Summer Cleaning!
Summer cleaning with Sacramento certified accountants at Cook CPA Group. Professional accountants from Cook CPA Group discuss the benefits of keeping your workplace tidy to increase productivity.
I often scurry around before client appointments to get rid of clutter and work projects. Here’s some other ideas that might be helpful. Feel free to substitute “office” for your main work location.
You may not pay much attention to the physical
appearance of your office, but you can be sure your
clients do. Take time right now to determine what your
office says about you.
Start by driving to your office as your clients do. Is
it easy to find? Is there plenty of convenient parking?
Once inside your office, does your client have a
comfortable place to wait? Is the reception area warm
and inviting? Is your client kept waiting beyond the
scheduled appointment time? Even ten minutes can be a
real problem for some clients. Is the receptionist
friendly and good with names? The next time you visit
your lawyer or your doctor, note how you are made to
feel and what it does to your perception of that
professional.
Does your office have a fresh, crisp, new look? You can
have traditional furniture without an outdated or
tattered look. If your furniture has been around for
more than six or seven years, perhaps it’s time to
replace it. This is especially true for waiting room
furniture or the chairs that your clients use during
interviews. It isn’t likely that your clients will say
anything to you about your furnishings, but they are
part of the impression clients form about you and your
professionalism.
There’s also a positive psychological effect on your
own staff in having a new, fresh looking office every
six years or so. This new look includes paintings,
draperies, ceiling tile, light fixtures, carpeting,
waiting room furniture, desks, etc.
The location of your office will determine in large
part the kind of clients you will have. As your firm
grows and your clients and/or you become specialized,
you may find it necessary to relocate. If you’re
serving a number of clients in a specific area, you
should be located so that your clients find it
convenient to deal with you. This is one more courtesy
your clients will appreciate even though they don’t
mention it.
If your office needs freshening, do it this summer so
you’ll project the image you want when busy season
rolls around again.
Evelyn