Today’s offices with their sophisticated external glazing and quiet air conditioning can reduce background noise levels that previously had a neutralising or masking effect. Too much noise is disruptive and stress inducing; too little noise and privacy and confidentiality may be compromised. Either way, poor acoustics can be extremely debilitating and costly for a business.

Problems arising from inadequate noise management, rarely obvious when moving into a building or newly refurbished space, tend to emerge only later down the line when they begin to affect your business.  More than 70% of the requests for advice received by CBS are for the correction of existing issues, rather than for advice at the planning stage.

Most of these problems occur in open plan offices which remove the natural barriers that absorb noise and prevent it travelling around. The hard surface materials of modern architecture don’t help. Metal ceilings, concrete, glass and tile floors have poor acoustic absorption properties, leading to bounce-back effects – while large open spaces, for instance reception or atrium areas, make it hard to understand speech.

But there are solutions. Overcoming noise problems is rarely about a single issue – rather it is about identifying the sources of noise in your offices and implementing a combination of measures to achieve balance and address noise spikes. These measures needn’t be expensive or disruptive to implement, and can have dramatic effects on productivity.

My next blog will look at the different approaches to noise control and outline a range of solutions. Do post a comment if you have any particular problems we could look at.

For the high street customer, every shop window advertises bargain prices, special offers and discounts. It seems every day there is another retailer launching a sale, or restaurants and pubs offering tempting ‘meal deals’ such as all you can eat for a fiver or two courses for a set price, often inclusive of a drink as well.

In the commercial sector too, suppliers have been left competing for less business, resulting in both service and product providers being forced to take a close look at their sales ‘package’ to ensure they remain competitive and offer the best value. The net result means a better all-round offering for the business client.

Value for Money

Value for money is often described as a process by which the ‘three Es’ – economy, efficiency and effectiveness – are optimised.  In short, it’s about getting the most out of goods and services you buy.

From the provider’s point of view it’s also an extension of the customer service relationship.  It’s about making clients feel special and leaving them with the conviction that, at the very least, they have received what they ordered. Whatever the product, there will always be some element of customer service, even if it’s only P&P. It is possible to add value to what you do without necessarily cutting your prices – something that companies facing stiff competition may be tempted to do, to their cost.

More importantly, in these precarious times, a reputation for delivering excellent value for money and exceeding service expectations may be the deciding factor when it comes to making the decision between suppliers.

As the economy recovers, companies may struggle to cope with increased sales, particularly if they are now operating with fewer staff.  However, with buyer expectations having already been raised, it is those companies who continue to add value who will profit most from the eventual upturn and gain a competitive edge.

I would be very interested to hear how you’ve managed to add value for your clients, and any tips you may have for staying ahead in the customer service stakes.

For all the ‘greentalk’, it is important to be realistic when deciding what is actually possible. PIR lighting, advanced air conditioning systems with heat recycling capabilities and energy monitoring solutions, whilst ideal for larger enterprises, may not be viable for small businesses. However, there are a few simple measures that everyone can do – such as switching off computers every evening and turning out lights when rooms are unoccupied.

In addition, all companies can make a real difference by recycling.  This doesn’t just mean in relation to production and process waste – but can also include such things as office equipment and furniture.

Here at CBS we saw an opportunity to help charities find much needed equipment by recycling unwanted office furniture. With the help of Connect Reading, we have worked with our clients to help charities in need of equipment. We have supplied items such as office desks, seating and storage cabinets, thereby giving the furniture a new lease of life and the charities a helping hand.

With financial support for charities under threat in the current climate, it is more important than ever for businesses to do what they can to help local causes.  Donating unwanted office furniture is a relatively simple, low cost option and also helps to meet regional waste reduction targets. Engaging with the community in this way has positive business benefits, raising your profile and widening your network of business connections.

If you know of a charity or community project that would benefit from donated office furniture, please let us know. Or if you have recycling initiatives of your own that help local good causes, do tell us about it. Your experience will inspire others.

When our bodies tell us we are uncomfortable, mostly the remedy is very simple – get moving! However, when we are sitting at a desk, it’s often not that easy.

So how do we make sure we are sitting comfortably?

Flexibility is top of the list. At work we are increasingly hot-desking and job-sharing and may well have to share a chair with others. As we come in all shapes and sizes, being able to adjust office seating easily for different body shapes and heights is essential.

Freedom of movement is also important. A good chair should move with you as you work, providing constant support and encouraging a good posture.

Simplicity is key. Many office chairs are over-complicated by unnecessary features, which can make them difficult to use. If you don’t know how to work a chair, then the chances are you’ll end up not bothering to adjust it, making all those features useless anyway!

You’re likely to be spending many hours in your office chair – so it’s vital to try before you buy. At CBS, we like people to come into our showroom where we can talk through and show them the options available. Where this is not possible, we’ll visit a client’s premises so that staff can try out different models.

And finally…

Insist on a demonstration when your new chair arrives. At CBS, we regard this as so important that if you don’t insist on a demo – we will!

What are your office seating bug bears?

Unfortunately, for every company that gets it right, there are a dozen more failing to make the grade. Customer service is a lot more than enrolling your staff on expensive training courses or sending out the odd birthday card or promotional mouse mat. It is about the very basic principles of doing what you say you will do and delivering what you promised.

Although it’s not rocket science, successful customer service does need a bit of ongoing planning. At CBS we employed an external consultant to work with us to help us raise our service performance score from 80% to more than 95%. Basically they helped us to integrate our key business processes even more than they already were and to ensure that the customer is put first at every stage of the business.

Whatever the processes, though, it is people who really make the difference. It’s vital to get total employee buy-in and be prepared for a complete culture change within your business. You must also lead by example and explain why you are doing what you do. Criticism must always be constructive.

Staff need to understand their role but both you and they need to be flexible. Loyalty works both ways and will result in a committed and motivated workforce. Another key is delegation – this not only enables clients to get to know staff better but it gives staff control over their own development.

Finally – good communication is vital –things will go wrong occasionally and you should be prepared to get involved personally to show your customers how much you value them.

And how will you know if you’ve succeeded? Easy – by the number of compliments and the lack of complaints!

What’s your key to good customer service?