Reception Chairs: Fitting Design With Your Business Goals

2008-07-24 Word Count: 1024 Category: Business

Your reception area is the first thing that most potential clients see about your business. It will say a lot about you and your business practices before your potential customers ever get the chance to meet you in many cases. For this reason, it is important that you make your reception chairs as comfortable as possible and that you make them fit in with the purpose of your business.

You would not expect plush chairs with fabric and pillows in an auto shop reception area. You want your customers to be comfortable but you also want the furniture you choose to last more than a week. Furniture shops are notorious for stains, grease, and all manner of dirt and oily residues. Fabric is a very poor choice for this situation.

By the same token you certainly wouldn't want the standard auto shop chairs for the reception area in a law firm. You would want a business friendly reception area in a law firm where clients can feel comfortable to work while they wait or at least look like they are working while they wait. One size does not fit all when designing reception areas and you really need to keep in mind the business you are in when selecting reception area chairs.

Bariatric doctors build practices that are centered on obesity. It makes little sense for these doctors to select chairs that are designed for people that are of average size, weight, and height when the vast majority of their patients are overweight and may have difficulty getting comfortable in these reception chairs. You also would not expect to see chairs designed for the smaller patients of a pediatrician in a sports medicine facility that specialized in basketball injuries. Each of these instances requires chairs that are designed for the comfort of the general patients doing the waiting but need to be very different from one another for the best use.

Keep your visitors in mind when designing and buying reception chairs and other reception area furniture first and foremost. Beyond this you also want to make sure that the reception chairs you choose make creative use of the space. You can create informal seating areas within the reception area if there is enough room to provide some privacy when necessary, place tables and outlets nearby for those that need computer workspace, and make sure that the chairs you choose are easily movable. There are times when the space will need to be rearranged for various reasons. You want to be able to move the furniture easily from one place to the next.

Things to Keep in Mind when Creating Appropriate Designs

1) Customers. You want to put your customers first in all aspects of your design. Your customers expect a comfortable place to wait and it is your job to provide it for them. Minimize the wait whenever possible. Provide comfortable chairs that accommodate people of various sizes, and avoid seating situations such as sofas that can make those waiting feel uncomfortable. Know your customers and create a space that is going to be comfortable and appropriate for them and the purpose of their visit to your place of business. If you put your customers first in all things about your business you will find that your business will be on a fast track to prosperity. This includes furniture selection and chairs for the reception area that are appropriate for your business and your clientele is a great place to begin and allows you to make a wonderful first impression.

2) Be creative with your space. This is probably the most difficult for most business owners. In general businesses do not have an incredible amount of space available to devote to a reception area so that space needs to be used as creatively as possible. You may need to arrange the reception chairs in an interesting configuration in order to make it all work. If you have an unusual layout for your reception area you might benefit from consulting with a designer that specializes in either waiting areas, unusual spaces, or both. If you cannot afford to hire a designer as a consultant at least try to imitate the work of a great designer in your reception area.

3) Consider package deals. There are often reception area package deals that offer a completed look put together for you. If you are hopeless when it comes to things like design these are often an excellent choice to make - at least from a business perspective. You can often find these packages in trade magazines so that they are appropriate to your specific business. The drawback to this is that you have a rather generic waiting area. The benefit is that you generally have a waiting area that suits the needs of your average client. Be sure to add some personal touches that are appropriate for you in your reception area as well as things you feel your customers might appreciate to liven up your package deal décor.

4) Make it comfortable. You want your customers to feel comfortable visiting your business. They need a comfortable place to sit while they are waiting for you. The longer the potential wait the more comfortable the seating needs to be. Sit in the chairs you want to use in your reception area before you buy them. This gives you the opportunity to see for yourself how comfortable they are and whether or not you really want to use these chairs as a representation of your commitment to your customers. Caring for their comfort is the first step in creating a solid business relationship. They will also be more receptive to what you have to tell them if they aren't still and uncomfortable from sitting on your furniture.

Whenever you create a reception area you are tasked with the difficult job of providing a first impression without being present. Far too often the importance and value of this task is overlooked for the sake of expedience. A well-designed reception area speaks volumes about a business. What does your reception area say about your business?

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