This concise guide outlines what serviced offices are, what they can offer, and factors to consider when weighing up the decision to move to one.
If you are currently running a home-based business as a way of getting more money trickling into your household, you might have noticed your humble abode feeling a little more, well, crowded recently. Your laptop, paperwork and more could be competing with baby food for storage space.
That could be a reliable sign that you ought to start moving the business out of your home… but to where exactly? There are many office options, with a serviced office probably particularly advisable.
What are serviced offices?
Serviced offices in a nutshell
If you aren’t exactly well-versed on all of the jargon about business accommodation, you could understandably feel confused about all of the different terminology bandied out. However, the definition of a serviced office can definitely have an “easy once you know how” feel about it…
Otherwise referred to as a managed office or business centre, a serviced office differs from traditional office space in coming ready-furnished. As you move into one, you can quickly benefit from already connected internet and phone lines as well as pre-equipped printers.
Other in-house facilities and services typical in serviced offices, Startups.co.uk says, include meeting rooms as well as staff capable of handling reception and cleaning duties. The included facilities and staff would all come from the serviced office provider largely responsible for the building’s upkeep.
An especially strong selling point of serviced offices is the lease agreement’s flexibility. Whereas a conventional office could require your business to stay for at least a year, a serviced office would charge you periodically, such as monthly – allowing you to cost-effectively leave at short notice.
Are you unsure about your firm’s future trajectory?
If so, this would be a good incentive to opt for serviced offices, as your company’s space there could easily be scaled up and down as your needs change.
For example, if your business skyrockets in growth and so needs expanded space for extra staff surprisingly soon, you can expect your serviced office provider to let you promptly relocate to a larger part of the building. Downsizing within that building can be similarly straightforward.
Does your firm often leave you pressed for time?
Should this be the case, you could easily appreciate your time not coming under even further pressure as a result of issues like a leaky roof and poor Internet connection that all need rectifying. However, in a serviced space, it’s not you who would need to fix those problems.
Those responsibilities would instead come under the remit of the serviced offices provider, as Bytestart.co.uk explains. Therefore, you can get on with running the business rather than have to contend with the hiccup of disrupted infrastructure on the premises.
You can leave a positive impression on clients
Radiating a professional image can help your business to reap more custom. Real Business points out that serviced offices are often based in esteemed locations – allowing financial firms, for example, to seriously consider serviced offices in Canary Wharf that would enable them to edge ahead of rivals.
