If you’re an up-and-coming company in Queensland and you’re setting up your first independent office space, your first instinct might be to be as economical as possible with everything, including the creation of a highly spartan reception area. You find a range of desks to buy in Brisbane, but you settle for something plain and simple (and cheap) for the reception area. That could be a big mistake. Your reception desk — and reception area as a whole — is a good place to invest just a little more capital.
Here’s why:
Reason 1: It’s the Heart of First Impressions
When clients or prospective clients visit your office for the first time, it’s critical that you make the best possible first impression. As they say, you only ever get one chance at a first impression, so you don’t want to blow it! The reception should reflect your brand, your level of professionalism, and essentially what your business is all about.
The most important thing is a welcoming atmosphere, professional staff, and something that tells customers about your company while they are there waiting to see you. So, a nice desk may seem trivial, but it’s all part of the tapestry that ties together the look, atmosphere, and overall feel of the reception.
Reason 2: It’s Better for Your Reception Staff
The desk isn’t just there for show, of course. It’s an active and critical workstation within your organization and will have at least 1 or quite possibly more people working there. A high-quality reception desk doesn’t just look better but is also better to work on and makes for a more productive workspace. When you give your front desk team the best-possible desk, you are showing them that they are valued, and hopefully reminding them at the same time just how important their role and responsibilities are to your business.
If you want your reception team to be more productive, then a good desk is also a good investment because it creates the kind of environment in which they like being. They are less likely to pull a sickie when they have a comfortable seat and desk, a good computer, a nice workspace, and all the room and resources they need to do their job well.
Reason 3: Better Reflection of Customer Service
A company with the right kind of reception desk is one with which people want to do business. It’s not just about impressing people with fancy furniture, but also on some subconscious level reassuring them that you are running a highly professional, organized, and successful company. A shabby table or cheap ordinary desk at the reception just won’t do. When the reception desk is a shambles, so too is the company in the eyes of customers, at least.
Reason 4: Quality Reception Desks Reflect Good Order No Matter What
Finally, when you invest in the right kind of reception desk design, you’re able to conceal the real condition of the desktop no matter who is sitting behind it. One of the beautiful things about a well-designed and high-quality reception desk is that the desktop itself is usually concealed behind a front barrier. The facade of the desk might have your logo, or just be a clean single color or brushed metal and frosted glass design, or something else.
Even if the desk happens to be chaotic one morning, chances are the desk will ensure no one sees it and gets any sense of disorder or trouble that day. The reception desk is like a steady hand that keeps the best face on your office at all times.