In the second part of the interview, Mr Siegert, Senior Head of Sales at the Collection Group, talks about the wide-ranging benefits of a ‘virtual office’ – a product term that he himself has played a key role in shaping.
Question: Mr Siegert, you have been regarded for many years as one of the leading experts on ‘virtual offices’ in business centres. Could you please explain to us why this particular segment is in such high demand and what the advantages of a ‘virtual office’ are?
Answer: Many companies want a prestigious address in a prime location. One thing is clear: anyone wishing to rent office space, for example, in Düsseldorf’s Dreischeibenhaus, on Stuttgart’s Königstraße, in Vienna’s Goldenes Quartier or on Hamburg’s Hohe Bleichen, must of course pay the corresponding rents for these prime locations. With the ‘virtual office’ – as we offer it in all COLLECTION Business Centres – clients can enhance their standing in the market without having to pay those hefty rents. We collect post for our ‘Virtual Office’ clients, forward it on, and answer the telephone in the client’s company name; clients can, of course, hire meeting rooms or day offices from us as and when required to receive clients or guests. But not everyone has visitors every day. Many do not need a prestigious address every day. In this respect, the ‘Virtual Office’ is a wonderful tool for enhancing a company’s public image whilst saving a great deal of money.
Question: You mention public image – how important is that for your clients in their day-to-day business operations?
Answer: Extremely important. Even in business, the maxim ‘first impressions count’ still holds true all too often. There’s often no second chance. Alongside the prime locations of our business centres, the professionalism and friendliness of our staff, as well as the high-quality facilities, play a key role – this applies not only to the exclusive furnishings but also to the technical equipment. Our ‘Virtual Office’ clients must always be able to rely on us one hundred per cent. We are fully aware of this responsibility: after all, when our staff answer the phone for our clients or welcome their guests, they automatically represent their clients’ names and businesses.
Question: A prime address at an affordable price at the COLLECTION Business Centre – could you explain again exactly how much clients can save?
Answer: The potential is enormous. In the prime locations of major European cities, small or medium-sized offices are not usually available to rent: Anyone wishing to have an address there usually has to rent at least 250 square metres and, on top of that, sign long-term tenancy agreements – this applies to Hamburg as well as Düsseldorf, to Cologne as well as Frankfurt, to Vienna as well as Zurich, Munich or Luxembourg. COLLECTION Business Centres, on the other hand, offer much smaller offices that can be hired by the hour or by the day. Or there’s the ‘virtual office’ – the ideal solution, particularly for start-ups, whose capital reserves are often still limited.
End of interview.
Interviewer: Mr Remmert
###