Is a satellite office right for your business?

What is a satellite office?

A satellite office is a branch in a separate location from a business’s main branch. These locations can help businesses reach client bases in different areas, as well as offering shorter commutes for staff who live locally. Demand for these properties has risen in recent months because staff are  less eager to commute on public transport, preferring to drive to more remote locations. Coventry has seen the biggest rise in demand for satellite properties, increasing by 113%, according to commercial property marketplace EG Propertylink.

Benefits of a remote workplace

Satellite offices can offer a range of benefits for your business as opposed to a more central, city location, including:

• Reduced commuting time for teams living locally
• Less health risks because of reduced time spent on public transport
• Greener, more attractive work settings
• Staff able to enjoy more of a work-life balance
• Cheaper rental prices

How do satellite offices work?

Depending on how your team operates best, a satellite office can work for your business in a variety of ways. A remote workplace could operate alongside your main London office to supplement it, or it could replace it completely.

Our Kings Hill client WIS Accountancy operates partly from our Churchill Square Business Centre, as well as having another office location in London.

Another of our customers based at Churchill Square, Adina-Leigh Collins, has a personal workspace in Kings Hill, providing her with a convenient location to commute to without needing to work at an official branch of her employer, Grant Saw Solicitors. A satellite office is a great fit for Adina, as she can commute to her workspace easily: “I live close by and so this space seemed perfect in terms of convenience for me – and it is!”

Chris Davis of Security Supplies Ltd also appreciates the benefits of a satellite office and the way in which Capital Space accommodates the arrangement. Having based his business in Fairham, Chris then expanded to various locations, including our Chelmsford Waterhouse Business Centre, nine years ago. He praises the monthly licences available at Capital Space, as well as the easy-in, easy-out option.

“It’s an opportunity to dip your toe in the water and consider if it’s right for your business. In our nine years at Waterhouse, we’ve worked in three different units, being able to move to a larger space as the business changes,” comments Chris.

How to make your office work for you

As our customers can attest, a satellite office can be adapted to suit your needs as a business, as well as your team’s preferences. There are also methods for making your workspace work as successfully as possible:

• Good IT infrastructure: If your team is going to be separated into different locations, it’s a good idea to have a stable IT connection that can facilitate remote co-working. Capital Space provides fast internet speed with a full failover system to ensure customers can stay connected with their teams and clients.
• Build on virtual team skills: If lockdown has made you a video-conferencing whizz, it’s important to hold onto these skills and strategies to ensure your team is communicating effectively. Schedule regular catch-up calls with team members working remotely over Microsoft Teams or Zoom, to ensure you’re on the same wavelength as your co-workers.

As businesses consider new ways of working amid the coronavirus crisis and beyond, satellite offices have the potential to bring productivity and efficiency to the workplace. If you’re interested in the benefits of a satellite office, browse our business-centre locations for more information.

To find out how Capital Space virtual offices or business premises could benefit your growing business, call 0800 107 3667