First, decide if you want to lead or participate in a videoconference. If you are leading it, be aware that you may connect to up to But call at least one provider an ask what their regular (not just “for the first year”) price would be for installing and providing phone and internet in an office. Also ask if your internet is dedicated or shared, because sharing slows your effective speed. Be sure to give yourself an allowance for maintenance here also – for the phone(s), the internet equipment and such.
- You will have serviced common areas included or available, including meeting rooms, refreshment areas and the lobby.
- Our current clients have told us, repeatedly, that their clients like our reception and common areas.
- Be sure to take appearance and handicapped access into account. If you are dealing with the public, those things count and if you are leasing your own space, they cost something to obtain and maintain. You will have to obtain furniture and accessories, at minimum.
- Be sure to ask the traditional office landlord about rental terms and conditions – how long does the lease have to be, and what other charges are levied against you per contract – common area charges, “triple net” charges can exceed your rent in a small leasehold, but are not in a serviced office agreement.
To complete your comparison, make a simple T-chart and list the costs of the serviced office on one column, the costs of the rental on the other. If the serviced office costs less than the traditional rental, you win big. If the cost of the serviced office is higher, you still win, it’s just that the cost of the amenities that you are doing without in the traditional rental are the cost difference you see. Some of those costs are tangible, including full-time reception, availability of conference rooms, and tech support. Others are intangible, such as the value of the business address. Being fair, you will find that the “cost” of the amenities, if any, is nowhere near the cost of providing those amenities for yourself.