A serviced office can be described as an office building or an office space, which is managed and fully equipped by a facility. Such an office offers the space one requires from an office without taking the trouble of finding out the right utilities or setting it up.
Since such offices are fully furnished, a business can pay as they go rather than entering into a contract for the long term. Thus, a business does not have to sign a lease agreement for the long-term the way they have to do for procuring a traditional office. Also, they can save plenty of time, which they would have otherwise wasted to find the facilities. All these amenities are available in a serviced office. Basically, a serviced office is ready to move the office.
Typically, the monthly rent that a tenant pays for a serviced office comprises:
- IT support
- Phone installation
- Cleaning services
- Service charges
- Business rates
A serviced office can also provide certain extra services like a reception desk with its own staff and bookable meeting rooms. However, there are plenty of other services offered by a serviced office:
1. Office space maintenance
A serviced office signifies that a business does not have to worry about recruiting an entity for taking care of maintenance activities or making their staff members take care of such functionalities. Rather, it is the serviced office facility provider who handles such activities and includes the expenses in the monthly membership/rent thus saving a lot of hassles.
2. Flexible leases
A serviced office provider can be extremely flexible related to their leases and spaces. Many of them usually come up with leases for short terms with lesser commitments. These providers also typically extend their leases on a shorter notice period.
3. Access modern facilities
A majority of serviced offices usually offer more modern facilities to increase their reputation in the market. Some such resources include the latest printers, teleconferencing equipment, and other necessary devices. Thus, these fully furnished serviced offices can enhance the productivity of these businesses and reduce downtime because of technical problems.
4. Greater networking possibilities
Most of the serviced offices usually have several tenants in the same building. Thus, the tenant will have plenty of available networking opportunities. Such opportunities can speed up a business especially if it is a startup venture.
5. Access to administrative facilities
Not only a business that goes for a traditional office setup has to search for suitable office space, but they also require specialized manpower to assist them to maintain and run their office. It also signifies that the concerned business has to go through the procedure to advertising for available openings, interviewing the short-listed applicants, and then recruiting suitable employees. On the other hand, opting for a serviced office will do away with the requirement of recruiting administrative personnel, janitorial staff, and maintenance employees.
Serviced offices hire experienced professionals who are well aware of the field and can assist their clients to cover the transition into their new office in a hassle-free manner. Thus, these businesses can save their effort and time by not going through the recruitment process, as well as other routine tasks such as answering calls. Opting for a serviced office also eliminate other distractions too.
6. Eliminating secondary costs
While conventional office space may have to bear the lower monthly costs, the secondary costs and initial expenses can be exorbitant. For instance, a traditional office costs much more as compared to the rental price. A business should also include other costs such as furnishing the office space, cleaning, and maintenance activities to come to the actual monthly expense. All these costs can be eliminated by opting for a serviced office.
7. Transitioning office relocation
When a business makes a decision of relocating its workspace, it may lead to exasperating downtime that can eventually hamper the daily activities of a business. Steps such as looking up for appropriate office space, furnishing the office, establishing a network, as well as, all other required steps may be incredibly time-taking. A majority of new ventures do not have the necessary resources or the stability needed to slow or close their operations for a long period. On the other hand, fully serviced offices can make this transition easier and simpler.
8. Testing different locations
Apart from the ease of changing an office easily, a serviced office offers the flexibility of making it possible to try out new sites in the same city. Such a move can be quite helpful for a business that has the need to interact with its clients frequently and wishes to be in an easily reachable place for them. These businesses can spend some months in one site and can then relocate in another location and compare the difference in their business outputs.
9. Pay only for the services required
When a business opts for a traditional office area, it has to typically pay for a huge space, which it may not use entirely. For instance, additional office space and meeting rooms can lead to exorbitant rent. However, in case a person can opt for a serviced office, they can pay according to the area rented by it. Thus, a serviced office lease enables a business to pay simply for the office space they require and also make an expansion in the future quite simple.
Takeaway
It is not an easy task to find a suitable office place for setting up a new business of shifting your office to a new location. After all, there are several key issues to be considered while looking for a good office space. In case a business wants to opt for a ready-made office space for a short period, it should contemplate opting for a serviced office. Also, it is evident that a serviced office can do away plenty of hassles to set up a business in a city.