Making an Entrance!

    When a client is able to enter a building or place of business with confidence, another step of hospitality has been accomplished. Doors can either be welcoming entrances or inhospitable barriers. 

     There are two definitions of ‘door’ that are applicable to this conversation.  The word ‘door’ can be defined as a ’swinging or sliding barrier by which an entry is closed or opened’ - identifying it as a piece of furniture or part of a structure. This is the way we usually think of a door. The second definition, ‘a means of access or participation’, speaks of opportunity.

     I particularly like this second definition, especially when thinking of the entrance into our business space as being welcoming to our clients.   A door is an invitation to participate in our business.  Suddenly this makes the door very important. 

Here are a few tips:

1.     Is the door well marked by color, style, size, an awning, lighting, and signage? In other words – is the door easy to find in order to identify your business?  A door is a focal point that tells us where we wish for people to enter.  Let’s not make it difficult to locate!

2.     If there are two or more doors, be sure that all doors are unlocked. This sounds like a no-brainer, but have you ever noticed how frequently you reach for the right hand door – only to find it locked?    So why is right door locked and the left side open for business?  Here’s my theory . . .   We are a right handed culture and most of our daily habits navigate to the right.  The ‘business’ unlocks the right door from the inside which is the left door to the client.  Again –thinking from the client’s point of view offers valuable information. A locked door gives many messages to your client including 'not open for business' and ‘you are not welcome here.’

3.     Being able to see in and see out is important for everyone concerned. It is how we first begin to navigate a space.  Doors with full length glass allow us to physically and emotionally feel safe by seeing where we are going.  We are able to note whether others are about to open the door or be in our path when entering. We can start to assess where to check in, where to wait, how busy the space is.  Each piece of information we gather before entering, helps us feel more confident and secure.

     With every step of a client’s movement to the building, into the building, and within the building, we must create spaces that offer hospitality. Let’s give thought to what makes a great entrance for our clients so theirs is a confident entrance! 

Does the Reception Area Influence Your Clients?

Yes, indeed!   

While 1) service and 2) a trusted recommendation were valued more than the look and feel of the reception area, the twenty-four subjects in my research study said they would be influenced by 3) the reception area in their decision to retain a business. 

They also voiced that the quality of service expected by the business was sometimes prejudiced by the appearance of the reception area. Caring for a client’s comfort level was a key factor in their responses.

Here are some of their remarks and observations.  Listen carefully . . . Does the reception area influence a person’s decision to retain the services of a business?

·         “The lack of design for comfort and the busyness of the space would make me pause about retaining them.”

·        “I would go if the doctor was recommended.  The space makes me wonder about how they view their clients.  I might also be a bit uncomfortable sharing any information verbally because every word can be heard in that space.”

·        “I am not likely to come here.  If your place is not up to date, is your service up to date?”

·         “I would feel tentative on my first visit because of the reception space.  This would prompt me to think – is this the right person for me?

·        “Would give them a chance - it is a relaxed place. The casual look of the space would have me think that this is the way the practitioners are as well.”

·        “I would feel well cared for here – feels personal and not so clinical but still professional giving me confidence in their ability to provide good care. The only less than comfortable feeling I had was in regard to the exterior of the building.  It looked a little dumpy, but seeing a professional directory on the wall upon entering the building made that feeling go away.”

·         “Yes, the business wants me to be comfortable while I wait. I like the open space and the order.  I will probably be treated well here.”

·         “Yes, I do not question that this is a good place. The music and couch tell me they want this to feel like your living room.  Come in and make yourself at home.”

I was enlightened by their explanations.  How about you?  Did you pick up some helpful tips for your reception area?  Hope so!

            

A Professional Image - Spatially Speaking

Many businesses are unaware of how important the reception area is to their image and even the perceived quality of service. In several research studies, hospital waiting rooms that were viewed as attractive were given higher marks for the service received.  It was revealed that if the waiting rooms were not given care, then a patient’s care might be in jeopardy.  When I asked my research subjects what physical attributes found in the reception area most contributed to a professional image they responded:

1)    Appropriate Identification

2)    Caring for Client Needs

3)    Congruence with the Nature of the Business

Appropriate Identification

Visible identification such as credentials verifies the legitimacy of a business. Seeing the names of the practitioners by use of signage, credentials, or business cards and brochures, provides clients with a sense of security that a business is official and has qualified staff.   It is interesting, that a significantly higher professional status is given to a person when credentials are displayed.

A study by the Michigan Ross School of Business discovered that professionalism is also determined by the fewer number of personal artifacts that are found in the office (such as family photographs and items related to personal interests).  If too many personal items are seen, the person is viewed as not being professional. While this study was conducted in personal offices and not the reception area, it may suggest that the separation of work and home life is a criterion for determining a definition of professionalism.

Caring for Client Needs

My research subjects commented that a professional image is seeing indications that a client is valued. The ease of accessibility and being able to immediately see the reception desk was significant for a client’s comfort level, but it was also crucial that the activity of the office be removed from those who were waiting.  Too much awareness of office activity was viewed as inappropriate for a client to see and hear.  Comfortable seating, magazines, and beverages indicated that the business had given thought to the needs of their clients.

Whether the professional image was a positive or negative impression relied on the quality of those individual physical attributes. Simply having each of these physical attributes was not enough.  Out of date and messy magazines detracted from a professional image.    From the viewpoint of the client, the quality of each attribute reflected on how the business valued and cared for its clients.

Congruence with the Nature of the Business

The third physical attribute named was congruence with the nature of the business. In this study, both businesses were required to respect personal confidentiality which was expected to be supported in the reception space. A seating arrangement that provided for some personal privacy as well as background music to privatize conversations was appreciated. It was also important that the style of music and any smells match the kind of business and be appropriate in preparing the client for the professional services. Signage that spoke to the issue of confidentiality was clarifying.  Providing tissue boxes in the reception area was congruent with the nature of a counseling business and also said that they understood the needs of their clients. Having magazines that matched the nature of the business were greatly appreciated and might even assist the client’s readiness in working with the professional.

 Places speak to us.  What they say affects us and influences our behaviour.  Their messages stem from the underlying attitudes with which places are planned, made, used, and maintained.  Few of us consciously acknowledge these messages, but subliminally we all experience them, are all affected by them.  Christopher Day

 May these guidelines be insightful as you plan and maintain your reception space. 

First Impressions Count

I have often said that the reception area is the ‘Room of Introduction’ for a business.  In this space a client begins to ‘see’ who you are and first impressions are formed. Have you ever wondered what physical attributes about a reception area prompt our first impressions?   I certainly have and set out to discover what they were. I hired 24 adults as my research subjects - asking them to visit two different reception areas.  Their findings suggest four key areas that prompt our FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF A PLACE. 

1) Size and Density

2) A sense of Order 

3) Seating Arrangement

4) The Unusual

The research subjects’ first impressions used the words spacious and open, small and crowded to reflect how they experienced the SIZE AND DENSITY of the two reception areas.  Business A was referred to as small and crowded which produced a negative first impression. The space had too much in it that immediately confronted a client. (Where to check in, too many signs to read, where to sit, credentials, brochures, magazines, office activity)   In Business B the majority of all subjects named a quality (inviting, welcoming, and comfortable) about the reception area. Here the size and density of the room were not confining which allowed the subjects to slowly engage and navigate their surroundings.

           In both reception areas the SEATING ARRANGEMENT was noticed and assessed for privacy as well as comfort. Business B’s seating options were varied and accommodated the need for personal space. Business A's chairs were not only too close to each other, but very uncomfortable.  The nature of these two businesses was related to confidential areas of physical and emotional health where the subjects expected that to be reflected in the reception area. Seating that allowed for some space between people was important. Several subjects in the study commented that the reception area can help to create an environment for a client’s readiness to receive the services offered by the business. 

           All subjects found crowded and cluttered spaces disturbing. A SENSE OF ORDER and cleanliness established a positive first impression of the business and a negative impression when not present. Cleanliness also referred to the fresh and new qualities of the décor which included flooring, wall color, artwork, and furnishings. It was evident that while keeping a room uncluttered is a constant task for a business, the efforts are noticed and do affect clients.

UNUSUAL physical attributes (meaning out of place, extreme or exceptional) were quickly noticed by the research subjects. This indicated that any one item can stand out, be noticed and that the smallest physical attribute can be instrumental in the formation of a first impression. In these two businesses, subjects viewed an out of control plant that traveled around the room as ‘extreme’ and a wall clock more appropriate for a children’s bedroom as ‘out of place’.  What they noted as ‘exceptional’ was the use of varied lighting which made one reception space more enjoyable. 


Now - what about YOUR reception area?