Differences Between Coworking and Business Centre Office Solutions

The flexible workspace sector is home to different types of workspace accommodations. Within the flexible workspace sector, you will see coworking spaces and business centres. Although there are a few similarities between coworking spaces and business centres, the main differences can be seen in how they operate and the perks they can offer small businesses.

The types of Office Space

Business centre office solutions offer a wide range of office spaces for businesses to choose from. The types of office spaces can range from:

  • Coworking spaces
  • Private office rentals
  • Daily office space rentals
  • Meeting room and boardroom rentals
  • Executive office suits
  • Commercial office rentals
  • Team spaces

As you have probably noticed from the list above, business centres also offer coworking accommodations. Whereas a stand-alone coworking office will only be able to offer coworking space, and will not include as much variety for different types of office space.

Cost and Hourly Access

Many will tell you that cost is the biggest difference, but in fact, some coworking plans will cost you upwards of $300 per month. Yet, you can get a shared office space at an office business centre for as low as $225 per month. More importantly, an office business centre that offers shared office space, can give you 24-hour access 365 days a year. There are few coworking centres that can offer that.

Networking Opportunities

Those who evangelize coworking spaces will probably sound like a broken record when they try to tell you that “it’s not just a shared office” and claim that they offer more of an entrepreneurial vibe, a sense of community, a sharing of knowledge, a chance to learn from those around you. But the same can be said about a shared office environment in a professional business centre with hundreds of other businesses. Office business centres simply have more choices regarding office solutions. When the time comes to take more private office space, the community of other businesses remains the same. However, it might be just down the hall or in the next office over. You will still see many of the same people in the coffee room and maybe some new faces too.

Additionally, business office centres can have organized networking events so people have more opportunities to meet one another and build relationships.

Professionalism

What about professionalism? It is true that coworking centres can offer a great place to work and allow for more collaborations and interactions, but what do your customers think of this type of “coffee-shop-like” place you are working from? Most coworking spaces do offer at least one meeting room for members to have a private meeting with clients. But very few have 7 or more meeting rooms and boardrooms of various sizes. This means you are less likely to gain access to a meeting room when you need it, and there is even less opportunity to accommodate for those last-minute meetings.

At a business centre, you might be sharing a workspace with several other businesses, but your clients and customers do not need to know that. When your clients presents themselves at the reception area of an office business centre, you are informed of their arrival and can take them to the meeting room you booked without them seeing the actual office space that you work in. Additionally, with business centres you will have access to a wider variety of meeting room spaces, meaning you are more likely to reserve a spot when you need it and will be able to accommodate more attendees.

Overall, business centre office solutions offer a higher degree of professionalism for your business.

Business Address

Your location is important to your clients, as it will affect how they perceive your business. But what if you are in a non-central location that isn’t known for being a place of business – this may have a negative impact on your image. Coworking centres can be great, but they often do not have prestigious and professional business addresses. Whereas Telsec’s business centre is located in the Financial District, where we offer office rentals in Toronto.

Some coworking spaces offer a great place to work, but they are not set up to receive your business mail or courier deliveries. An office business centre not only gives you a prime business address, but the employees there can receive your mail and courier packages even when you are not physically present.

Upgrading

While your business matures, it makes sense to review your location periodically. As your growth progresses you may be better suited to a private office or a private team space. Unfortunately, these types of spaces are not normally offered by a coworking office.

If you start out at a coworking office and find yourself needing an upgrade, you will be presented with the challenge of moving your office to a new location. This will not only be costly and time-consuming but will cause confusion to your clients in terms of changing your business address.

If your business is in its early stages, choosing a coworking space inside a business centre will offer more flexibility when the time comes to upgrade. Since business centres offer a variety of office spaces, you can easily transition into a more private office space without needing to change your business address.

Amenities to Consider

There is a range of facilities that should be on your checklist when considering whether to put your business in a coworking space or a business centre. Whichever you choose, you want to make sure you have access to all of these amenities:

  • On-site parking available free or nearby at a small fee for your visitors.
  • A professional receptionist to greet your guests and direct them to your meeting.
  • High-speed Wi-Fi for quick, uninterrupted internet usage.
  • Phone and postal services.
  • Meeting facilities in the form of bookable boardrooms and small meeting rooms.
  • Access to a kitchen, with filtered water, tea and coffee-making equipment and a fridge and microwave oven.
  • Modern, well maintained bathroom amenities that reflect the standard of your business environment.

Besides available amenities at your coworking or business centre, you might also want to learn what other services are available to you as a member or client. Often times, when a business is considering where they want to work, they forget about some of the services that they may need to be done on an a-la-carte basis. A shared office in a professional business centre will often offer things like secretarial services on demand, network printing, colour photocopiers, binding services, mail forwarding, live professional receptionist answering your business calls, video conferencing, VoIP telephones that allow you to receive and make calls when you are not in your office, as well as other concierge-style services that are not offered by stand-alone coworking centres.

Book a tour at Telsec Business Centre and see all the workspace solutions that are available for your business.

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Hotels

1. Jennifer Smith
General Manager
The Omni King Edward Hotel
37 King Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 1E9
Tel: 416-863-9700
Website: www.omnihotels.com/hotels/toronto-king-edward

2. Mark Perry
General Manager
Executive Hotels and Resorts (Boutique)
8 Colborne Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1E1
Tel: 416-350-2419
Website: www.spazen.ca or www.cosmotoronto.com

3. Emeline Boul
General Manager
Hotel Victoria (Boutique)
56 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1G5
Tel: 416-363-1666
Mobile: 647-574-5832
Website: www.hotelvictoriatoronto.com

4. Omkar Sawant
Reservations Manager
One King West Hotel
1 King Street West
Toronto, ON
M5H 1A1
Main: 416-548-8100
Reservations: 1-866-470-5464
Website: www.onekingwest.com

5. Van Nguyen
General Manager
Cambridge Suites Toronto
15 Richmond Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 1N2
Direct: 416-601-3757
Hotel: 416-368-1990
Website: www.cambridgesuitestoronto.com

Restaurants

1. Michael Pagliaro
Carisma (Italian)
15 Toronto Street
Toronto, ON
M5C 2E3
Tel: 416-864-7373
Website: www.carismarestaurant.com

2. Patti Shaw
Terroni (Italian)
57 Adelaide Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 1K6
Tel: 416-203-3093
Website: www.terroni.com

3. Declan
Restaurant 20 Victoria – Michelin guide approved
20 Victoria Street
Toronto, ON
M5C 2A1
Tel: 416-804-6066
Instagram for reservations: https://www.instagram.com/twentyvictoria/

4. Mana
Nami (Japanese)
55 Adelaide Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 1K6
Tel: 416-362-7373
Website: www.namirestaurant.ca

5. Restaurant Lucie
100 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
M5C 2W1
Tel: 416-788-9054
Website: www.restaurantlucie.com

6. Niam H
Cantina Mercatto
20 Wellington Street East
Toronto, ON
M5E 1C5
Tel: 416-304-0781
Website: www.cantinamercatto.ca

7. Siva Sathasivam
Uncle Tony’s
38 Wellington St E
Toronto, ON
M5E 1C7
Tel: 416-455-6650
Website: https://uncletonys.ca/

8. Pizzaiolo
104 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
M5C 2Y6
Tel: 416-860-0700
Website: www.pizzaiolo.ca

9. Robin Singh
Woods Restaurant and Bar
45 Colborne Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1E3
Tel: 416-214-9918
Website: www.woodsrestaurant.ca

Health and Wellness

1. Thom Tullo
Morpheus8 by Inmode
47 Colborne Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1E3
Tel: 416-863-6564
Website: www.amanspa.ca

2. Altitude Athletic Training
56 Colborne Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1E3
Tel: 416-366-3838
Website: www.altitudeathletictraining.com

3. Physioheath Studios
33 Victoria Street, #130
Toronto, ON
M5C 2A1
Tel: 416-368-2525
Website: www.physiohealth.com

Our Amenities

We are by far the most experienced and best coworking team in the market – established in 1980

  • We are the highest Tech centre in the market
  • We have a very modern, high quality, brand new facility located at:

   18 King Street East, Suite 1400

      Toronto, Ontario   M5C 1C4 Canada

    • 18 King Street East is a boutique Class A building – East of Yonge: easy street parking, less traffic, excellent restaurants and lovely parks – St. James Park @ Church & King and Berczy Park @ Wellington East, Scott and Front Streets – Very high energy and engaging area
    • A few steps (a few seconds) to the Yonge Street subway/underground PATH network and streetcar available outside building
    • Building is located in Toronto's vibrant financial district
    • Plenty of parking available in the area including street parking and reserved parking in the 18 King building 
    • Adjacent to the building huge outdoor food courtyard - Beer Bistro www.beerbistro.com and Craft Beer Market www.craftbeermamrket.ca restaurants and bars with onsite catering services
    • Onsite amenities:  Tim Horton's, Beer Bistro, Convenience store and Starbucks across the street 
    • Nearby amenities:  underground PATH network, numerous restaurants, banking, Starbucks plus a wide array of nearby shops and services 
    • New modernized office layout fully furnished with meeting spaces and training rooms plus café lounge area
    • We are leaders in the service of training/meeting rooms with full conference facilities, high quality hot and cold catering
    • Largest training room and conference facilities accommodate up to 60 people classroom style
    • Ultra-high-speed - 1 GIG pipe = 1,000 x 1000 fiber-optic network, which will deliver internet connection speeds faster than most North American services
    • Private shower room
    • Indoor Reserved Parking at the current building rental rate
    • Bicycle parking
    • Rent a space to accommodate your team for meetings, training sessions, corporate events or coworking space or flexible office space for one day, one week, one month or one year, or whatever term suits your business
    • Telsec has over 650 locations in 40 different countries worldwide available for their clients.  Office clients receive up to 8 hours of meeting space per month at no charge at any ABCN member location.  Plus, Office and Virtual Office clients may rent a space from any member location at special member rates which varies depending on the location 
    • King Edward Hotel is located across the street - recently completed a $40 million renovation and boutique hotels close by within walking distance
  • Dining and entertainment at high quality restaurants only minutes away – Carisma, Terroni, Woods Restaurant & Bar and Michelin Rated - Restaurant 20 Victoria. Plus numerous lunch and takeout eateries nearby

         Please check out our 70 second video on our home page or click here:

Take a look at our facilities www.telsec.net    

Telsec will Customize Your Client’s Office(s) Layout to Meet Their Requirements

You are welcome to drop-in any-time, a quick call would be appreciated to ensure our availability Vanessa 416-574-1112 or Josie 416-606-4349 or e-mail josie@telsec.net.