REVIEW: Complete One Unveils The Impact of Office Design on Productivity

Currently in the process of a massive refurbishment at their flagship Newcastle office, Complete One, direct sales and marketing specialists, unveils why office design is so important. 

While office design is often a personal preference, there are things to consider before going ahead with a design.  Office space as well as design can have a surprising impact on overall happiness and work performance, which is incredibly important for business success; happy workers are inevitably more productive therefore driving profits. 

About: http://www.completeone.co.uk

Complete One have analysed traditional office designs. 

Cubicles

Designed by Robert propst in the 1960s, with the view to get away from the old set-up, reminiscent of a school class room, with tables lined up facing one way, cubicles ended up having a negative effect and employees that worked in an office with cubicles were found to be the most unhappy, according to research.  However, it isn’t all negative, the pros for cubicles are that they provide a sense of privacy and independence with an individual having their own space.  It also means fewer distractions. 

Open offices

Open offices are ideal for maximising a company’s space, while also keeping costs low.  The pros for this office lay-out is that it is a very social working environment, and as a result it promotes a more team-based culture, encouraging employees to work together.  Cons for open offices include a lack of privacy, as well as increased noise levels and possibly the most damaging for employers is that workers are easily distracted by co-workers which could result in a drop in productivity. 

Enclosed offices

According to research, workers in enclosed offices are the happiest and experience the least amount of frustration.  Other pros for this include privacy, giving employees the ability to close their door and shut out any distractions.  A big plus is that there is no outside noise, helping with concentration, and lastly there is more space.  Cons of an enclosed office are; less social interaction, being shut behind a door can often make people feel cut off.  Also the privacy of being shut away can have negative consequences as employees feel there is no pressure as they aren’t being watched and therefore lack the motivation to perform to the best of their abilities.  Lastly, there isn’t an opportunity to collaborate with co-workers. 

Colour is also an important element in design.  When choosing the Complete One logo, Managing Director Glen Lowes decided on blue, as it is the colour of trust and peace, it also suggests loyalty and integrity.   When deciding on colours for the new office design, black played a prominent role; black is the colour of the hidden, the secretive and the unknown, creating an air of mystery. 

Having just recently completed a massive refurbishment of his own office, Managing Director at Complete One, Glen Lowes, is now embarking on an even bigger project, redesigning the reception.  Plans have already been drawn up and the refurbishment is scheduled to go ahead in the next couple of months. 

Complete One are one of the fastest growing and most exciting outsourced sales and marketing companies in the North East. We are a young, ambitious and dynamic that specialise in customer acquisition through in-person promotions.  Our expertise lies in increasing market share and raising brand awareness, for our client portfolio, through face-to-face promotional marketing and sales campaigns, at high profile events and venues.  In a world of ever advancing technologies, we offer our clients something that is often lacking in todays digital world, the personal touch. 

Complete One: How to bridge the marketing skills gap

According to a recently conducted survey, 30% of respondents said that finding marketers with the right skills is a nightmare. This is highly concerning for the industry because without the right talent, businesses are unable to progress and grow.

Complete One has revealed that marketers need a very unique set of skills as the role of the marketer is more stressful compared to five years ago. Marketers need to be open and collaborative as well as respond rapidly to the pace of change. The role of the marketer has become more complex and marketers therefore need to be able to deal with uncertainty and be comfortable with risk-taking.

These skills are crucial for marketing success because in today’s fast-paced business environment, consumers are able to connect with their favourite brands through multiple devices at any given time. Modern technology has created a 24-7, ‘always on’ environment in which customers expect brands to treat them as individuals and respond to them consistently across a range of channels. This creates a number of challenges which cannot be solved by technology, making the job of a marketer much more complex. Nearly half of people surveyed said that this complexity makes it harder to be effective.

Complete One believe that this has created a need for responsive teams. Regardless of technology it is ultimately people who make decisions, analyse data and build the customer experience. Complete One believes that in order to succeed, companies must build teams that can respond dynamically to customers’ need and expectations. This means that marketers must have core skills in areas such as content, mobile and social but also soft skills such as the ability to deal with change or spot opportunities.

Complete One therefore believes that the key to solving the problem and bridging the marketing skills gap lies in sharing skills and knowledge. Marketing tends to be seen as a standalone discipline that should be entirely managed by one team. But everyone within an organisation needs to develop their digital skills, points out the sales and marketing firm. Expertise in one specific channel can be valuable, but sharing skills and knowledge across multiple channels is always going to be the most effective way to increase general marketing capability within an organisation. Progressive firms are able to change the way they operate and are creating cross-departmental marketing teams. Working closely with the IT team for example is essential given the technology and complexity of data involved in today’s marketing.

Complete One is an outsourced sales and marketing firm based in Newcastle. The firm specialises in a personalised form of direct marketing which allows them to make long-lasting connections with consumers, on behalf of their clients’ brands. By working closely alongside their clients the firm are able to design and implement campaigns which are tailored to their target consumers. The firm then takes these campaigns directly to consumers via face-to-face marketing techniques. This personal connection often leads to increased customer acquisition, brand awareness and brand loyalty.

Complete One ensures that their business is always full of fresh talent and that their marketing skills are always up-to-scratch with what the market demands by teaching their entire team a wide range of marketing and sales skills on a daily basis. This helps to improve their knowledge in the area and work together constructively to create the best campaigns for their clients’ brands.