Making a good impression is one of the most important aspects of running a business, which is, of course, no big secret. However, where newer companies will often fall short is in their commitment to maintain their hard-earned reputation. It’s seldom easy to build a good reputation through impression and performance, but it’s significantly more difficult to maintain that impression down the line. Keeping that point in mind, here are four of the most important areas of a business compound that companies should take extra care to maintain to a high level.
Landscaping
Nothing creates a more lasting visual impression from the outside than the landscaping. Now, the kind of landscaping design that would suit the compound’s external décor is highly variable. It depends on factors like the sector, brand persona, external building décor, functionality, etc. Nevertheless, maintenance is the single most important aspect of impressive landscaping.
A well-maintained, periodically mowed, lush green grass lawn is more impressive than an extravagant garden that ends up looking bad in a few years’ time. Less is more when it comes to landscaping strategies for corporate compounds because that makes everything easier to maintain and less expensive.
Parking Lots
Commercial parking lot maintenance is as much a matter of impression as it is a question of functional business requirements. That’s true for all companies in general and not just those in the parking lot business. Just think about the kind of impression a poorly maintained and scarcely lit parking lot would leave on your clients, partners, investors, employees, and customers every time they drive in and out of that lot.
The more uncomfortable the drive is, the worse it would be for your company’s reputation, outlook, and even revenue down the line. Therefore, maintaining the parking lot in optimum condition is an essential requirement for maintaining a good business impression, irrespective of the sector. Customers hate being in positions where they have little choice, which would indeed be a problem for them to deal with each time they drive into your place of business.
In other words, poor parking lot maintenance just gives your customers a reason to not come back. Their poor impression will be reflected in online reviews and offline recommendations as well. All of that will eventually start hurting both reputation and revenue down the line. After all, a poorly maintained parking lot only gets worse with time, unless you choose to act on the complaints.
Lighting
Installing, updating, and maintaining quality illumination inside an office compound is the most universally applicable requirement here. To be more precise, without adequate, intelligent, and energy-saving artificial lighting, even the most impressive office compound would seem a lot less impressive than it should be. For example, a well-maintained, commercial parking lot would mean very little if the drivers cannot properly see where they are going. On the other hand, there would be no possible way to tell even the most beautiful garden from a tangle of weeds once the sun goes down and there isn’t enough lighting to maintain visibility inside the office compound.
Therefore, lighting is inarguably one of the most important criteria for creating, amplifying, and maintaining a positive impression in any business compound. If the original design does not allow enough sunlight to get through, make changes as necessary to maximize natural lighting. Larger windows, new skylights, reflective indoor décor, lighter shades on the walls, and light-permissive windowpanes are all effective options to consider. However, also invest in smart lighting systems that will take over easily and intelligently, once the sun begins to sink.
Monitoring
All commercial compounds should have 24/7 CCTV surveillance for security purposes, but it also plays a huge role as far as client impression is concerned. For example, if you own a storage locker business, your customers will expect you to have cameras placed in key locations, recording at all hours of the day and night. The same goes for every business compound with a parking lot for their customers and employees.
Not only are cameras a deterrent to casual thieves and burglars, but they are also an effective way to detect attempted crimes before they can be completed. It allows the business to contact law enforcement immediately, while also taking steps internally to stop them if possible. Customers will have extra assurance that even if something is stolen, the police will in most cases be able to use the camera footage to catch the burglars soon after. When a company takes measures to maintain the reputation they have created for themselves, it shows that they are sincere and reliable. Tip top business compounds also project an image of success, which can only be impressive.
