Furnishing and Equipping Your Office

By Dot Lybarger

You need to balance form, function and budget factors when outfitting your base of operations.

Once you’ve decided where you will establish your office—either in your home or commercial space—the next important decisions involve furnishing/equipping it as well as selecting who you will work with to meet your needs. Either by referrals or previous association, you need to feel confident you can trust this individual or firm to come in and do a thorough job. Someone who not only seems genuinely interested in the beginning, but also does a complete follow-up toward the end.

Furniture

When you're putting your office furniture plans together and ready to talk to a supplier, it is best to discuss the following, from the beginning, in order to create a solid understanding of your needs:

·        What type of image do you want?

·        What are you trying to accomplish?

·        Do you have a budget in mind? (Even if you don’t know what your budget will allow per item, have a total figure—it saves time for everyone involved.)

Low end—Budget furnishings
Middle of the road—Executive style
Custom order—Made to your specifications

Statistics have proven that a well-prepared office layout can lead to higher productivity and employee satisfaction for you and your staff; therefore, you’ll need to bring along answers to the following:

·        How many employees do you employ?

·        How many will be affected by the new office and/or expansion plans?

·        Do you have a floor plan? (The professional you’re working with can measure the area if a floor plan is not available. Plus, with the availability of computer CAD systems, ask if he or she can put together plans with an overview of the areas involved, three-dimensional as well as straight on. This will give you a very good idea of how the area will look prior to making your decisions.)

·        Do you have a preference for workstations or regular desks?

·        What type of filing system will you need (for everyday use and for storage)?

Upright files—A common choice and a good value for the price
Lateral files—Offer 2½ times the amount of filing inches as upright styles
Open shelving—Depends on the type of business you have

·        What is your time frame—two weeks? a month? two months? six months? (This can make a difference in what products you order, because fabrics, stain finishes and work surfaces are usually chosen toward the end of the process.)

Other areas you need to discuss include the following:

·        Delivery terms and schedule

·        Installation of products

·        Clean up (This is important, to avoid installers leaving the office littered with all kinds of boxes, scraps, shrink-wrap, etc., for you or your employees to pick up.)

If this is a “special order” job, about two weeks after the order has been placed you should receive a confirmation notice regarding the approximate delivery/installation date. The delivery/installers then should call ahead and advise you of their arrival time as well so you’re prepared—this creates less room for errors and saves “down time” in the process.

Office Products

An experienced office products salesperson can quickly assist you in putting together a list of the items needed for your new office. Some areas to consider are the following:

·        Desk/workstation accessories/supplies

·        Filing supplies

·        Computer supplies

·        Copier supplies

·        Paper supplies

·        Presentation supplies

·        Warehouse supplies

·        Storage containers/supplies

There are many ways you can place your orders today, including faxed requisition forms, telephone contact and the Internet. In any case, you should expect your orders to arrive labeled properly, filled correctly and with a packing list of items ordered.

Ordering office products should be a smooth experience with very little hassle. Even though we live in a fast-paced world in order to keep your business, Dot's sales associates and customer service representatives still need to understand the importance of tending to your needs.

Dot Lybarger is the owner of Dot’s Office Products, Inc. in North Kansas City. She can be reached at (816) 221-8292 or dot@dotsoffice.com.

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