If your business will be receiving people from the outside, the reception area will be the first impression your guest will have of your business. As the old adage says, "You only get one chance to make a good first impression." The determining factor for how much you should spend on your reception area is how important is that first impression to your business. The more important it is, the more you should spend on your reception area. An office for a legal professional should spend more on the reception area than an office for a manufacturing plant.
Basic reception area furniture consists of the following:
- Receptionist desk/station
- A standard office chair for the receptionist
- Chairs for guests while waiting
- A table to hold literature, magazines or to provide your guests a place to put their briefcase or laptop while waiting
- Coat rack or closet
Lastly, if security is an issue, then you may want to locate the receptionist desk behind a wall and have a sliding security window installed in the wall. This will separate the receptionist from the guest until they are identified and invited in.
