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A Comprehensive Guide to Our Serviced Offices in Canary Wharf

Posted on by aleks

If you’re looking for Canary Wharf office space, look no further than our serviced offices and hot desking facilities in London’s commercial epicentre.

Our serviced offices in Canary Wharf are purpose-made business units with access to great on-site amenities and that all-important E14 postcode.

With two fantastic locations to choose from, we’ve got you covered when looking for flexible office rental in Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs.

Millharbour Court

Millharbour Court is Serviced Office Company’s newest office space in London. Our purpose-built Business Centre opened on Watergate Walk in the summer of 2020 and is a perfect fit for post-pandemic flexible business practices.

As well as providing much-needed serviced offices in Canary Wharf, Millharbour Court offers some of the newest hot desking facilities in London, ideal if you need some ad hoc office space from time to time.

With access to a private outdoor terrace, there’s also plenty of fresh air – allowing you to meet with clients, stakeholders and job applicants outside if you prefer.

Millharbour Court is among the greenest Canary Wharf office space, and we’re proud that we were able to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating during the refurbishment in 2020.

Davenport House

The other SOC office rental Canary Wharf has to offer can be found just yards away at Davenport House on Pepper Street.

Again, we’re proud to offer some of the most stunning Canary Wharf office space at this location, with views over the open water of Millwall Docks to the neighbouring businesses on Oakland Quay and Baltimore Wharf.

Davenport House is more than just a flexible office rental in London’s most desirable postcode for businesses; our unbranded premises mean you can add your own logos and colour scheme, to really make your office space your own.

As our original serviced office in Canary Wharf, we have a lot of love for Davenport House, and we hope it will be a much-loved home for your business too.

What you get

If you choose either of our office rentals in Canary Wharf, you can expect a long list of on-site amenities, most of which are included in the price you pay upfront.

Kitchen areas, complimentary refreshments, washroom facilities and informal chillout rooms are all part of the package, so there’s always somewhere to go when you need a break from your desk or want to freshen up.

Both locations include meeting rooms for hire, so you don’t need to leave the building to find a private place for a confidential conversation.

And with optional virtual offices and hot desking facilities on-demand, you can operate a workforce as flexible as your business needs, while responding to the expectations of the most talented candidates in the post-pandemic era.

Find out more

We’d love to tell you more about our serviced offices in Canary Wharf, and to answer any questions you might have about the facilities at each location.

If you’d like to arrange an in-person visit to either (or both) premises, just ask. We’re a stone’s throw from the Crossharbour DLR station with links to Canary Wharf tube, Stratford and Bank – just get in touch and let us know when you’d like to come.

Networking Opportunities: Leveraging the Community Aspect of Serviced Offices

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A feature of serviced offices that is often overlooked is the potential for community networking with like-minded entrepreneurs from your local area, allowing you to build your professional connections organically over time.

In this guide to networking in serviced offices, we’ll look at some of the ways you can meet new people and connect with other organisations in your building, to help you take your own business to new heights.

Serviced Offices Networking Guide: An Introduction

It might not seem obvious that serviced offices allow you to network with other businesses, especially if your office has its own four walls, but when you work from serviced office space, you become part of a community of entrepreneurs.

This enables community networking – and in many cases, you’re all in a similar position, whether that’s starting up a new business, branching out from sole trading for the first time, or establishing a new branch office in a new location.

In this networking guide, we’ll look at how serviced offices can help entrepreneurs at every stage, helping you to establish your voice in your local business community.

Guide to Networking in Serviced Offices

So, once you’ve moved into your serviced office space, how do you start networking with others around you?

First of all, don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to your nearest neighbours. Don’t impose yourself if they’re busy, but a polite introduction can let them know that you’re open to networking opportunities and casual conversations alike.

Make good use of communal areas like kitchen facilities and chillout rooms. These are naturally less formal spaces, where you can introduce yourself in a relaxed atmosphere.

You could even ask if there’s anywhere good to get lunch or snacks – you never know if this will develop into an impromptu business lunch with a fellow serviced office space user.

Community Networking as an Individual

Community networking is even more valuable if you’re a sole trader, as you might not have anyone working around you on a typical day.

Serviced Office Company’s serviced offices in Telford, Manchester and London also offer hotdesking and coworking spaces, where you can meet fellow lone entrepreneurs on an ad hoc basis.

If you feel like your career is being held back by being a lone wolf, working from our hotdesking facilities in London, Telford and Manchester is a fantastic way to retain your independence, while also working in a professional setting with like-minded individuals.

Getting Started

It’s easy to get started – just book your coworking space or serviced office, and start saying hello to the people you meet on-site.

If you’d like to know more about any of our facilities, from hotdesking to private office space, get in touch with Serviced Office Company today. We love chatting about our fantastic premises (especially our recently refurbished serviced offices in Telford, our biggest site yet).

We can also arrange a tour so you can see everything in person, and get more of an idea of the great sense of community waiting for you in our serviced offices in Manchester, Telford and London – so give us a call or tap the ‘Arrange A Tour’ button to get started!

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Serviced Offices vs. Traditional Office Spaces: Which is Right for You?

Posted on by aleks

The age-old debate of serviced office vs. traditional office comes down to what’s best for your business, but we think there are plenty of good reasons why serviced office space might come out on top.

Obviously for some large companies, there are benefits to having your own privately owned or long-term leased office premises. But for many businesses big and small alike, the flexibility of serviced office space makes much more sense.

Let’s look at some of the relative merits of serviced office vs. traditional office space, and why you might choose one over the other.

Length of Lease

If you’re looking for the flexibility of a shorter lease, serviced office space is typically more accommodating. While many tenants do stay for years, serviced offices are designed to allow for shorter stays too.

This is ideal for many reasons. Maybe you’re exploring a new local market and want to test the waters before committing to a long-term lease. Or perhaps you’re expecting rapid growth and just need some small premises until things really take off.

Serviced Office Company also offer hotdesking facilities in London, Manchester and Telford, under the same roofs as our serviced offices – so if you just need a desk for a day, we’re open to ad hoc bookings.

Fully Furnished

Traditional office space is often an empty shell, but our serviced offices come fully furnished with designer brand-name ergonomic office furniture.

We have searched high and wide for the best office chairs, desks and other furnishings, so that when you walk through the door to your new office on day one, it’s comfortable and ready for you at no additional setup cost.

If you prefer to use your own furniture – maybe you have an old faithful office chair that you find most comfortable – that’s great too. It’s your office space, and we want you to feel at home.

High-Spec Tech

Our serviced office space comes complete with non-BT telecoms and high-speed broadband, again allowing you to start working from day one without negotiating any business broadband rates or bundled telecoms deals.

SOC’s meeting rooms in Manchester, London and Telford all include high-quality AV equipment so you can give presentations in style, and again support ultrafast broadband so remote workers can attend meetings virtually via conference call and/or webcam.

We pull out all the stops to give you the high-spec premises you might want in your dream premises, without any of the hassle of installing equipment and arranging contracts.

See For Yourself

This is just a snapshot of why serviced office space is more flexible, more comfortable and more feature-packed than taking out a long-term lease on an empty office building.

We welcome you to take a tour of our serviced offices in Telford, London and Manchester, to see our complete offering for yourself – just contact us or tap the ‘Arrange A Tour’ button to express your interest in one of our locations.

In the end, it’s your choice what type of premises will be best for your business – we can’t choose for you, but we can provide the very best serviced office space possible. The final decision is up to you.

The technology of serviced offices

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Serviced offices give you instant access to the facilities you need to start work, including cutting-edge technology that enables you to work smarter, communicate more effectively and ultimately boost your productivity.

When you move into a Serviced Office Company space or hire a meeting room on our premises, you’ll have a host of communication options and audiovisual equipment you can use in training sessions and presentations.

All of this is offered as standard in our serviced office spaces, to make it even easier for you to get to work on the day you move in.

What tech do serviced offices provide?

Let’s look at some of the technology you’ll find in our serviced office spaces:

High-speed broadband

Essential for digital businesses, we provide fast, reliable internet access in our serviced offices so that you don’t lose valuable time waiting for web pages to load. Ultrafast broadband is also ideal if you have a number of employees who will all need internet access – including video calls and streaming HD video – at the same time.

Non-BT telecoms

Many business customers prefer to get their telecoms from a supplier other than BT, and Serviced Office Company rooms are equipped with professional telecoms equipment so when you need to make a call – or set up a conference call – you’re ready to go.

AV tech in meeting rooms

We have meeting rooms for hire in London, Manchester and Telford, all of which are fitted out to the highest standard. That means if you need to make a presentation, display a slideshow or play a video, the equipment to do so is right there with no setup needed.

How does tech help businesses?

Our clients know that our serviced office spaces are designed to enable productive business throughout the working week, with 24-hour access if you want to continue work outside of the standard 9-5 weekday.

But cutting-edge technology in serviced offices goes beyond just increasing productivity. Intelligent design of office furniture makes your day more comfortable and can even help to reduce the risk of developing RSI and other aches and pains.

The tech we provide can also help your business to be more sustainable. Our serviced office spaces are fitted with water-saving devices, automatic light detectors and energy-efficient air conditioning systems, all of which supports your environmental commitments.

What if there’s a problem?

We know that not everybody gets on with technology – so if you encounter a problem with any part of the ICT and telecoms tech provided in your serviced office or meeting room, we’re here to help.

Our clients get full access to our technical support desk to respond to any IT-related queries and to manage the supplied equipment, saving your business time and money when you need help.

Technology should be a tool that enables productivity and efficiency, and not an obstacle to wrestle with day after day. That’s why we work hard to provide the best tech tools in all Serviced Office Company spaces.

Find out more

If you’d like to ask about any of our serviced office tech, or arrange a tour of one of our serviced offices in London, Manchester or Telford, get in touch today and we’ll be happy to help.

How to find the right office space

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There’s no big secret to knowing how to find an office space, but there are some ways to make sure you choose an office space that’s right for you.

In this guide we’ll look at how to choose an office space that gives you the tools you need to prosper, in the right location, and with room to grow.

1. Think about size

Consider the current size of your business and how many desks or workstations you’ll need. Then think about future growth – do you want some space for expansion immediately, or is this something you’ll need down the line?

Serviced offices are a great option if you’re not sure, as they offer you the flexibility to take more space as and when you need it (subject to availability) and/or to use virtual offices to allow more employees to work remotely.

2. Think about talent

If you haven’t yet settled on a specific location, thinking about talent can be a fantastic way to find an office space in the right place.

Unless you’re a sole trader, you’re going to need to hire employees – so if there’s nothing else tying your business to one place, it might make sense to go where the talent can be found.

3. Think about access

Actually accessing your premises is another handy steer to use when deciding how to choose an office space. Access includes both getting to and from the building, and getting inside once you’re there.

Serviced Office Company premises are accessible 24/7 so you’re not limited to working standard office hours, and there are plenty of public transport, walking and cycling routes to get there without needing to drive.

4. Think about services

We’ve mentioned serviced offices a few times already, and if you’re just starting up, they’re a good way to get everything you need without any upfront costs.

Knowing how to find an office space to fit out yourself is a bit more challenging, but there are commercial real estate companies who can help you. If you don’t want to go through the extra cost and admin, serviced office spaces are probably your best option.

5. Think about facilities

At some point you’re likely to need kitchen facilities, meeting rooms and conference facilities, along with high-speed broadband and reliable telecoms.

Again, serviced offices give you a list of essential facilities on the day you move in, and Serviced Office Company premises offer you the support of our technical helpdesk so you’re not left to deal with any ICT issues that arise.

Honourable mentions

This list could go on and on. Some other factors you might want to take into account include:

  • Local places to eat and drink
  • Office space that reflects your brand
  • Ability to visit/tour premises beforehand

 

With nearby access to bars, restaurants and supermarkets, plus kitchen facilities on-site, you don’t have to go hungry when you work from a Serviced Office Company location.

All of our premises can be toured in person – just contact us to book a convenient time – and we welcome you to add your own colours, logos and other branding once you move in.

What are the benefits of serviced offices?

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Serviced offices are a flexible way to get some professional office space for a new start-up, a rapidly growing enterprise or to open a new branch office and explore new local markets.

For example, the Serviced Office Company operates serviced offices in London, Manchester, Salford Quays and Telford, giving you access to a combined market of around 15 million people in London, Greater Manchester and the Birmingham area.

That’s not to mention the great transport links, which can easily connect you to an even larger customer base across the North West including Liverpool, Lancashire and Cheshire, or across the Pennines to Yorkshire and cities like Leeds and Sheffield.

It’s this strong regional presence that can make serviced offices so powerful when you’re trying to tap into a larger market – but they have plenty to offer within each area too.

Business on a budget

They say you should dress for the job you want, but sometimes you have to dress within your budget too. Serviced offices are a best of both solution, giving you premises finished to a high standard, with superfast broadband and cutting-edge AV equipment.

Economies of scale mean that you get all of this at an affordable rate, by sharing certain facilities like reception areas, outdoor space and meeting rooms for hire on-site.

You still get 24-hour access to your offices, and you can add your own branding and interior decoration to put a personal stamp on your workspace.

With secure cycle storage, washrooms and kitchen facilities all on-site too, serviced offices give you everything you need to enjoy a comfortable day at work.

Talent on your doorstep

Serviced offices allow you to establish a presence in regions where the best talent can be found. Whether that’s the drive and ambition of Central London or the often overlooked Midlands and North West, you can go to your workforce, instead of asking them to relocate or commute to you.

With serviced offices in Manchester, London and Telford, we give you access to a huge talent pool of nearly ten million working-age people across the three regions.

And with less distance to travel to the office, there’s less risk of employees running late due to travel disruption, traffic jams or public transport strikes – reducing the overall risk profile of your office as a result.

Find out more

At the Serviced Office Company we’re proud of our cutting-edge facilities and love showing potential tenants around our meeting rooms and serviced offices in Telford, Manchester and London.

If you’d like to view one or more locations, just ask. We also have hot desking and co-working spaces available, if you need professional surroundings but don’t want to commit to an office of your own.

Finally, if you work remotely but need professional contact details, ask about our virtual office services, which allow you to use our postal address and geographic telephone number for your business, without leasing any physical space.

To get started, visit our Contact page to get in touch, or browse to the location you’re interested in viewing and click Book A Tour.

How to host a great hybrid meeting

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Hybrid meetings are a growing part of the modern workplace, driven by several trends of recent years.

You may need to host hybrid meetings if you have staff who work from home (or remotely from another office or location), or to meet virtually with clients, candidates and stakeholders who can’t be there in person.

There are many reasons for this, including:

  • Post-pandemic hybrid working practices
  • Cutting carbon by avoiding travel
  • Accessibility for disabled job applicants

 

Whatever the reason, hybrid meetings mean you can combine in-person attendance with remote access for those located elsewhere, so everybody is included and everybody receives the same information at the same time.

How to host a hybrid meeting

Before your hybrid meeting, think about how you will include those attending remotely. A telephone conference call is an option, but if your meeting includes a visual presentation or you prefer to meet face-to-face, video conferencing is the solution.

Modern video conferencing software like Zoom and Teams can put multiple participants on the same call, so everybody can watch the same video stream at the same time.

It’s a good idea to check that all intended participants have the right software installed well in advance, and either hold some initial one-on-one troubleshooting calls, or encourage participants to hold a test call in their own time.

Hybrid meetings best practices

If you’re confident that everyone will be able to ‘dial in’ to the conference call, you’re ready to start hosting hybrid meetings.

Make sure your own software and hardware is set up correctly, and know how to turn your camera and microphone on and off, and how to adjust your microphone volume so it’s audible but not distorted.

In calls with a large number of participants, it’s sensible to ask viewers to mute their microphones unless they need to speak or ask a question, so that you are not interrupted partway through saying something important.

Hybrid meeting solutions at SOC

All Serviced Office Company meeting rooms for hire are equipped with the technology needed to hold hybrid meetings without any problems.

This includes high-speed broadband, as well as visual equipment so you can incorporate presentations into your hybrid meetings.

We provide these hybrid meeting solutions as standard, but if there’s anything specific you need as part of your own hybrid meeting best practices, just ask and we’ll do our best to accommodate your request.

Find out more

Whether you have a hybrid workforce, or you’re a lone entrepreneur who needs to host hybrid meetings with multiple potential clients and/or investors, our meeting rooms have been designed to offer a variety of sizes, all with consistent comfort and high-quality furnishings.

If you would like a tour of our facilities, please let us know and we can arrange to show you round our meeting rooms, conference rooms and boardrooms for hire at a convenient time.

As the modern workplace continues to move towards virtual, remote and hybrid working, we’re here to make sure you can still meet face-to-face with your key stakeholders, whether that’s across a meeting room table or via webcam.

Serviced Office Company’s ultimate guide to hot desking

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When you need a professional environment to work from for the day, hot desking is the solution. Access to high-quality co-working spaces with all the facilities you need, without committing to a long-term office lease.

It’s a great way for freelancers and entrepreneurs to dip your toe into the waters of serviced office space, to meet like-minded professionals in a comfortable setting, and to gain access to a workplace that shuts out distractions and enhances productivity.

Serviced Office Company’s top-quality hot desking spaces are fitted out with designer furniture, high-speed internet access, telecoms capabilities and shared kitchen facilities, giving you everything you need to work comfortably throughout the day.

What is hot desking?

Hot desking as a concept has been around since the 1980s and one of the first uses of the term was in Godfrey Golzen’s 1991 Sunday Times article “Cut The Office In Half Without Tears”.

It refers to the practice of working without a permanently allocated workspace. Instead, workstations are booked on a first come, first served basis, allowing individuals to reserve a workplace only when one is needed.

The name is thought to come from the military practice of ‘hot racking’ or ‘hot bunking’ in which beds are not assigned to specific personnel, but anyone can sleep anywhere during their rest time.

How does hot desking work?

Hot desking is quite straightforward. When you need a place to work from, just book one of our co-working spaces and we’ll be ready to welcome you.

We provide non-BT telecoms, high-speed broadband and corporate-grade IT systems, with full access to our tech support desk if you have any problems getting up and running.

If you need some private space, we also have meeting rooms for hire on-site, so you can meet clients and investors in professional surroundings.

Just check meeting room availability on the app and book a room at competitive rates, and we’ll make sure it’s ready for you at the requested time.

Does hot desking improve productivity?

It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you normally work from home, hot desking can help you avoid distractions like building work or children home for the school holidays.

Equally if you don’t have any permanent office space, it’s usually very quick and easy to work from a hot desking space – that’s what they’re designed for.

While there may be other people sharing the co-working space, Serviced Office Company’s premises are designed to provide you with pods, breakout rooms and outdoor areas, so you’re not confined to your desk all day.

Does hot desking really work?

It really does! We’ve seen time and time again that individuals and entrepreneurs who were struggling to keep up with work at home find our professional surroundings to be the perfect productivity boost.

You can use co-working spaces indefinitely or treat it as a temporary springboard towards renting some serviced office space of your own. We’re here for you either way.

How to manage hot desking

We make it as easy as possible to manage hot desking bookings and related services e.g. to book a meeting room via our app.

If you would like to know more, please get in touch and we’ll have you hot desking before you know it!

How soaring energy bills are changing the way we work

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It’s a general rule that the larger the floor space of your office, the more it costs to heat and cool it, and to run the other utilities like lights and electricity. Because of this, at times when energy prices are high, greater flexibility can help you to tackle your running costs.

That’s where the Serviced Office Company comes in. With hot desking facilities, virtual offices and meeting rooms for hire, we can bring down your energy bills while still giving you the space you need to conduct your business.

All of this is in addition to the natural scalability of serviced offices, which allow small businesses and new startups to take only as much space as you need, and to expand later as your business – and your needs – begin to grow.

Hot Desking

Hot desking is perfect if you only need a single workstation, or for a small number of employees to work together from a hot desking or co-working space.

You get access to professional facilities, including high-speed internet access and telecoms equipment, in a comfortable but work-oriented environment.

In Serviced Office Company hot desking areas, everything is included in the price. There are no additional overheads – so you don’t need to worry about energy bills.

Work from your preferred hot desking location every day, or split your time working remotely or from home. It’s up to you.

Virtual Offices

remove the overheads completely – in every sense of the word. If you can run your business remotely, a virtual office is an excellent way to cut premises costs and avoid business energy bills.

Instead of having physical office space and associated running costs, you pay a fee to use a Serviced Office Company location’s physical address and telephone answering service.

You can do your actual work from home, or any other location of your choosing, and if you need some physical space at a location that matches your business contact details, we have meeting rooms for hire on-site.

Meeting Rooms

On the subject of meeting room hire, whether you work remotely or have serviced offices at one of our locations, you can save on overheads by booking meeting rooms only when you need them.

This allows all of the occupants of our buildings to share meeting rooms, with availability visible via an app whenever you need to book a room.

Rooms are left standing empty for less of the time, and no single tenant is responsible for the energy bills associated with the meeting rooms – cutting your costs and your carbon footprint at the same time.

Make the Change

With energy bills sky-high and government support focused on domestic customers rather than businesses, it’s a good time to make the change to a more flexible, cost-effective business model.

There are plenty of ways to do this: work remotely via a virtual office, take up the opportunity of hot desking facilities, and book a meeting room only when you need one.

For more information about any of these services, please contact us today on 0207 510 9400 or fill out the form on our Contact page for a prompt reply.