Does the terms Coworking Office Spaces and Serviced Office Spaces confuse you? You are not alone. Coworking office spaces are said to accommodate startups looking for a conducive space for growth with a strong sense of community, while serviced office spaces are commonly thought to be pokey suites in bland environments offering little interaction with other people.
If you have outgrown your home office and ready to make a move, you will benefit from this article. Let us help you define the two...
BLURRED LINES
The reality is not as simple as it seems. In fact, the more the coworking space concept becomes mainstream, the more its value proposition is being diluted, with spaces failing to deliver their promises. Meanwhile, serviced offices are increasingly incorporating coworking dimensions to their offering, often achieving nothing more than adding hipster credit to their decor. This trend doesn’t help you in making the right decisions, that is in finding the right fit for your needs.
Some coworking spaces often have a premium offering similar to those of serviced offices to accommodate businesses that matured through the coworking ecosystem. And it isn’t rare that serviced offices facilitate cross business collaboration.
The bottom line: You need to understand the sort of environment that drives your business for the better and find the space that promotes growth. At Excen, we are mindful of the driving factors that working spaces contribute to the business success and we apply the knowledge to our Serviced Offices.
FACILITIES MATTER... MORE THAN YOU THINK!
CO-WORKING SPACE VS. DEDICATED PRIVATE SPACE
Decent co-working spaces have their benefits. Coworking is conducive to collaboration and allows valuable networking. It often has an in-house community manager that you could leverage introducing you to potential partners, clients, mentors or advisors.
Consider the industry your business operates in and if/how your clients will visit you. Most coworking spaces have open space settings which could be uncomfortable for your visiting clients and prospects as the space lacks privacy. For some business it’s not an issue because their client doesn’t need to visit them.
While most coworking spaces take the necessary security measures to ensure your equipment is safe outside of the working hours, the shared office can be accessed by literally anyone during the business hours, without formal check-ins at a reception desk.
Also, you are challenged with the risk of people looking over your shoulder while you work on a sensitive matter on your computer. Open spaces also contributes to amplified noise. People conducting all various kind of phone conversations next to you or talking to each other across desks can challenge your focus.
The bottom line: Are you required to handle and work with sensitive information consistently throughout the day? If you cannot afford to compromise on privacy and security, perhaps Serviced Office with private working spaces would be be a better option for you.
BASIC SUPPORT VS. FULL SERVICE
What most coworking spaces offers is a minimum viable product for startups with little to no costs. This is suitable for businesses that need to keep its expenses at the minimum. While it’s cheap, you may only have the access to the basic facilities with no support. You may even have to pay for your own utilities.
Also worth considering is that you might want to use meeting rooms more often than you would do in a private office to avoid sharing private conversations with other companies (and also to avoid disturbing your neighbours). Since everyone is in the same situation, everyone could be competing for the limited amount of available rooms and it could be quite stressful.
In a service office, you won’t need to worry about the menial tasks and issues that could will steal your attention away from running your business. Some of the benefits you would enjoy from a serviced office include:
- Fully furnished and serviced office
- Secured and private office spaces
- Professional receptionists that will help in managing incoming calls, mails and business visitors
- Fully equipped modern meeting rooms free of charge
- High speed internet and admin support
- Access to senior managers who listens and can solve any space, facilities or accounts issues.
The bottom line: You get what you pay for. Some business in its early stages can do without those benefits to keep cost down. If you cannot afford to be distracted with the menial tasks and issues, then Excen can help you. We welcome you, to visit our Serviced Offices and let you decide for yourself. Book A Visit.
WHICH CROWD IS THE GOOD CROWD FOR YOU ?
CASUAL START-UPS VS. PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS
Where do you stand? Consider that the vast majority of coworking members are from start-up rich sectors like technology, digital media, marketing agencies and visual arts.
Some coworking spaces explicitly specialise in one industry or another and since community is the core advantage of you operating from a coworking space, it is worth paying close attention to it. If you are a startup, a good coworking space can provide the ecosystem you need to take off.
Perhaps, your business has evolved from a start-up stage and you need to seclude your business operations from the disturbance and distraction of a co-working crowd; you could be reflecting your credibility and strong-standing image through a professional office settings; you might be welcoming notable investors and significant prospects soon in the business. If this describes you, we believe it’s time to consider a professional serviced office.
The bottom line: depending on the stage your business is in, you might benefit - or not - from being surrounded by one crowd or the other. Chose wisely as this can influence the success of your business.
Are you working from home in Mosman, Chatswood, Neutral Bay or nearby and ready to make the move to serviced office? Book a visit to one of our serviced offices in Crows Nest and discover the flexibility and benefits of working from a serviced office with Excen.