If you run a small business, and you’ve begun to take on staff to meet growing demand for your services you need to ensure they represent your business effectively.
How they work and behave is one part of this, however, a uniform can go a long way to helping your business make a great impression on your customers.
There are many uniform suppliers such as Simon Jersey who provide a range of options to businesses. But how do you find the right uniform for your business?
What sort of business do you run? :
Your choice of uniform might be defined by the sort of business you own. Looking at what you do is the first step to finding a uniform that marries up to your business.
Consider the following questions about your business:
- Is your business B2B or B2C?
- Do you have stores?
- Do you have an office environment?
- Do all your staff deal with the public or just a select few?
- How important is your branding and image when dealing with customers?
These questions should help you to decide if a uniform is necessary, and if it is what you need to include in terms of look. Does it need to be practical? Relaxed? Maybe you have multiple roles within your business meaning you might need entirely different uniforms.
Do you have different roles with different needs? :
Within your business you might have different staff working in different areas. For example, you might have a plumbing business with staff who work in a head office, sales staff and teams devoted to installation.
Each section of the business isn’t going to need the same uniform.
The needs of the different jobs mean that different uniform elements are needed. Plumbers need workwear that is hard wearing, flexible and in many instances, has health and safety in mind. A polo shirt, work trousers and steel toe capped boots are a great starting point for staff working in a specific trade.
On the other hand, for staff working in an office comfort should be the primary concern. This could be comfortable footwear, skirt, trousers and a blouse or shirt for example. This not only creates an identifiable, professional staff look but also provides the comfort required to get through shift with ease.
You should consider the needs of your staff first and create a uniform that allows them to fulfil their role effectively while still promoting your business.
What sort of look do you want to portray? :
Identifying the elements of your uniform that you need is only one part of deciding on the overall look of your staff uniform.
You might want to keep your uniform simple, not adding any embellishments to it, allowing for a relaxed informal look.
You could opt to include a logo on shirts for example, just to create a unifying element between different uniforms and create a sense of unity among your staff.
In certain businesses, you might want to go further, using various accessories, like ties, scarves, ID cards and branded lanyards that help differentiate your staff from your competitors.
There are many suppliers of such items but opting to choose a company such as Digital ID is a plus as they can assist you with the design of ID cards and lanyards.
Achieving different looks comes from using different styles of garment. You can opt for something more plain and simple for an elegant professional look, or use something with a bold detail to create a statement look for your team.
Why is the right uniform important? :
A uniform is an important aspect of any business. Even if this is limited to some rules for what to wear as opposed to actual set items having a uniform in place creates a sense of unity and belonging among your staff. This can have a positive effect on staff motivation, aligning them with the goals and vision you have for your business.
It also helps to make the people who work for your business immediately identifiable, which is a huge benefit to customers as they know who to turn to with queries.
Putting together and introducing a uniform can be a big step for a business, highlighting a desire to grow and develop while presenting a consistent image to the public, current and future customers.
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I think a uniform for a business is a good way of showing that you care and it creates a first impression for customers. First impressions count and in competitive markets this can make the difference of getting the client, or not.