Giving your business a fresh coat of paint will not only keep things looking nice, it will show your customers that you care about the details. A well-maintained place of business that is updated in current colors and styles inspires trust and confidence in your clients and customers.
But painting or remodeling can be disruptive to your day-to-day operations, so it’s easy to put it off — or even consider closing down while painting is taking place. Don’t despair — and don’t put it off! With some careful planning, you can still maintain your business and meet the needs of your customers throughout a repaint.
Set up Zones
Depending on the size of your business, you can break up the area into zones so that only one area of your business is being painted or under construction at one time. This makes it easier to move desks for a day, to divert foot traffic for a few days, or to use a different entrance for a short time. Without zones, the whole area will be chaos.
Negotiate Workable Hours
If your business isn’t open 24/7, or if it has predictable slower hours of the day, ask your painting contractor if they can work during closed or slow hours. If you run an office with many employees, can your contractor work on the weekend while all your employees are at home? If you manage an apartment complex or HOA, can your painting contractor begin the day after the morning rush hour, and close up before the evening commute?
Notify, Notify, Notify
Use several forms of communication to notify those who will be affected by the disruption. Email your employees, tell them in your weekly staff meeting, and post signs around the office reminding people of when the painting is going to begin.
Post signs for customers, indicating where the painting is taking place and the measures you’re taking to minimize disruption. This shows care to your customers, and lets them know what to expect, hopefully minimizing complaints. Use social media or email newsletters to let your customers know about the temporary disruption.
Install Containment Barriers
Use the right barriers to keep air quality appropriate for those who will be in the area. Talk with the contractor about what to use.
Make an Unoccupied Zone
If you have the space, create a zone that will go unoccupied between your business and the construction. This lowers noise, keeps air quality protected, and generally disturbs your customers and employees less.
Handle Complaints
You’re going to have complaints, so have a plan ready to handle them. A prompt and kind response to a customer will let them know their input is valuable and will likely bring them back for more business later. Appoint one person as the contact who can handle this appropriately.
Brag
When your project is done, brag about it! Post about it to social media, write about it on your website, and share it in your email newsletters. This shows your customers that you’re doing well and that maintenance and attention to detail is important to you. And it just might get some old customers to come back and see what’s new!
All American Painting in Murrieta and surrounding areas is committed to making your commercial painting project as simple and pain-free as possible. Contact us for a free quote.
