36 . Glasgow Business January/February 2013
OFFICE SERVICES
THE VIRTUAL ALTERNATIVE
Another option for small businesses to consider is using a ‘virtual office’ – a concept that provides all the services you need from an office together with a prestigious city centre address, but without paying for the floor space. A virtual office will typically provide
a personal telephone answering service, a business mail address and mail forwarding services, as well as hot desk office and meeting room facilities, rented on an hourly basis. When clients call your virtual office
number, the receptionist will answer the call in your company name and then put the call through to you or pass on a message if you are unavailable. You also benefit from a professional business address, which is useful if you want to be perceived as a larger business or feel that your home address does not present the right image to your clients. A virtual office service can also
forward your mail on to you by mail, fax or even email. There are various packages available,
together with the ability to rent the facilities at the virtual office business centre, such as workstations or meeting rooms. A virtual office gives you all of
the perks of being perceived as a professional and larger business, but without the high costs, administration and staffing issues.
amenities such as shops and restaurants. Depending on your business, extra space
for a meeting room may be an important consideration, as well as suitable IT and internet connectivity. And you’ll need to consider fiting out the office and decoration – aspects that can be handled by office designers… or a trip to Ikea and B&Q for furniture and a pot of paint. Buying a property outright is not a realistic
option for most small businesses, so the options will mean either considering leasing offices, or using serviced office space. A serviced office provides a dedicated
workstation along with other facilities such as a manned reception, meeting rooms, and communal areas such as kitchens and toilets. In addition to a reception and telephone
answering service, it will offer a furnished office space with usually a high degree of IT and telecom connectivity – so you can start doing business as soon as you move in. Tese types of premises generally have
short-term contracts that allow companies to move in – and out – quickly and have the flexibility to accommodate any expansion. Owing to the high levels of services
provided, serviced office space is generally more expensive than leasing traditional office space – but costs have been reducing over the past 12 months.
COMPARISON
PRIME RENTS FOR GRADE A OFFICE SPACE IN SCOTLAND
Aberdeen Edinburgh Glasgow
£31.50 sq ft/year £27.00 sq ft/year £27.00 sq ft/year
Grade A office space is the most sought after, generally new or recently redeveloped/refurbished properties with state-of-the-art facilities in prime locations in cities.
Source: Scottish Offices H1 2012 MarketView
“If you want to stamp your
own identity on your offices then you’ll want to lease premises”
According to
Officebroker.com’s Central
Glasgow City Focus report, the average price per workstation decreased from £306 to £194 per month between the first quarter of 2011 and 2012, and newly signed tenants increased by 13 per cent over the same period. However, if you want to stamp your own
identity on your offices then you’ll want to go down the traditional route of leasing premises. But how much space do you need and what costs do you need to consider? A sole trader will be happy with a single
office or sharing a larger office with others, but what if you have employees? In the past, a company with about 20
employees would be typically looking for about 100 square feet per person – normally between 2,000-2,500 square feet in total, and paying anything between £10-£16.50 per square foot/year. However, with hot desking and other working practices to make beter use
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