Coworking is one of the service models in the “serviced office center” industry. A coworking arrangement can work for some people and won’t work for others.
A coworking arrangement is a somewhat unstructured work environment where you co-habit/occupy a given workspace with others. Users often share tables and work areas with unrelated persons, in an open-space environment. This is contrasted with a virtual office or executive suite environment where clients typically use private offices and conference rooms as their work areas. The specific work area – be it an office or a conference room – is exclusive to the person using the space during that period. While the virtual office or executive suite facility is shared among a number of unrelated business people, each person uses a private space when they are in the facility. Coworkers, on the other hand, share workspaces when they are in a coworking space. This can give rise to issues of confidentiality as well as create distractions.
Coworking Spaces vs. Virtual Offices
Coworking is generally appealing to people looking to develop a tech-related, or other start-up business, where collaborating with the person “sitting across the table” can be helpful. A virtual office on the other hand, is more appealing to an established business/practice. The lawyer meeting clients to sign a will or to strategize a litigation and the financial planner discussing investment goals and alternatives will be much more comfortable with the professional image and privacy afforded by a virtual office or executive suite facility. Even a start-up business or practice in an established industry (think of a lawyer starting a new practice, an insurance broker branching out on his/her own) will find the structure and image of a virtual office/executive office much more supportive of their growth goals and to the importance of impressing clients and potential clients.
Coworking and virtual offices/executive suites both offer benefits to different segments of the market. That being said, not all coworking facilities offer the same features and services. Likewise, not all virtual offices offer the same features and services. Below is a chart comparing the features/services of a typical coworking space with those offered by Champion Office Suites.
|
Characteristic |
Champion Office Suites |
Coworking Facility |
| Private Offices/Conf Rooms |
Yes – Backbone of Facility |
Limited |
| Address Services/Locked Mailbox |
Yes |
Possible |
| 24/7 Access to the Facility |
Yes |
Depends upon the Facility |
| Privacy |
Yes |
Limited |
| Physical Workspace |
Private Offices/Conference Rms |
Tables/Desks |
| Noise Level |
Quiet – Office Environment |
Potential Noise in Large Work Area |
| Reception Services |
Yes |
Possible |
| Telephone Svc w/Follow-Me Communications |
Yes |
No
|
| Administrative Assistance |
Yes |
Not Likely |
| Copy/Fax/Scan |
Yes |
Depends upon the Building |
| Internet |
Yes |
Yes |
| Coffee/Tea |
Yes |
Yes – possible fee associated |
| Short-Term Options |
Yes |
Yes |
| Long-Term Options |
Yes |
Possible |
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