There are no fixed rules for when you should make a formal enquiry, but it’s important to position your needs in a way that gets the biggest bang for your buck.

In other words, the way you present your requirements to either coworking operators or their intermediaries/brokers will have a significant bearing on how much value-add you get throughout the process.

So we’ve positioned our recommendations in a way that splits each of the categories above into several questions. That way, if you choose to make an enquiry at that point, you can evaluate whether the answers / information you receive are catering for your specific needs.

Much of the preparation will come in the form of being able to articulate your needs clearly, but also presenting your future capabilities in a way that shows you are a credible customer with the ability to purchase.

It’s likely that you will fall into one of three broad categories depending on where you are in your process:

1. “Undecided and Considering”: thinking about moving but unfamiliar with the flex sector
2. “Engaging not Converting”: decided on flex as the likely solution but under no pressure
3. “Decided and Converting”: ready to choose a space, negotiate and sign a contract

As you move through these stages, your priorities change – you will need different outcomes from your enquiry and it is important to identify companies / individuals that can support you effectively at each stage.

The aim of this article is to explore how to ask the right questions at each stage, to help you evaluate how helpful the answers might be, and finally what information to gather in order to build a customer profile that will ensure you are given the highest level of focus.

Before we dive in, it’s important to understand that when you make an enquiry with companies in the serviced office market, their aim will be for you to buy an office space from them.

This might sound obvious, but it highlights an important distinction:

Your enquiry into flexible office space will be part of a sales transaction.

Only once you sign a contract and move into your new coworking space, you will enter a service provision transaction.

Keeping a separation in your mind between the two will help keep focus on what should be done to influence the sales transaction over time, to then benefit from the best service provision as an outcome.

Undecided and Considering: 

If you are thinking about moving offices but unfamiliar with the coworking sector, the majority of content required will be informational in nature. There is a wealth of content available online about the concept of coworking / serviced offices / flex space, which you should absolutely consume.

But your search for the right solution will inevitably also be influenced by how you are treated when making enquiries in the early stages of your decision-making process (if you decide to speak with someone and ask for help / advice).

You will likely have questions of this type:

• What are the pros and cons of flex space?
• How much does coworking space cost?
• How are serviced offices different from leases?
• What is a managed office and how does it fit into the market landscape?
• How long does it take to find a flexible office?
• What are the benefits of using an intermediary/broker?

This stage is important for early connection and building an affinity with a specific brand based on how they respond to your query – after all, your situation will not represent an immediate sale for them and as such should give you some indicators around how well they nurture and support customers over time.

What to look out / ask for:

• How much time do they actually give you?
• Do you feel like you are being engaged with?
• Can they point you to specific resources that help?
• Do they know where those resources are?
• Do they give useful strategic advice on how and when to engage formally?
• Can they tell you about other clients in similar positions that they helped?
• Do they give a balanced or one-sided argument?
• Do they provide a keep-in-touch roadmap to follow (and then stick to it)?

Engaging not Converting:

If you have decided that flexible office space is the way to go but your move date is a while away, then you represent a significant proportion of customers engaging with the market at the moment.

With increased market profile, coworking as a sector is attracting many new customers that may be used to a more traditional property market – one which operates on much longer sales cycles.

Coming out of a lease which took 6-9 months to find and engaging with serviced offices which can be acquired in a matter of days/weeks often leads to clients making formal enquiries much earlier than the sector would have historically expected.

You will have questions of this type:

• How many options are in my area of interest?
• What are the key differences between flex brands?
• Which one will be the best match for my company / people / values?
• How far in advance can I sign up before moving in?
• Should I view them now or gather headline information first?
• What is the competitive landscape? Is the buyer or seller stronger?
• How is this likely to change in the future?
• Is there evidence that companies like mine have benefited from this service?

At this stage you need to determine how effectively you are supplied with current and relevant information to help you pin-point your future approach. The required detail moves very much from the theoretical to the here-and-now and predictive.

This is also the stage during which the most evidence-based information is going to show you proof that who you’re speaking with can actually deliver.

What to look out / ask for:

• Is market analysis available to show pricing trends?
• Are case studies available showcasing recent deals & their structure?
• Are you being pushed for viewings when you don’t feel it’s relevant?
• Can you get a personalised report of key options to consider based on current matching availability?
• Can they provide an overview of current unique offers locally?
• Are suggested solutions matched to key aspects of your brief?
• Are specific offices capable of, and willing to do, a deal in advance?

Decided and Converting: 

Once you have reached this stage, you should already have answers to all of the questions from the previous two categories. This way you will be free to concentrate on getting the best commercial terms from options that you will have whittled down into a shortlist of one, two or three at most.

It is worth bearing in mind that sometimes the progress from “Engaging not Converting” and this stage is quite short since coworking spaces can turn things around so quickly. A lot of customers tend to squeeze both sections into one if they approach the market with an occupation deadline that has snuck up on them – this also happens quite often.

You will have questions of this type:

• How much of a discount can I negotiate on rent?
• How many options should I view and negotiate with?
• How much competition is there between the providers on my shortlist?
• What clauses in contracts should I look out for?
• Can I get a step-deal on rent?
• Can I secure a break clause in the contract for greater flexibility?
• When is the space actually “mine”? When I sign a contract?
• How far can I push a counter-offer?

In this stage you will need someone in your corner who is well-versed in getting deals done in the flex space market. Negotiations are usually fast, based on quid-pro-quo – if you can do X thing by X time then we’ve got a deal.

It is important to make commitments you can keep, but be equally mindful that the same is coming from the other side of the table.

What to look out / ask for:

• Have you been given a clear roadmap of the negotiation stages?
• Are you comfortable with the number of options you have seen?
• Are any of the operators particularly in need of new business?
• Have you been told to prep your accounts teams?
• Do you know how deposits and rent payments work?
• Have you been told about tenant handbooks or other documents outside of the T&C?
• Have you discussed credit checks?

In an ideal world a single partner will be able to shepherd you through all three key stages. But this may not be feasible, nor is it strictly necessary. But it is the simplest way.

You will probably find that more intermediaries are adept at providing real muscle during the third stage, and the further you progress backwars from “converting” the harder it will be to come by real value-add.

But regardless of when you choose to make a formal enquiry with the coworking market, it is very important to consider how much you know about your needs and how well you can articulate them.

Building a strong Customer Profile: 

A lot of information needs to be considered when putting together a strong customer profile. It will more than likely involve multiple stakeholders internally and a lot of communication.

Chances are that in the early stages you will not have the majority of this information, but if you are thinking about engaging with serviced offices through a formal enquiry then our advice would be to try and at least have a broad idea on each subject.

This is because the world of flex space is comprised of a huge range of fully curated environments that are pre-built. The City of London, just as an example, has in excess of 250 unique offerings to choose from.

Put simply – the more you know about exactly what you want, the more focused your search can be. If you are using a coworking intermediary (broker), it is even more crucial – they are specifically positioned to know the choices and match detailed needs with detailed recommendations.

Here is a (significant) list of the things to investigate, split into categories of qualification that translate into a brief that gives a very, very specific set of outcomes:

Basic Qualification:

• 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)

Hierarchical Qualification:

• 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

Technical Qualification

• 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

Commercial Qualification

• 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

Personal Qualification

• 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

Logistical Qualification

• 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

Spacial Qualification

• 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?

Aspirational Qualification

• 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?

General Qualification

• 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?

A lot to consider.

Regardless of when you decide to make enquiries, the key is to gather as much information as you can about your needs and capabilities, then pay very close attention to how you are interacted with by whomever you speak with.

How many questions do they ask? How much detail do they go into? How much interest do they show in your needs beyond the details needed to get your enquiry “out there” in the market?

At all points in time you should feel comfortable that your interests are being placed first and that a clear picture is painted of what will happen, when it will happen, and how it will benefit you in the end.