Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Serviced and Virtual Offices: Leaving Behind the Tradition




“Serviced office spaces for rent in Hyderabad” and “Virtual office Bangalore” –and vice versa- have become two of the most frequently searched entities on google by entrepreneurs seeking office spaces recently. This can also be said for cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Pune etc. Simultaneously, the traditional office spaces appear to have lost their appeal to the working folks or companies. While the evolved office destinations provide compact solutions at more affordable prices compared to their traditional counterparts, professional image building also has become easier with them. At the same time, these are readily available flexible options for different business purposes. Let’s dig a little further.

Serviced Office Space:
A serviced office space –also known as instant plug and play office- is a privately occupied workspace by small teams of professionals (startups, SMEs). These are cheaper than traditional offices in terms of the services that are combined together. From the internet, furniture to security, professional support etc. everything comes as a package with the rental- so you do not have to take the headache of subscribing to third parties or deal with them for your every small and big issues. Here, the office spaces provider- such as Unispace- takes care of everything. In addition, one can easily find one such workspace at desirable locations in business centres. 

Virtual Offices:
Virtual offices do not have a physical appearance like the traditional offices. Primarily they are business addresses that are hired by professionals as well as firms that want to build an image in the corporate world or the ones that want a local base to deal with the local customers or partners directly. Most platforms offer virtual office options in selected prime business locations. Therefore, the addresses sell like hot cakes. Call/ mail handling and client hosting services make these more attractive. Every professional and business want to be recognised, trusted and be preferred as an investment spot, an employer etc. Having a permanent looking office in a posh locality can be beneficial from many fronts. While having a traditional office in these places are either very expensive or just not available anymore, virtual offices provide an affordable solution instead.

The Hidden Factors Behind the Popularity of These Alternative Office Spaces:
It is not just the conveniences that the serviced offices or the virtual offices offer at inexpensive prices, the popularity of these platforms is also conditioned by other factors. One of them is trusted names in the office lease industry spreading to more cities and opening more branches (Unispace has now Business Centers in Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru and Kuala Lumpur)- and the competition among them which is making the deal more office seeker-friendly. It is also observed that businesses grow faster as you work in an inspiring environment (serviced office). Secondly, the real estate sector is also pushing the alternative office space sector. As a result, smart workspaces are coming up as attractions to young entrepreneurs and start-ups. Also, huge investment and partnership are tagging with the space providers which is very important for any industry.

At a time when in India and its cities are experiencing a startup boom, the craze of serviced offices, virtual offices and also coworking spaces is only going to strengthen in the coming times. If you are an entrepreneur, and having a traditional office, you must consider if it is time to leave behind the tradition and opt something that works better for your business.