When you compare serviced office brokers, you can glean much from the initial call. As the client, you should be gathering important information about the person / company on the other side of the call, just as they are gathering information about you and your coworking needs in turn.

For the purposes of this overview, we’ll assume that you will be speaking with a “free” flex space brokerage. These can be identified through a few reliable USPs (which tend to actually be the same across most of these companies and therefore not USPs at all):

• They cover the entire market
• They can get you the best deal
• They are free of charge to use

You also need to understand a few facts about how these companies actually work, since their engagement in the qualification process will give you some insight into whether you are considered a “hot” client or not.

Firstly, to address the whole “free” part: they do get paid.

Whilst they might not charge you for their services, they will receive a fee from the operator of serviced office space with which you end up signing a contract. This fee is usually equal to a percentage of the total value of your contract.

Secondly, they are sales people.

If they are part of a larger team, they will work on the basis of targets and commission ratchets, be subject to KPIs which often include a variety of conversion ratios (how many of their clients convert into viewings, how many deals they do etc.).

They will also more than likely have a size and location range that forms their working remit. Where you fall within this spectrum will define you as either a “big fish” or “small fry” in relative terms.

If they are a sole trader, likely having previously worked for another brokerage or flex office operator, chances are they will have a subconscious prerequisite requirement size which fits their “minimum fee” criteria.

Either way, even though their positioning will be that they are consultative in nature and the only way they will get paid is if you find they perfect office (which is also true), make no mistake: they have financial incentives associated with your relationship.

Compare serviced office brokers – the art of qualification

With that out of the way, the qualification call is the most important piece of interaction they will have with you.

• It establishes rapport and builds trust
• It lets them really understand you as a company and individuals
• It allows them to deduce which brands / products are appropriate for your needs
• It gives them a chance to showcase their market knowledge
• It allows them an opportunity to arrange viewings for you (which is how their fee positions get secured, but see our “Anatomy of a Brokerage” series for more on this)

One more important consideration: in order for them to qualify for a fee position with a coworking / serviced office provider, they need to “introduce” you to them. This means sending through an emailed overview of your requirements as a potential customer – contact details, a summary of unique needs etc.

Because being the first to do this is important to them (since you may have registered with more than one intermediary and the first one to log the introduction get the initial fee position), speed is of the essence.

So the flex space broker needs to strike a careful balance between the depth of qualification (read time spent) they engage in and the speed with which they convert your requirements into a formal introduction to the marketplace that pays them fees.

The depth of qualification can be split into subject bands. The fewer bands are covered in depth, the poorer the qualification in real terms. So compare serviced office brokers by seeing how many questions they ask.

Equally, if you are getting ready to engage with an intermediary to run your search for you, it is important for you to consider all of these aspects carefully too. The more questions you can answer about your own needs, the more power you will have during the process and the better-equipped you will be to pin-point the perfect flex space.

Compare serviced office brokers: qualification categories

Band 1: Basic (everyone you speak with should cover this) 

• Your contact details
• How big a space you need (number of desks, square feet)
• When do you need it (occupation date)
• Where do you want it (geographical area)
• Budget (either total monthly or annual)
• What type of space suits you best (professional, funky etc.)
• Anything else important (giving the floor to you to fill in the blanks)

Band 2: Hierarchical 

• What is your position in the company
• What is your position in the search for offices
• Are you the decision maker, if not, who is
• How many people / who is involved in making the final decision
• Who has the ultimate say / who has the greatest influence on the decision

Band 3: Technical 

• Specific intensity of bandwidth use / dedicated bandwidth needs
• Connectivity applications (financial, graphical, processing)
• Importance of internet line redundancy / back-up provision
• Accessibility of support services (on-site, outsourced)
• Required response time for support queries
• Cloud VS physical server needs / on-site capabilities to house
• Any physical hardware requirements / considerations
• VoIP, mobile mapping

Band 4: Commercial 

• What is your current contractual position (if you’re in other offices)
• Have you served notice to leave
• What is your exact move-in date
• What are your renewal options with existing office
• When are you able to sign a contract to occupy (separate to move date)
• How long is the process for releasing deposit payments / who is involved
• Does the decision need to be taken overseas
• Does the decision depend on consensus from a board of directors / how often do they meet
• Whose signature will be on the eventual contract

Band 5: Personal 

• What are your team’s demographics
• How do they interact with their space day-to-day
• What do they do for fun / what makes them happy
• Are there defined teams / tribes with different priorities
• What would they consider important must-haves
• What would they consider a definitive no-no
• How important is access to other companies / events / networking

Band 6: Logistical 

• Where do your people travel to the office from
• How do they get there / modes of transport etc.
• Access considerations / disabilities
• Is access to a portfolio of locations important for hybrid workers
• Do any employees work in a hybrid way
• Would it make sense for some to have co-working passes instead of a fixed desk

Band 7: Spacial 

• How does the office need to be laid out?
• How many teams / does each one need their own pod of desks?
• Will this layout change over time?
• Dedicated offices / meeting rooms / specific partitioning needs
• What’s going on the walls? TV’s, art, whiteboards etc.
• How many power sockets will each user need?
• Proximity to communal areas? Meeting rooms? Phone booths?

Band 8: Aspirational 

• What are your growth plans for the next 2-3 years?
• What are your company’s values?
• What types of companies do you want to be surrounded by?
• What makes your company unique?
• What do you want this new office to make possible for you?

Band 9: General 

• How many groups of stakeholders will need to view the space
• Does your move-in date need to overlap with your current expiry
• Does your situation mean that you actually have to move
• Is there anything specific which could delay the process
• Would specific amenities make a difference? Bar? Gym? Roof terrace?

Compare serviced office brokers – unravelling a complex market

If this looks like a long list of questions, it is by no means exhaustive. Consider this – a small geographical area like the City of London contains circa 250 unique flex spaces and this is constantly growing.

If only items from the Basics band are covered and you’re in and out in 5 minutes then the actual task of narrowing down which serviced offices are suitable for you at a deep level is almost impossible.

Modern serviced offices offer curated environments with unique aesthetic and emotional attributes. The broker’s job is to understand the market well enough to know which ones to put at the top of the list when recommending an initial long list for you to view.

This can only be done well when enough requirements on your side match the attributes offered on the other.

When you finish your qualification call, the broker on the other end of the line should be able to say with confidence “these are the ones you should see, because…”

The “because” is critical – it shows that they have a thorough enough understanding of the co-working market and a deep enough understanding of your key drivers to recommend specific flexible office buildings with specific aesthetic / emotional / technical reasons to back up their decision to do so.

If this reasoning is absent, either at the end of the call or in their follow-up list of recommendations, it should be a red flag.

You should also be prepared to ask questions of your own.

The conversation should be a two-way street and you should be comfortable that the company you are entrusting your search to is going to do the kind of job you are expecting of them.

You will almost never physically sign an actual contract of engagement with a flex brokerage. Your contract with them is purely “moral” or “emotional” – remember, they’re not charging you anything.

But this sword cuts both ways. Just as you don’t have any formal obligation to keep using their services, they don’t have any formal obligation to service your requirements in a specific way.

Compare serviced office brokers by asking these key questions

• Do you have local knowledge of the location I’m looking in? Have you been there?
• What sizes of enquiry make up your upper and lower band of responsibility?
• What is your USP as a company? What makes you different?
• How long have you been a broker / how long have you been with the company?
• How many enquiries do you deal with at the same time, on average?
• How does your company make money?
• How many total options are in the location I’m considering?
• What unique thing will you do to get me the best deal possible?
• How many options do you think you will introduce my requirements to?
• How common is the size / type of space I’m after?
• How appealing will my requirements be to the office operators you represent?
• How many viewings do you think is a good number to understand my range of choice?
• Will you go on viewings with me?
• Can I have a copy of the introduction notes you will be sending to the flexible office operators?

A broker’s ability to answer these questions in a way that gives you confidence should be the marker by which you identify them as the one you should choose.

Ultimately, a qualification call conducted thoroughly should not be a short affair. Consider how much time is being invested in you as the client.

If you feel that you did not get enough confidence and the call is being brought to a close prematurely, say so and ask why.

If you feel that you are unlikely to be represented with passion and hunger, say so. Ask them not to make introductions on your behalf and try another firm.

If you are reading this before engaging with anyone about your search for flexible office space, feel free to use our unique directory of individual coworking profiles to help you find the right match for your needs.

As the client, the power is very much in your hands.