Creating a welcoming office entrance

An entrance says more about your company that you think it does. Opening into an office is like opening into the core of the business. Today we'll be talking about how to create a great first impression with the entrance to you office.

We recommend going with the basics. Though sounding a little silly the 5 senses do work.

1.Sight.

A welcoming office of course needs to look the part. We recommend achieving a welcoming atmosphere and visually appealing place in 3 ways

1. Space things out. Have open areas where air doesn't get trapped and creates a good air flow.
2. Seating. Mentioned a little more later, seating fits into both sight and touch. Scour around for seating that is both comfortable and also pretty. Opt for either company colors that will hopefully match everything else or the classic black
3. Decor. Use your business slogan and decor or incorporate the company's colors into the pain designs for a sense of team spirit.

2. Sound

When entering an office, if greeted by loud telephones, people talking all at once and constant clicking and typing. Things may seem very intimidating or at the very least, hectic. We don't want visitors to get the idea things aren't under control now do we?

Try to place items like the phone or computers away from the entrance as to soften the blow of sound coming from them upon entrance. To also create a more spacious environment rather than computers blocking your view at first sight. Depending on your office, if the entrance area is large enough and doubles as a waiting are having some soft ambient music playing is also a plus to create a relaxed and inviting entrance.

3. Smell

Believe it or not our brains do remember scents, in fact the correct term for it is Olfactory memory. Leave a long lasting impression by keeping the scents in the office sweet and light. Have an oil burner going or invest in a timed air freshener to keep the aroma going in the office. Avoid having food with strong odors or snacks that can not only affect the office odors but also destroy the view.

4. Touch.

Here is where things may come across as strange. We don't mean go all touchy with clients but think more of the surfaces that clients, customers and visitors will touch. The sitting chairs and sofas in the sitting area. The chairs and tables in the conference rooms and meeting rooms. The coffee mugs  and glasses you use to serve drinks in. Even the stationary you use within the office! This is where any object or surface can make a difference. Imagine your client sitting in an uncomfortable chair. Their concentration won't be with them at that moment because they will be distracted with how uncomfortable they are. This is when the materialistic things make a long lasting impact.

5. Taste

The last sense, taste. It is common in office culture to have a drinks/snack station. Position this near the entrance to make the entrance more inviting. Everybody loves some form of food, but you can guarantee that everyone will love free food. There is no reason to break the bank on snacks but providing something other than breath mints and water for guests is definitely something that makes any office more inviting.

Till next time,

Roro