If you want all the advantages of having your own office without the overhead and upkeep, you might want to consider serviced offices. Serviced offices are all-inclusive office packages, which come with all the amenities and features of having your own.

What is a serviced office?

A serviced office is a fully-equipped office that is managed by a management company; everything is managed and maintained for you. You work in the offices as though they were your own. Serviced offices are rented out by office, in chunks, or by floors, and can be used to host everyone from solo professionals to large companies.

What are the advantages of a serviced office?

Serviced offices are steadily becoming more popular, especially in areas where office space is at a premium. Serviced offices come with the following core benefits:

• Flexibility. Rather than having to commit to a lengthy lease, you can instead choose to experiment with a serviced office for a month at a time. You can test out different types of office space and location, and plan ahead for the future. You may find that you only need an office certain times of the year (such as the busiest times) or certain times of the week. An example might be a seasonal business such as a tourism and travel planner.
• Scalability. Do you expect that your business is going to be growing? With a serviced office, you can add additional office space onto your contract as needed. As you start to grow, you can expand into surrounding areas, and continue growing unimpeded. You will also be able to scale down should you find that you don’t need as much space. An example might be a new tech company, which doesn’t yet know how large its client base might grow.
• Reduced overhead. Offices cost a lot to manage. Serviced offices provide for reduced overhead: for a single low, monthly fee, you get everything that an office should include. You don’t need to purchase things separately such as printers and faxes; you can use the equipment that is already on-site, thereby lowering your upfront costs and your total cost of ownership.
• Limited administrative burden. Offices don’t just cost money to manage; they also cost time. Service offices are deal for you if you spent more time than you want to addressing maintenance problems. Serviced offices will take care of all the office management and maintenance, leaving you to concentrate on your work.
• No build out or downtime. When you move into an office, you often need to tailor it to your organisation. With a serviced office, everything is already available, and you can select the office that will work best for you. Many serviced offices have options that you can add-on, such as the equipment and furniture you need in your office. You’ll be able to start work right away, rather than in a few months.
• Additional amenities. Your own business might not be able to support a coffee and break room, but a serviced office can. Because serviced offices are hosting a large number of companies, they also have the ability to bring in amenities and support that a small business or an individual wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.
• Superior locations. Serviced offices are usually in better locations — locations that an individual might not be able to afford. You can experiment with different locations through a serviced office, too, to determine where you’d like your eventual location to be.
• Better maintenance. Rather than dealing with maintenance issues yourself, the office management company addresses the issue efficiently and with minimal disturbance to you and your business.

In short, serviced offices give a business everything they need to run as though they have an office, without the burden of having to maintain an office.

Who Are Serviced Offices Good For?

Any company can take advantage of the benefits of a serviced office. But serviced offices are especially good for:

• Businesses that are rapidly scaling. You can easily add to Serviced offices, without having to project and plan for your future needs.
• Startups. You can test out new and disruptive business models, without having to invest a lot into overhead.
• Solo entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs may only want a small office, but may still want “big office” amenities.
• Small to mid-sized businesses. Many SMBs no longer want to support the overhead of running a big office.

Large enterprises which require extensive build outs may not want to consider serviced offices. For everyone else, they’re an excellent alternative to a traditional build out. You can check out our article about some key differenced between serviced offices and leased offices.

What you should look for when selecting a serviced office?

When selecting a serviced office, it’s important to do your research. Look at their other tenants and look for reviews and testimonials. There are many new serviced offices companies emerging because more people are working remotely and digitally, but these companies may be untested. Ask about how long the serviced offices company has been in business, how many offices they’ve served, and what makes them unique.

Apart from this, consider:

• What amenities does the serviced office provide?
• How well is the property cleaned and maintained?
• What location is the office in? Is it convenient and accessible?
• What does the co-tenancy look like? Are they similar businesses?
• How does the cost compare to other, similar services?

Conclusion

Serviced offices let you concentrate on the inner workings of your business, rather than having to worry about office maintenance and management. For more information about the core benefits of serviced offices, contact the experts at Jerusalem Business Center. For over 13 years, Jerusalem Business Center has been making it possible for professionals, startups, and SMBs to do what they do best — without any additional concerns.