Today, having an impressive office is crucial to running a good, profitable business. With a presentable and professional-looking office, business owners won’t find it hard to retain their current clients or customers and land new ones.
Since having a well-designed, appealing office can help improve the bottom line of a business, as a company owner, you would do well to take a look at your current premises. See if it meets the requirements of your employees and current and new patrons. If it doesn’t, it may be time for you to invest in a new commercial office fit out and interior design.
Having a striking new office, though, typically requires a large initial outlay. You can ensure you will get the maximum return on your investment by following the tips below when renovating your office:
1. Set your budget
It can be tempting to buy a lot of new furnishings or choose top-of-the-line fixtures for a new office. This is especially true if you are still starting a new business. But even if you want to have a really superb office, you can’t pour all the company money into this project.
Setting a budget for your office fit out project will helpensure you will have a refurbished business area which you can afford. Keep in mind that even if you don’t have a lot of money for this endeavor, you can still be satisfied with the result as long as you know your priorities and have the right people working with you.
To come up with a realistic budget, make sure you get quotes for everything needed for the project. In case you are considering hiring a contractor to handle the fit-out, get quotes from different companies first. The rates they will send will help you come up with a good working budget.
Once you have determined your budget, add an extra 20% contingency for any unexpected changes and add-ons that you may eventually need or want.
2. Designate a project manager
In case you don’t have time to spearhead this project, nominate an employee to oversee the project. This person will coordinate with the contractor and vendors, supervise the work, and keep you and the team updated.
When choosing a project manager, make sure he or she has excellent knowledge of your company and has superb organizational, people, and communication skills.This person should also be good in multitasking since he or she will still need to do his or her regular work in addition to overseeing the fit-out project.
3. Consider your employees’ needs and requests
Your staff may have some ideas that can help you have a better-looking, welcoming, and efficient office. Additionally, they may require certain arrangements in order to be more productive. For instance, your marketing team may suggest they work in a closed office space so that they can collaborate more easily and with privacy.
To know their specific requirements, talk to them or have the project manager discuss the upcoming project with them. Take note of their suggestions and requests and try to work them in the new layout and design.
Since your employees will be spending a lot of time in the office, you have to help them be as comfortable and productive as possible. Keep in mind that a fit out is as much about impressing your guest and patrons and your staff, both current and future ones.
4. Choose the right contractor
If you have zero experience with designing an office, getting help from an interior fit-out company will be a good move on your part.
To select the right pros to work with, set up a meeting and visit their premises to see the quality of their work. Request to see their portfolio as well. While doing so, check if they have set up any offices with business or operations that are similar to yours.
Lastly, go online to check the company’s reputation. If you are satisfied with their previous works and list of clients and they have an impeccable reputation, they are great partners to work with.
5. Work with your contractor to come up with the right space plan
Finally, good space planning is a crucial part of the fit-out process. It is important that the whole office has a new layout that maximizes the space available since this can lead to substantial gains in terms of productivity.
Work with your interior fit-out partners to create different layouts that will allow you to get a real feel for the office when designed and laid out in various ways. By using available design technology, they should enable you to try out different ideas and approaches for free.
Once you have the listed items squared away, upon completion of the project, you will have a better office — one that will impress you, your staff, and anyone who sees it. This will, then, positively affect your employees’ productivity, sales, and ultimately, business profitability.
AUTHOR BIO
Shane Curran
CEO at Interact Group LLC
Interact Group is a design-led interior fit out company that aims to set new standards in the UAE interiors market. Driven by their dedication to total customer experience, the company’s mission is to bring truly specialized teams to complex design and fit out challenges, utilizing their unmatched ability to deliver spaces efficiently and above expectation.
