How Do You Make Sensitive Clients Feel Welcomed?

Sometimes, a client has sensitive needs. That’s not to say the client is sensitive as a character trait, rather the service you’re rendering them needs to be delicately given and communicated. 

For example, we might expect the office of someone providing therapy to trauma victims to be comforting, non-imposing, and provide a sense of decorative balance. A meeting space for a funeral directing office might not be superfluous in its design, but it still needs to feel a balance of professional and homely, given how intimately woven personal family life will be in the service you render. 

Even a lawyers meeting room, though needing to be seen as authoritative and entirely trustworthy, shouldn’t need to be so overbearingly formal as to be oppressive. For commercial law perhaps this is the case, but no one wants to feel they’re processing their divorce in a room that feels clinical.

So, how can you make such clients, with such needs, feel welcomed and onboarded with care? We’d like to make some suggestions to assist you:

Easy Security Access 

No one wants to feel interrogated as soon as they arrive to conduct business with you. If your building has its entrance at street level with clear glass doors and simple signs, it can already help people feel more at ease, as they know where to go. 

Staff your reception desk with people who are friendly and not suspect any newcomers. Many places now use subtle lighting in their entrance ways too, rather than those bright overhead fluorescents that make everyone squint. If they can easily check-in and be seated in a comforting waiting area, that can be a good start.

Comforting Meeting Spaces

Think about how and where you might like to meet if you were a client. A room with soft lighting, comfortable chairs, and perhaps a few tasteful art pieces on the walls will likely give your client space to breathe and relax, as your space doesn’t feel too corporate or alien. A Marble Coffee Table at CFS Store for sitting around as opposed to a large desk can be a good start. Natural elements are also best here, as a small indoor plant or two will make the room seem non-hostile. The temperature should be just right, not too cold or stuffy, so adjust your air con according to the weather.

Assigned, Dedicated Staff

When someone knows they’ll see Sarah at reception each time they visit, or that Mark will always be handling their case, it builds a foundation of trust and something to identify your business with. These consistent relationships help clients feel welcomed understood rather than having to explain their situation repeatedly to different people. Staff members who regularly work with sensitive cases naturally develop better instincts for reading body language and understanding when someone needs a moment to collect themselves, and the more they connect, the more your business seems worth reaching out to.

With this advice, we hope you can more easily make sensitive clients feel welcome.