If you are looking for an office space in London, mostly you will come across two options – a conventional office or a serviced office.
While both have their pros and cons, what suits you and your business the best, is what you want to pick. So, here is what you need to know about both workplaces before you decide on moving to one.
What are conventional offices?
Conventional workplaces are private self-occupied spaces. You can lease them directly from the landlord and can expect to have access to some of the shared services like a lift, air-conditioning system, common reception area, cycle parking, etc.
Apart from this, if you need any extra services, you have to manage them all by yourself.
What are serviced offices?
This is a more advanced type of workplace. You can rent premium serviced offices from a company that can or cannot be the main landlord.
Along with a working space, you get all the amenities and services that any business needs to work smoothly.
For instance, the place is fully furnished with necessary furniture, and amenities like a projection room, meeting room, etc.
However, there are chances that there are other businesses too who are using these amenities.
The key difference between both offices
- In a conventional office, you have to put in a lot of work to make it a workable space. This will include getting office furniture, setting up meeting rooms, etc.
- On the contrary, serviced offices already have the basics in place, and thus you can start working immediately after moving.
- If you need to set up an office urgently, a serviced office can prove to be useful. Facilities like Wi-Fi connection, phone lines, basic cable connections, etc. are already in place and running.
- On the other hand, conventional offices are just four walls that you will have to spend time after converting into an office.
- For new businesses, serviced offices are better as they need not invest in every small thing. They can conveniently use the amenities that come along with the office. This is not possible in conventional offices.
- Since conventional offices are spaces that are self-occupied, they give better privacy to discuss business and handle meetings.
- In services offices, multiple businesses could be sharing amenities like meeting rooms, and thus privacy is compromised to some extent.
- Working in a serviced office where other businesses are operating as well allows your staff to mingle with like-minded people. This ensures better self-growth.
- On the other hand, in a conventional office, all you have around are people working for the same business and in the same field, so there is limited scope for learning new things.
Which type of office is best for your business?
There is no one answer to this question, as the answer will change as per your business requirement.
However, if acquisition cost is your deciding factor, it is important to know that it will be much more expensive to set up a conventional workplace.
The legal work is expensive as well as acquiring all the office items that you will need to operate smoothly. On the other hand, in serviced offices, all you have to worry about is rent.
So, there you go. Now that you understand the concepts, pros, and cons of both workplaces, surely you will be able to make a more informed decision.
