Office Space News and Information – Telsec.net

• 16May

  Knowing when you do not need to create an App

  Office Space 1 Comment
  While we continue to talk about apps, one of our readers (who is also a Toronto office space tenant) asked us “Does every business need an App?” This was a great question and something that we had been thinking of for quite some time, as we have been pondering if we really need to create an app for our office space Toronto.

  Here are some factors to consider before you decide to create an app for your business.

  The first thing you need to do is to define the purpose of your application and prioritize all of your business and marketing considerations. Then you can determine the solution that will best address those needs now and into the future – and if an app will fill those needs.

  Then next thing is to have a purpose for your app. Remember, there should be a business decision that is driving the process. Whatever your goal, you need to define it first before planning your app.

  Who is the likely audience that is going to use this app and what would inspire them to use it? Consider how frequently these people engage with your business. People tend to download apps for things they do regularly, not things they search for infrequently.

  Consider the cost of developing an app and how often it will be downloaded and used. For most small to medium-sized businesses, budget is a consideration that needs to be determined before exploring the app world. Developing mobile apps for a single operating system, let alone multiple operating systems or devices, can be quite an expensive undertaking.

  As Telsec explored the idea of a mobile app, it became apparent that having a mobile app to promote our office space Toronto and virtual office solutions would not be a good use of budget or resources. The real determining factor was that people would not likely download an app to help them explore information about Telsec’s Toronto office space. Rather, they would look at our mobile-friendly website instead.

  We have not closed the doors on having a Telsec app. This Telsec app that we would consider building would be one that is offered as a service to our office for rent Toronto tenants and message mail service customers – to help them better interact with the services we provide while they are out of their office.

  Let us know what your favorite apps are and what apps you use on a daily basis. Also, please do comment on our other blog postings over the next 6 weeks for a chance to win some prizes.

  On July 2 we will draw the name of one grand-prize winner from all the comments we receive on this or other blog postings over the next 6 weeks regarding.

  To improve your chances of winning, remember also to share our blog posts using the social media connections on each post. We will also announce 5 secondary prize winners.

  The author of one lucky comment on our blog postings will receive a $100 “Bon Appetit” Gift Card. The authors of 5 other randomly-selected comments will receive a $20 Tim Hortons gift card compliments of this blog writer.
• 16May

  The first Long Weekend of the Spring is upon us!

  Office Space, Virtual Office 1 Comment
  The Victoria Day weekend (the May two-four to some people) is here! This marks the beginning of Spring and Summer long weekends. Traditionally many people take this weekend to open the cottage or go for their first camping trip – but not for many of our office space Toronto clients who have been talking about staying in the city. There are so many events going on this weekend that it is hard to keep up with them.

  One of our Toronto office space clients mentioned that they were taking their kids to the Toronto International Circus Festival at Harbourfront Centre, which is a free, three-day showcase of acrobats, daredevils and buskers aimed at children under 12. Other events this weekend aimed a families are BikeFest in Trinity Bellwoods Park and Pirates and Princesses at Black Creek Pioneer Village. But if art and photography are more your style, be sure to visit the various photography exhibits that are part of the Scociabank Contact Festival that is taking place across the city.

  If history is more to your liking, join our Toronto virtual office coordinator by taking the Heritage Toronto Tour of Exhibition Place and exploring the battlegrounds of the Battle of York, 1813. This is a free walking tour about Toronto’s history before Toronto was called Toronto.

  Some of you, as regular readers of our blog, are asking, “Why a blog entry about things to do on a long weekend”?  There is a simple answer to that. As much as we foster a professional working environment within our office walls, we also know from research that people are more productive when they are rested and relaxed. This is also why we often try to write blogs that help our readers with their work/life balance. Simply put, a productive and profitable office-space client is a happy customer.

  

  Enter your comments to win prizes

  Don’t forget that we are running a contest that will be giving away five Tim Hortons $20 Gift Cards and one Bon Appetite Card worth $100 to some lucky people who post comments on our blog. Also remember that you can improve your chances by also using the social media buttons at the top of each blog to share and like our blog with your friends and colleagues.
• 14May

  The Business of White Label Apps could be for you!

  Office Space, Virtual Office No Comments
  As we have mentioned in previous blogs (including the posting Smartphone Apps for Business – “There is an App for That”), mobile apps are the hottest thing to hit the technology world since email. Apps are used by both consumers and businesses to fulfill a role or do a common task with greater ease – so sometimes there is no need to “reinvent the wheel.” White Label Apps allow companies to personalize and re-brand an existing app technology and sell it as their own, under a license from the app developer.

  The concept of white labeling is not a new one, but can actually be traced back to the record industry (remember those vinyl disks?). But it is more commonly known for mass-produced generic products including electronics, consumer products and software packages such as DVD players, televisions, and web applications that are manufactured by one company and sold under different brand names by other companies.

  In the case of apps, white labeling is something that almost every business can get in on by adapting an existing app and marketing it to their current and future customers. One of our Toronto virtual office clients has an app that allows his customers to read the business ebooks he writes and sells on his website. He offers it for free when they buy one of his ebooks. The most important part of his app is that every time they open the app, they are reminded of him and his business. His brand is staying in the mind of his customers, even though they may be reading something unrelated to his business. This is because his app has become their “go-to” reading application for ePUB and PDF content, including ebooks from most online book stores and content-lending libraries around the world.

  Another great use of a white label app is in the case of another company that was a former Toronto office space tenant who has since moved back up north yet remains a virtual client (he is also very interested in the newest virtual office product that we will be releasing in the coming weeks, but I will talk about that later). This former client was working for a U.S.-based business running its Canadian branch office. He had started a side business of re-selling white label apps and then developing his own apps that could be licensed and sold by others as white label apps. The business took off and he quit his job – but not before establishing a virtual office presence at 1 Yonge Street for his app business. He then moved back up north where his friends and family lived and now runs his new business remotely. The most important thing he realized was the importance of having a Toronto address for his business, even though his business was conducted primarily online.

  Even if you are not tech savvy, it’s quick and easy to publish your own app. You can customize it with your own app icons, logos, splash screens, company colours, tab icons and more. Then all you need to do is send it off to the submission process. Some white label app sellers can have your app up and available in as little as two weeks.

  I mentioned that we have a new virtual office product coming soon. While this product is not an app, it is going to change how people interact with their virtual office and most importantly how they are able to keep their professional image while working away from the office. Watch our blog over the next week or so to see some exciting news about our newest virtual office offering.
• 13May

  Go Leafs Go is the Sentiment around our Office Space

  Office Space No Comments
  While we normally hold off our lighter-themed blogs until Fridays, the casual Friday inspired wearing of Toronto Maple Leaf jerseys and the talk around the proverbial water cooler at our Toronto office space made us realize that we cannot ignore the fact that the Leaf’s have not won the Stanley cup in 46 years. The fact is that they have not even been in a playoff game in 9 years – so Toronto fans do have a great deal to celebrate and cheer for.

  With the Toronto Maple Leafs pulling off a game 6 win Sunday night against the Boston Bruins, they re-ignited the fans of Toronto with a game 7 in this series and a hope that they could be one playoff round closer to the Stanley Cup finals. Many of us will be spending the night watching with friends at home or a local pub, but one of our office space tenants does not have that luxury and has to watch the game from his downtown Toronto office space while working.  The final game of the series will be played in Boston and not at the Air Canada Centre that is only a few hundred metres from our office space. However, they are still expecting thousands of people to gather in the square outside the arena to watch the game on giant screens, as well as in Dundas Square at Dundas & Yonge Streets.

  If the Leafs win their way into round two of the Stanley Cup finals, the police and city workers will be prepared. So if you are considering heading downtown tonight, you might want to think about leaving your car at home or at the office.
• 07May

  Smartphone Apps for Business – “There is an App for That”

  Office Space, Virtual Office No Comments
  In a blog we did in January of last year entitled Need Office Space Toronto-There is no app for that but there is Telsec we introduced our readers to the concept of mobile apps. Since then the world of apps has exploded and continues to change how we do things while on the go. More and more small businesses depend on their smartphones and the usages keeps growing. This is because off all the apps that are being developed for business purposes. Despite all the hundreds of thousands of business apps available today, only a small percent of small businesses use apps. Of the small businesses who use apps, they will tell you that they couldn’t live without them. One of our Toronto office space clients mentioned that he uses a large number of business apps on his smartphone, so we thought we would share this with our readers.

  Before we share some info about mainstream apps that are readily available through the app store or Google Play store, we should talk about the apps that some businesses are having built – or intended as proprietary products for use by their customers. Most companies that do direct marketing or use a database customer relationship marketing program are moving away from hosting their own database and moving to the clouds with companies like Quickbase, SugarCRM, Zoho and salesforce.com to keep their data safe and mobile.

  Many of these companies have developed mobile CRM’s that are ready-to-run mobile applications that provide a company’s sales team with on-the-go management of accounts, leads, opportunities and contacts from their mobile device. With a direct connection to your CRM system, the app puts critical customer and prospect information into your sales reps’ hands where and when they need it. Other examples of apps that are intended to help mobile users to work with existing programs as part of their business, are account programs that allow mobile users to create time sheets, track inventory, track jobs, manage payroll or even create a customer invoice right on their smartphone app.

  There is a large number of business apps available for free or at very little cost. Here are some of the more popular apps with small business people and entrepreneurs who rent office space or have a Toronto virtual office at Telsec:

  • Evernote is a cloud-based note-taking app that allows users to organize photos, voice notes, file attachments, Internet video clips, typed and even handwritten notes. It then makes everything you include searchable, synced and accessible on all of your devices.
  • Brewster Instant Rolodex is a mobile app that pulls in contact info and other details from all of your programs over your various platforms and creates  in-depth profiles for each and every person and/or client.
  • Here on Biz allows you to instantly see which of your LinkedIn contacts are physically nearby and to make requests for meetings.
  • Dropbox was built as a seamless, cloud-based system to sync files across all of your devices – including phones, PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones – automatically. You can even edit documents from anywhere and your changes are saved and synced.
  • UberConference helps businesses in organizing conference calls. With this app you select attendees from your phone’s contact list and UberConference automatically calls, e-mails or texts them to join. No PIN is required.
  • HootSuite is an app for handling your social media accounts on the go. The app allows for publishing to all of your social networks – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others – all from one interface.

  Our next blog will be on the topic of Branded and While Label apps that your business can adapt, re-sell or even give away to customers as promotional apps.
• 06May

  Technology can be the Equalizer for Small Businesses

  commercial office space, Office Space, office space for rent No Comments
  Technology can help small business owners leverage their limited finances in smarter and more effective ways. It is often said by some of the entrepreneurs who run small businesses from our office space Toronto that using technology is a natural progression for some of the processes they already have in place in their business. Business owners also know they may have to make some small adjustments to enjoy the benefits of these tech-friendly times.

  It is important that small businesses realize that discovering new technology can be a great equalizer that can level the playing field between their small and medium-sized businesses and their much larger competitors who can often take much longer to adopt these same technologies. Small businesses are not just using smartphones for the obvious tasks you’d expect like voice calls, email, texting and instant messaging. They are also using them for GPS navigation, updating their businesses’ social media accounts, accessing customer data and much more. They are also using mobile smartphones and tablets to be able to engage customer interactions while on the go or at important trade or consumer shows.

  Another use for smartphones is the ability of a sales professional to get real-time answers for customer questions while out on sales calls. When a customer asks a question during a sales appointment and the sales representative does not know the answer, often times having a smartphone will allow them to check the company website or customer relationship management program for the answer.  Information about products, services and customer account history can be looked up for an immediate answer that may help close the deal.

  Even retail chains are finding that technology and the digital revolution are changing how they do business and stay relevant to their customer. They know that  consumers use smartphones and tablets for everything from product research and price comparisons – sometimes even while in a store’s aisles. They may even be making online purchases while in the store. To keep up, many retailers are developing mobile apps to provide important product information, coupons, promotions or to see other consumer’s ratings about the product or the store that is selling it.

  More and more people are using GPS devices or smartphones with built-in GPS programs like Google Navigate to find items that are local. They are not just looking for retail stores or restaurants; they are using their smartphones to locate real estate, apartment rentals, commercial office space, or just an office for rent Toronto.

  This week we will be bringing you more specific blogs about various technologies that can help level the business playing field – or even give a small business a jump-start on its larger competitors.
• 02May

  Even Families are Moving into Downtown Condos – Part 2

  Office For Rent, Office Space No Comments
  As we continue our blog series on the trend of more and more people choosing to move into the downtown core, particularly into condos, our last blog was about why more than families are choosing to move there. As we started to find information about the reasons why people are moving closer to their office space Toronto, we discovered additional facts that we put into this second blog entry.

  In part one, we focused primarily on why folks are choosing to move downtown and the fact that there are now more family-friendly condos being built. We wanted to use this blog entry to tell you about the logistics of living in a downtown condo as a family. It is interesting that this is not a new trend in other major North American cities like New York and Chicago. For the past 10 years, the concept has been gaining popularity in Toronto.  While Toronto housing is not yet as expensive as in cities like New York, London or Paris, the cost of buying a house in Toronto has increased greatly. Even houses in the once “working class” neighborhoods of Central Toronto have become “gentrified” and therefore more expensive. The increased prices of home ownership in Toronto means that families must now consider condominium living in order to stay downtown or close to their downtown Toronto office space.

  Here in part two we want to talk about some of the developments that are located in downtown Toronto that are family (and more specifically children) friendly. These are new condominium projects that have more bedrooms – or simply have more amenities aimed at child residents. These include parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, ice rinks and a host of other child-friendly places. These projects could be ideal for people and families who have Toronto office space that is located in the heart of the city – as they are also accessible by walking, public transit or a short taxi ride.

  Some of the developments that are currently under construction, or are about to start, that specifically claim to be family friendly are:

  • AURA. This will be Canada’s tallest condominium at 78 storeys high. It is being built on the dynamic corner of Yonge & Gerrard Streets. The building will feature some 2 1/2 bedroom suites and has a 5th-floor rooftop patio that is ideal for a family picnic or for children to play.
  • The Distillery District (Parliament and Front) projects have been selling two-bedroom with den units and three-bedroom suites to people who have infants and school-aged children. There are several parks and schools nearby, but the area also offers easy access to newer parks on the waterfront like Sugar Beach.

  While many condominium projects or existing condominium buildings do not make a point of advertising that they are family-friendly or children-friendly, many indeed are – and the developer or building management often do not even know it! Another one of our office for rent Toronto tenants has a friend who found a re-sale condo on Queen’s Quay that was a 2-bedroom. It was just steps away from Harbourfront Community Centre and City School and a short walk to parks and the Harbourfront Centre. An experienced condo realtor can find downtown condos with large 2-bedroom suites that also have a den that can be used as a small child’s bedroom or even play area.
• 01May

  Even Families are Moving into Downtown Condos – Part 1

  Boardrooms, Office Space, office space for rent No Comments
  In this series of blogs, we’re exploring why people are choosing to move downtown to be closer to their office space Toronto and enjoy the urban experience of living in the city’s core. We touched on the fact that it is no longer just young single professionals choosing to move downtown, but young married couples who are thinking of starting a family. Even existing families with children are now moving downtown! One of the virtual office clients who was in the office last week to use one of our boardroom rentals, mentioned that his wife was expecting their first child and they have no plans to move away from downtown where he has his business and she has her job.

  There are several reasons why families want to move into downtown condos. One of the major concerns is the stress on the family caused by long hours of commuting by one or both parents. The time spent commuting does not just take away from the hours that could be spent as quality family time, but it can also cause resentment by children who are being kept away from parents – because of the 2 or 3 hours each day parents are spending in the car driving from the suburbs to their downtown Toronto office space. It is also no secret that, as urban sprawl continues, there are more cars on the road and the commutes will just continue to get longer due to congestion.

  There is a myth in North America that families need big houses with big backyards and tree-lined streets with low traffic because children need a lot of space to develop socially. The truth is that the majority of the population lives in or within 100 km of a major town or city. The urban sprawl cannot spread much further than that!

  In fact, while a majority of downtown condo developers have been focusing on smaller units, there are a growing number of families who are pressuring developers to build condo units that have 3 and even 4 bedrooms. There is some pressure from downtown politicians who want to see these types of developments, but the real pressure is coming from the families who want to buy these larger condo units and have the money to pay for them.

  While there are condos around the corner and across the street from our office space Toronto with 2-bedroom units, more are coming. According to Toronto City Councilor Adam Vaughan, in his downtown constituency there are more than 600 units of housing where 3 or more bedrooms have been constructed or approved in the last four years. I am certain that more will be coming soon, because the City of Toronto has even gone so far as to offer incentives to developers who are willing to build larger, family-friendly units. They do this by approving higher-rise buildings thus allowing for more population density.

  Part 2 of this blog entry will identify and examine some of the developments and downtown neighbourhoods specifically catering to families, that are located only minutes from our office space for rent Toronto.
• 30Apr

  The Benefits for Small Business Owners of Living Downtown

  Downtown office space, Office For Rent, Office Space No Comments
  In this week’s blog series about living and working downtown, we started off exploring the financial, social and family benefits which we will be covering more in our next few blogs. This blog will talk about some specific benefits for small business owners who have downtown Toronto office space – and who also choose to live downtown.

  When you have a small business that has a downtown office space, your reasons for having that space were important because you either wanted to have a prestigious office business address or more importantly, you wanted to have your office close to where you could meet with downtown clients or potential clients. Being a small business owner, you often find yourself spending long hours in your office space for rent and added time commuting to the suburbs. These are potential hours that you could have worked in your office.

  It is common for small business owners to take work home with them on evenings or weekends. While most businesses can store files on cloud servers for easy access, there are always those files or projects where you need to have a hard copy that includes changes and updates that have not been made on the computer. There are those times when you leave that file at the office, or worse, at home – and that is the only copy of the changes. So you are now faced with either a long commute home then returning back to office, or to re-doing the work that you took home. While living closer to the office will not solve this problem, it could potentially save you a great deal of time. As trivial as leaving a file at home may sound, consider the inconvenience of having to return home in the event you spill coffee on yourself or rip your trousers running for the elevator on your way to your office space Toronto.

  Besides the obvious benefit for small business owners who live downtown close to their office of not having to commute (and go into their office at any time of the day), there are car insurance savings to consider. For those who still want to own a vehicle and live downtown, they can see reduced insurance rates because they do not use their car to commute to work and their vehicle is most likely locked in a secure underground facility.

  Let’s also consider the health benefits of living a reasonable walking distance from your home and walking to and from your office. It is no secret that small business owners suffer more stress than their big-business counterparts. Walking to and from your office for rent Toronto is one of the best ways to get exercise and relieve stress.

  Speaking of stress, our next blog will discuss the growing number of families who are moving into downtown condos. They are choosing to move downtown to reduce the stress on the family caused by the many hours each day they commute – thus taking away from quality time that could be spent with family and friends.
• 29Apr

  Living Closer to Your Office Space Toronto

  Boardrooms, Downtown office space, Office Space No Comments
  Over the past few weeks we have been writing a weekly series on the the things that are important to the people who read our regular blogs. We will be continuing to write blogs that help our office space Toronto tenants and our Toronto virtual office clients. But we will also include topics for our non-client blog followers and social media followers who look to us to help them in their business with advice on various topics.

  This week, inspired by some office-space inquires from business owners who live downtown, we decided to talk about the growing number of people who want to live and work downtown. If you recall, one of our blogs was about how Google Recognized Importance of Downtown Toronto Office Space and built its new Toronto office downtown to attract and retain young talented workers who were choosing to live in the city’s core. So, we are going to explore the benefits for small business owners to live and work close to downtown.

  As part of this blog series, we will also be exploring some of the various area and housing options that are available to small business owners who want to live either right downtown or within minutes of downtown. We will also be exploring why it is no longer just single, young, under-40 professionals and young married professionals who are moving into condos downtown. In fact, a large number of condo buildings are being built to accommodate the demands of families who are wanting to move downtown.

  The old obvious traditional reasons for most younger people to want to live downtown are proximity to work, public transit, entertainment, shopping and the other benefits of an “urban lifestyle.” These are still the top reasons for choosing to live downtown. Now, many are also seeing the potential savings on property taxes – which are often lower in downtown areas. There is also the money saved on gasoline and on vehicle maintenance. Some do not use their vehicle at all and employ public transit. But for young families, the potential to gain 2 to 3 hours each day (10 to 12 hours per week or more) to spend time with their children by not commuting from the suburbs is a true quality-of-life advantage.

  We are going to begin our next blog by talking about the business benefits for small business owners of living close to their Toronto office space – where they can rent downtown Toronto boardrooms and enjoy many other office-space efficiencies and amenities.

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