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By Henry Brown

Regardless of your industry, if you have an office or a building, chances are you will receive visitor. For those unfamiliar with your property or location, first impressions count. If you are looking to build partnerships, how they encounter your office and their experience will form the basis of your relationship going forward. Suffice to say, you want to make the best impressions possible, and the following tips can help you to do just that.

Make your building’s location and floor plan easy to find

Visitors should be able to find the entrance to your building easily. If your building’s entrance is located in a busy parking lot or street, ensure adequate signage, so people know how to get to it. You may want to put a large “Visitor Entrance” sign near the parking meters so people can easily find their way.

If your building has multiple floors, put directory signs at each elevator bank showing each floor and the direction of travel. If your building has a public stairwell, you might want to put a large sign on the wall above the stairs that shows all of the floors in the building and the direction of travel to each floor.

Mark the path to important locations

Once a visitor has located your building, they should be able to find their way to your visitor information desk, restrooms, and other essential locations in your building. Remember that not everyone reading the signs you post can see them. This is especially true for people with visual impairments or cognitive disabilities. You may consider adding tactile diagrams or Braille markers with directions to these locations to make them more accessible.

If your building has multiple floors, you may want to place signs at the elevator banks to help visitors find their way to the correct floor. Visitors unfamiliar with your building may also be unsure where to park. You may want to place signs at the entrance to your parking lot to highlight which lots are for visitors and which are for employees only.

If your building has multiple departments, you may also want to place signs in common areas such as the cafeteria or break room to let visitors know where they can find the department they need.

Needless to say, your facilities should also always be spotlessly clean and employees should be trained to keep their work areas neat and uncluttered. Find the best cleaning company in your area, one with a great reputation, such as this commercial cleaning company in Sherwood Park.

Train staff on what behaviors are welcome and what behaviors are not

It’s essential to inform all staff members what behaviors are welcomed in your building and which ones should be avoided. Make it clear that any unwelcome behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Give examples of what is and what is not acceptable behavior.

Some examples of appropriate behavior include welcoming guests and thanking them for visiting your building, helping guests find their way around the building, assisting them with finding information and materials, and offering assistance when asked. Make sure that staff understands that they are responsible for ending any such behavior and that they are also required to report all such incidents to you.

Make sure you have someone welcoming and assisting visitors

The front desk is the most likely place for visitors when they arrive in your building, so it should be staffed with people who can help them find the materials and services they’re looking for. Whether or not they escort visitors to their meetings or the correct department, having them feel welcome when they arrive makes all the difference.

Refreshments and comfortable waiting areas will also help you make an excellent first impression and ensure everyone feels welcome regardless of location. On top of this, you might want to consider working stations with internet access and outlets to charge electronic devices for convenience too.

Provide interactive technologies throughout the building

Digital screens and interactive maps go a long way in helping visitors discover more about your company, the layout of your office building, and what you are currently working on. The information displayed via screen or touchpoints can be configured to show sufficient information that shows off your company in the best light.

Alternatively, you can use digital signage to provide light entertainment in waiting areas, so visitors aren’t sitting around bored waiting for appointments or being shown where they need to be. Signage can show music, live streams, or lifestyle channels, for example, as entertainment.

Conclusion

To make your visitors more uncomfortable, you must look at your office as if you were a visitor. After all, while you might be familiar with the building, those who have never visited won’t be. Putting yourself in their shoes can be extremely helpful and potentially eye-opening.

Things to consider include what would you look for when arriving at a building for the first time? This can help you identify any changes you can make to allow for easier access and navigation around the building and ensure your visitors are looked after during their visit.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.