Purchasing workstations for your office isn’t like buying furniture at an office supply store. For one thing, cubicles from leading manufacturers are built to last for decades. So to ensure you’re getting a system that will pay off in the long-run, specialized cubicle sellers work with you to design a system that’s tailored to your business needs – a feature that’s especially valuable when considering future growth down the road.

Do your homework

Before you start talking to cubicle suppliers, you’ll need to prepare some basic information about your business, office space, and employees. Pay close attention to the following three critical factors.

Factor #1: The floor plan

First, you’ll need to know the floor plan of the space you’re looking to furnish. If you can get a scale drawing of your office, that’s ideal. If not, simply measure the office yourself to get a rough idea of your available space. Don’t forget to include immovable structural objects in your plan such as support beams, water pipes and electrical wiring that are often enclosed within drywall to conceal their presence.

There are office-wide considerations as well. Digital printers, and any other shared resources need to be accessible without being a distraction to employees seated nearby.

In most cases, you’ll wind up working with a designer who can take more detailed measurements. But knowing the general dimensions you’re working with will greatly improve your initial conversations with potential suppliers.

Factor #2: Your employees

Next, consider your employees. You’ll definitely need to know how many employees need workstations. But what those employees do in their day-to-day function is equally as important. Cubicles for a department of telemarketers are quite different from cubicles for a group of computer programmers.

Talk to your employees about their needs: do they spend more time on the computer, on the phone, or doing paperwork? How important is it that they easily converse with co-workers? Do they routinely hold small meetings in their cubes? These considerations influence the size, wall-height, and surfaces of the workstations you’re going to choose.

Factor #3: Your business

Modern cubicles have been designed to accommodate a wide variety of environments. In particular, they cater specifically to interaction among employees – ranging from open layouts that foster innovation and creativity to more private, enclosed spaces for loan offices, banks and similar locations that deal with confidential or sensitive information.

Start early

Shopping for systems furniture isn’t a quick process. Whether you’re buying new or pre-owned systems, you can expect an average of three to six weeks between placing the order and delivery. If you choose “as-is” office workstations a seller has in stock, it can take a week. If you place your order at a busy time, it can take 10 weeks or more.

With a firm understanding of your requirements and spatial limitations, you’re ready to start pairing them up with the types of office cubicles currently available. This is a critical first step when factoring in the growth of your business.