The serviced office can take the form of the so-called ‘virtual office’ or, better again, ‘flexible office’ because it is designed to respond to the various requirements of professionals. A flexible serviced office allows for the choice of a simple mailbox, possibly accompanied by a phone answering service, with an assigned phone number, and an ability to forward all calls to a nominated mobile phone number. The solutions offered by a virtual office are forward-thinking, allowing for example, a client to use offices or meeting rooms for a certain number of hours a month, customisable to each particular company’s requirements.
The flexible serviced office represents a solution particularly useful for a professional starting out, who does not yet have the resources to rent an office, but who does not want to meet clients at home, and can rest assured that there is a professional headquarters and meeting room available. Additionally, the business center that is attentive of the client’s needs does not communicate the temporary nature of the offices and displays signage at the lobby and outside of each office space, while opting not to show the name of the management company. The business center Blend Tower in Milan, for example, has adopted a no logo policy and the brand name Halldis, leader in the management of serviced spaces, does not appear amongst the many other logos of its clients. This formula is particularly advantageous for a small company that does not yet have offices in a particular city, but is interested in developing respective activities and creating a clientele in that location, by spending time there every once in a while. In this instance, there is little point investing in a traditional office space.
In this case, the business center ensures that client needs are totally satisfied, be it for an office space, a meeting room, or an event space. It has more advantages than a hotel, as it offers an office space expressly designed to support workflow and therefore with all the useful services.
The transition from a ‘virtual office’ could be to a shared office, when the need presents itself for a company to have a permanent headquarters, while it still does not yet have the financial stability to reserve an entire space. If the activity is increasing and the time has come to rent a private office space, there remain many unknown future variables. This is where the serviced office is a risk free investment: working capital continues to remain low, (only a small deposit is required) and the contract allows a lessee to withdraw with a short notice period. That way if the company suffers a set-back, there is always the option to return to a room at home.
If on the other hand, the business grows and there is no longer enough space to accommodate the new staff members, no problem: it is possible to move to a larger office or acquire two or more adjacent rooms, which can be turned into open plan offices thanks to a system of movable partitions. Flexibility starts at the grass roots.