It’s Time to Make Your Company More Open and Accessible

These days, it’s not alright for your business ignore the needs of your customers and you can’t ignore issues of accessibility and the needs different kinds of customers will have. If you want to present your business as one that’s modern and progressive, you should be working towards making it open and accessible for everyone right now. It might seem daunting to make big changes to an otherwise successful company, but it will all be worthwhile and beneficial to your business in the end.

If you’re not sure where to start with making your business more open and accessible than it currently is, the guide below will help you out. You’ll find information on where to start and which steps are most logical for your business.

Offer a Warm and Helpful Welcome

The way in which you welcome your customers as they walk through the door will have a big impact on how they experience your company. You should be there to offer a warm welcome and a helping hand should your they need one. It shows that your business is open and willing to help people out. That makes a difference and it’s also a simple change for you and your staff members to implement. 

Train Your Employees to be Sensitive

Sensitivity training is very common inside companies these days. You don’t want your employees to say the wrong thing or fail to speak to people politely. Customers will not come back if they feel that they’ve been treated badly by your staff and no business can afford to lose customers over such needless things. Given the right training and the right guidance, your employees will be able to behave properly and interact with customers in the positive way they expect. 

Install Proper Disabled Access

Disabled access is not something that should be considered optional. It’s a vital part of modern companies, and if disabled people don’t feel able to use your company, you’re unfairly rejecting people based on something that’s no fault or choice of their own. Places like Terry Lifts offer disabled access facilities like lifts and other things that can make your company more accessible. It might be a big financial commitment right now, but it will pay off in the long-term.

Offer Equal Opportunities to Employees and Candidates

Accessibility is not just about physical needs and stair lifts either. You also need to make sure that your business is open to and accepting of all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds. This is something that should be at the forefront of your mind during the hiring process. You want people to feel like they’re being given a fair opportunity and that there is no prejudice. There’s no room for anything that runs counter to those kinds of principles inside any modern business.

Make Sure All Washrooms Are Accessible

The accessibility of washrooms is an important point to consider from the point of view of your customers. There should be washrooms in place that can be used easily as and when they’re needed. These facilities should not just be viewed  as nice added extras. Some of your customers might have health problems that mean they need access to these kinds of facilities, so they’re necessary for any modern company. You can also make the business more accommodating to parents by offering baby changing facilities too.

Keep Paths Clear

Tripping hazards can become major problems in companies with a high levels of foot traffic. Refusing to act until something does go wrong is not the way forward because the injured party will have grounds to sue you.I’m sure a legal battle that could end in you coughing up a lot of compensation doesn’t sound too appealing. Avoid any such eventuality by keeping the paths clear and monitoring the situation throughout the day.

Provide Adequate Lighting

The lighting inside your business might not seem like a huge deal to you, but lighting the path and making sure people can always see what they’re doing and where they’re going can actually help to prevent accidents. You don’t want people to get hurt because of a simple matter like this one, so it makes sense to take action. You can improve the lighting by extending it throughout any areas that can be used by the customers you rely on. The usability and accessibility of your business will immediately be given a boost and it won’t take much time or money to get it right.

Making these changes to your company will instantly have a massive impact on it. Most importantly, it will positively impact the experience of your customers, making more of them feel more welcome.