Although shared office centers emerged in the late-1960s, they were not widely accepted as a viable alternative to traditional office space. Now, not only are more shared office centers opening, but they also are experiencing much greater reception in the marketplace. This is mostly due to today’s mobile workforce, new wireless communications tools and economic globalization. Because shared office centers offer business owners furnished, ready-to-go private offices and support services without the high overhead costs associated with owning or leasing office space, they have become attractive to entrepreneurs and small-business owners who want the flexibility of expanding without being tied down to long-term leases. National businesses also are selecting shared office centers when they want to set up a satellite office without a major investment and with the ease of someone else handling all of the details.
The trend is growing rapidly, and so are the expectations of the business owners who choose to locate in a shared office setting. Although reducing overhead costs and acquiring a high-end corporate image are the main reasons for selecting a shared office center, business owners do not want to sacrifice their identity by choosing a location that will swallow them up in a sea of other businesses. Unlike managing a traditional office building, creating an environment where business owners feel as if the office space belongs to them presents many challenges.
With this new paradigm in mind, owners and managers must invent new approaches. Unlike an office park or building manager, shared office managers are not just responsible for keeping the common areas well-maintained and ensuring that the building’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system works. In a shared office center, managers must make sure that a professional, Class A, corporate environment is always maintained and that the customer/business owner always comes first.
The overall goal of most managers of shared office centers is to make each client feel important – to take care of their business needs before they even have to ask. Clients’ business identities should be promoted so that it appears to their clients as if they own the place. Business owners should look like “big fish” in the business world without having to get in over their heads financially. Managers of shared office centers should strive to get to know their tenant well. They shouldn’t be faceless names. Managers can become concierges within this professional community and provide quality, consistent services day in and day out.
Also unique to shared office centers are the services they provide to clients as part of the complete package. In this environment, business owners have access to support services, such as telephone answering and secretarial services, telephone lines and fax machines, secure, high-speed Internet access, a copy and print center, conference room space, a kitchen stocked with coffee and tea, and other amenities without having to cover the costs on their own. All of those services come with the price of an office. A wide array of business and life amenities such as hotel rooms, limousine service, dry cleaning, car detailing and catering can also be provided if necessary.
The business community that develops within a shared office center also is an important component for business owners. Individuals who were working at home – and may still maintain a home office – often enjoy having other people around to chat about the weather, the stock market or their favorite restaurants. For others, the shared office environment provides opportunities to make important business connections. Building managers can support the growth of the business network by encouraging camaraderie through office events, like holiday parties, or by setting up a putting green as an alternative water-cooler to encourage interaction.
Paying attention to the little things pays off. For example, something as small as providing a variety of artificial sweeteners and sugar for coffee and tea shows that managers care about their clients’ various preferences. Ordering a special desk chair that supports an aching back or stocking the copy room with bookbinders so that financial planners can make presentations that pop will go a long way. By paying attention to everything, from the brand of coffee served to a spectacular first impression when clients walk in the door, the businesses that choose shared office centers can feel proud of their space and look forward to coming to work every day.
