television and tropical fish tanks. It does mean that any areas the visitor is likely to see should be tidy, bright and cheerful. No matter how sparse or low budget an office is it should be clean with the floors swept or vacuumed, books and paperwork tidy, desks dusted, coffee rings wiped off and clutter cleared away.
When your client arrives make sure they're comfortable. Don't leave them standing around for ever waiting for someone to show them where to go. Don't wait for them to ask where they should put their coat or if they can have a drink.
Put yourself in their shoes; you're in a new place, you don't know where anything is and you've never met most (or any) of the people. You're a tiny bit nervous and out of place. You've had a long drive to get here and you'd like a cup of tea and you need to use the loo but you don't want to ask anyone.
If you put yourself in their place it's easy to anticipate what they need in order to feel at ease. If your visiting client is comfortable they are more likely to respond favourably to your proposal or sales pitch. No one is going to be in a buying mood when they're thirsty and dying to pay a visit to the men's room.
An example checklist to run through in your head before your client arrives:
- Is the office, reception area and meeting room tidy?
- Are the men's and ladies' rooms clean? Is there enough toilet paper?
- Have the bins been emptied?
- Do we have tea, coffee, milk, cream and sugar?
- Are the coffee cups/tea mugs and spoons clean?
- Are water/juice and cups out for the client?
- Are there biscuits, pastries or fruit to snack on, especially if the client has come a long way and/or it's due to be a lengthy meeting?
- Is there a box of tissues?
- Do we have pens and paper nearby?
- Is there someone to greet him/her as they arrive?
- Is there somewhere for them to put their coat?
- If they have to wait a few minutes does the greeter know to offer them a drink and ask them if they need anything else?