Get your office organised and functional.

A well laid out office can do wonders for team morale, productiveness, and health and wellbeing. Your office is also a powerful non-verbal message to your clients, saying much about you and your business.

In a survey of Australian businesses conducted for Australian office environment specialist Ambius, 72% of respondents considered their office environment as having a significant impact on staff engagement and productivity.

Important factors to consider include lighting, ventilation and heating. Matching the workspace and tools to the task is also important; for example multiple screens for staff working across different systems and documents can be an inexpensive way to significantly increase their efficiency and comfort.

Colour can also have a big impact on mindset; exposure to both blue and green has been shown to enhance performance on tasks that require generating new ideas. However, red has been linked with superior performance on tasks involving attention to detail. Colour can be achieved with a lick of paint or with paintings and other decoration.

It’s also vital to give staff an outlet from their work, and so some kind of breakout room or space is important.

From a client perspective, consider if your office portrays your practice in the way you wish to be seen, and make sure it is aligned to your typical clients (‘young and funky’ versus traditional).

Soundproof offices, quality furniture (often rented), big screens and Wi-Fi are increasingly being seen in adviser offices.

And thanks to the team at Nespresso, it is now possible for everyone to be a barista and give your client experience a real lift.

This is an extract from a collection of business improvement tips for advisers, launched at Zurich’s Trax2Success national roadshow, featuring the 2013 AFA Adviser of the year Jenny Brown.

Click here to read Hot business tip number 1: Look after yourself and your staff

Click here to read Hot business tip number 2: Survey your clients

Click here to read Hot business tip number 3: Place a higher value on your time

Click here to read Hot business tip number 4: Review your client onboarding process

Click here to read Hot business tip number 5: Adopt an estate planning methodology across your business

Click here to read Hot business tip number 6: Tailor your communication strategy by client generation

Click here to read Hot business tip no number 7: Change your approach to review meetings

Click here to read Hot business tip number 8: Create a differentiated service offering (segment your client base)

Click here to read Hot business tip number 9: Set up a Board of Advice

Click here to read Hot business tip number10: Develop a client retention strategy

Click here to read Hot business tip number 11: Run a program where staff drive improvements

Click here to read Hot business tip number. 12: Build your emotional intelligence

Click here to read Hot business tip number. 13: Go Social

Click here to read Hot business tip number. 14: Get better at handling objections

Click here to read Hot business tip number. 15: Create stronger referral sources

Click here to read Hot business tip number. 16: Set up a Google account

Click here to read Hot business tip number. 17: Learn from leading advisers

Click here to read Hot business tip number. 18: Make better use of technology in your business

Click here to read Hot business tip number 20: Develop a great value proposition

Click here to read Hot business tip number 21: Make more use of video in your business

Click here to read Hot business tip number 22: Optimise your website for mobile

Click here to read Hot business tip number 23: Have a marketing plan

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