The importance of reception area, the link between you and your customer

Just as a face represents a person, the reception area represents an office or a business. And just as we form an opinion by looking at the person (usually the face), most visitors similarly form an opinion about the business and how it is doing by looking at the reception area.

And perhaps the most important thing in the reception area is the reception desk. But these desks can be of many types. For example, reception desks often come in wood, glass and even in steel. And they come in many shapes as well such as rectangular, square and even like a semi-circle. So if you have an office to decorate, a smart and a stylish reception desk is what you need.

But the importance of reception desks goes beyond just beautifying the area. These desks must have utility too, because this is where the front office department of the business is going to be located. There are many important tasks carried out from this area such as receiving and sending letters, attending phone calls and of course attending visitors. So the design of the reception desk is important. It needs to be ensured that it is designed to ease the carrying out of multiple tasks, because often the front office people need to switch from one task to another. The desk should help them do this and the design should never come in the way of smooth operations.

The reception desk should also come with some storage area where the person can keep important documents safely. It should also be designed in such a way that the wires of telephones, fax machines and others can be accommodated, and these wires are not exposed to the visitors.

Most businesspeople know the value of making a good first impression in the workplace: dress conservatively at job interviews, don't say anything negative about past employers, and proof resumes and cover letters for typos.

The same "you'll-never-get-a-second-chance-to-make-a-first-impression" rules should apply when designing or decorating the work space, architects say.

The reception area, or lobby is of critical importance. In a way, your lobby is really like your business card. Visitors should be able to walk in, look around and right away understand what this company does.

The reception area needed to be welcoming, but also emanate creativity by being interesting and surprising.

For example with cool blues on the walls and a mint-green countertop that curves inward, welcoming visitors.

Many designers think that a company's reception area or waiting room should be separate from the rest of the work area. Visitors walking in should be able to get a glimpse of the rest of the office and of what happens in the company but they shouldn't be immediately thrust into a work space. And  if a company really wants to convey "cutting edge" with its reception area, it should be prepared to change it frequently. 

The receptionist is the initial contact point with the external world and so it is in a very powerful place to improve the way the company is perceived.

This is why it is so important that this person is well trained and educated on the tasks she will deal with.

For this reason now there are various courses, even online, to prepare them, these courses are offered by schools and institutions, because receptionists are the first link between customer or visitors and the company, therefore the way they relate themselves with these people is of primary importance for the final goal of doing a great first impression.