My new shop - Customer waiting area/lounge question for all.

Garry Dean

Garry Dean

Garry Dean Quality!
I am getting ready to buy furniture/fixtures/lighting for my new shop. I will be moving in and making adjustments all of May with my Grand Opening and launch of my new Premium Detail Express division on June 2nd.



I am just wondering what all of your thoughts were on whether I should buy chairs with or without arm rests?



It may seem like a silly question, but I am torn. I think with arm rests are more comfortable, but how comfortable do they need to be?



I was going to get comfy couches, but I feel like that is really overkill for a situation where multiple people who dont know each other may have to sit next to each other. I think its too personal. Chairs are more realistic IMO.



Your thoughts?
 
Glad to see you getting close to opening your new place Garry. Chairs with arm rest might be more comfy but ones without would accommodate those that are a little larger in size if you know what I mean. Will you have wi-fi or a TV in your waiting area ? Surfing the net or watching TV would seem to make the time go by faster. Just an old mans 2 cents. Good luck with the shop and grand opening.
 
hotrod66paul said:
Glad to see you getting close to opening your new place Garry. Chairs with arm rest might be more comfy but ones without would accommodate those that are a little larger in size if you know what I mean. Will you have wi-fi or a TV in your waiting area ? Surfing the net or watching TV would seem to make the time go by faster. Just an old mans 2 cents. Good luck with the shop and grand opening.
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Thanks Paul. Yes, wi-fi and a flat panel tv/blue ray player/cable will be available.
 
Garry Dean said:
I was going to get comfy couches, but I feel like that is really overkill for a situation where multiple people who dont know each other may have to sit next to each other. I think its too personal. Chairs are more realistic IMO.
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Dude no couch! Where am I gonna take my nap when I come over to help?



Garry Dean said:
I am just wondering what all of your thoughts were on whether I should buy chairs with or without arm rests?
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Maybe a mix of both? The ones with arms may be more comfortable to use with a laptop, but then some armless ones for larger folks.
 
mc2hill said:
Dude no couch! Where am I gonna take my nap when I come over to help?



I dont ever give you enough down time to take a nap, lol.



Maybe a mix of both? The ones with arms may be more comfortable to use with a laptop, but then some armless ones for larger folks.
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Hmmm... Larger folk... Wasnt really thinking about that angle.



Chairs with arm rests are half the cost of ones with.
 
I have all of my waiting room chairs based on office employee style chairs. My biggest concern was comfort, if someone can spend 8 hours in iit someone else can wait

An hour in it.
 
Garry Dean said:
Hmmm... Larger folk... Wasnt really thinking about that angle.



Chairs with arm rests are half the cost of ones with.
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What are the physical dimensions/layout of the room?



Depending on the layout and amount of seating capacity you want/need to accommodate (considering customers for your express business are most likely to be using it, you'll probably want a pretty high number of seats) it may dictate what you do, but I would say if you have enough room for it, put a line of basic waiting room chairs along a wall, and also put a couple cushier chairs and even a love seat elsewhere in the room so customers have options.



You should also take a little bit of time to think about exactly where you plan to position your brand and also the average amount of time people will be spending in your customer lounge... you asked "how comfortable do they need to be?" The longer your customers are there, the more comfortable you need to make the seats. Also, the more high end your brand image is, the amenities need to reflect that. Cloth vs. vinyl vs. leather, size/style/colors of furniture/upholstery/carpet/walls, etc.



One trick I've seen in various waiting rooms (when it comes to standard/basic seating) is to place the chairs in a row directly next to each other, and alternate chairs with arm rests and ones without. This way all of the chairs have access to arm rests, but you cut your costs by 25%.



Just my $0.02.



For what it's worth, you might want to take a peek at GM's Facility Image site and you can see the various options they lay out for dealers in mainstream (Chevy), mid-level (Buick/GMC), and high end (Cadillac) situations.... might provide a bit of inspiration for what you're trying to create.



GM Facility Image
 
I possible post pics of your waiting room size of room etc so i can get a feel of itand could better answer your question.Being comfortable in a waiting area means the world when ur sitting for an hour or more. And for me when i was into getting a sound system built for my car the more comfortable I was the more i was willing to spend due to the material that was available to read etcWaiting rooms for the Long term customer...ie the one who waits for 2-3 hours is usually a miserable experience.

Look up Hospital waiting room furniture for different seating options, for durable everyday good looking functional furniture such as the link below

KI Healthcare - Furniture - Lounge Seating

and add some interesting decor, the link below might be a little over the top but check out the design possibilities this could bring to your waiting area

Strattman Design: Products

Strattman Design - Luminglas

and add some additional outlets for charging phones laptops etc as well.

ooo.jpg


something like that?

have some ceiling room thats wasted space?

1831780926_4d1dfd9dcd_o.jpg


add a train set

that runs along the ceiling of the waiting room, the above pic is just an example

Plasma Globes, Luminglas, Crackletube and Lightning Sculpture
 
I agree. Looks like they are going all out with this in China. They have 20 shops open already and hope to have 100 by year end. Huge market for them.
 
David Fermani said:
I agree. Looks like they are going all out with this in China. They have 20 shops open already and hope to have 100 by year end. Huge market for them.
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From what I understand, going to that level of high end is necessitated by cultural factors in China. And, given that they are now the largest market for automobiles in the world, it makes good sense to expand there rapidly. I saw a report a week or so ago that GM is planning to open 600 dealerships there in 2012, and Ford is on track to double the number of dealers it has in China by 2015.



Garry Dean said:
Yeah, Im doing well, but thats not within my budget...
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Maybe not, but if you're trying to build a "premium" brand in the space of retail express services, it might be prudent for you to look into what having a high end waiting room like that built out would ultimately take, and work out a plan to implement it in stages as budget allows. That way you won't find yourself throwing good money after bad as you upgrade the facility over time and you'll end up with a cohesive space. Cultivating a premium customer experience is equally as important as the services you provide when it comes to gaining and retaining a steady stream of business. Yeah, I reference GM stuff a lot, but give this a read:



Customer Experience is New Luxury Battleground



G'kar made some excellent points in his post, what in particular stood out was having outlets for charging phones/laptops/etc. -- you might even consider planning for a couple of small desks for professional-types who may stop in on their way to an important meeting so they can get some work done while waiting to have their car to sparkle and impress their client(s). By the same token a corner of the room with a short table and small chairs to accommodate the kids of the soccer mom who brings in her Dodge Caravan for a quick wash and wax could be helpful.



If customers walk into your facility and can sense that you took the time to think like them and anticipate their wants and needs, they will be far more impressed and likely to return because of the added value you provided them. Nothing wrong with starting small, just plan ahead for growth... you know it's going to happen. :tea:
 
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