Jacek Bednorz, Head of Leasing and Customer care at Business Link, talks about what distinguishes the company on the market, gives insight into the source of their success, and discusses cooperation with ShareSpace. He explains what enabled Business Link to survive the pandemic, and how non-standard customer needs allow them to constantly develop their services.
What sets Business Link apart from other office space providers on the market?
I think that what sets us apart is our diligence in researching our clients’ needs. What I care about the most is that the spaces and offers are tailored to their actual requirements. That’s why we often introduce new solutions. Of course, it is not always possible to meet all the customers’ expectations, but we always strive for the most satisfactory results. It can be said that we serve as a kind of consultancy service for flexible office spaces. We facilitate the most efficient solutions and provide cost optimization through offers such as “Rotate” and “Hybrid.” In fact, many of our clients are surprised by how “flexible” our approach is. Not only in terms of contract conditions but also because we meet non-standard corporate expectations such as anonymizing data. We want to constantly update our offer adding new solutions to it.
What do you think are the benefits of Business Link working with ShareSpace?
I evaluate the cooperation with ShareSpace very positively. It is the first platform of this kind in Poland, and I think it’s a “timely” idea. Because of the pandemic, people are using the Internet even more, so I support the development of such tools. They make it easier for us and our clients to work and make decisions, which is very significant. You can see that ShareSpace is focused on growing its business. It is not about “creating hype” around the platform but about raising the standard for renting office space.
“When I observe the changes on the platform, I see that ShareSpace wants to be more and more responsive to customer needs – there are constantly new features that make it easier to rent office space.”
It is also a tool that contributes to the market and raises customer awareness of what flexible offices are and how they operate. A big benefit for us is the communication aspect – thanks to the platform, contact with the client is much more convenient.
You previously mentioned “Rotate” and “Hybrid” office models. What exactly do these solutions consist of?
The “Rotate” solution results from working with a joint customer of ShareSpace and Business Link-“Conectys”. Due to its rotational 24/7 work model, the company needed more office access cards than the actual number of workstations. While wondering how to approach this, we came up with the custom solution “Rotate.” In short, it’s the move away from the traditional approach, that every employee requires their own desk. Sometimes, out of 20 rented desks, half are left vacant. A sales representative, for example, usually only spends about 2 hours a day at his desk, and the rest of their time is spent between meetings with clients and calls. With “Rotate,” the customer no longer pays for those empty desks. The number of desks is adjusted to the customer’s needs instead of the number of employees.
“Hybrid,” on the other hand, is a solution that facilitates the use of the entire Business Link office network. We created it for clients who require access to workstations in several cities concurrently. If a client has meetings in Wrocław one week and in Warsaw the following one, they do not have to pay a double fee (for space usage) but can freely change locations without worrying about unnecessary costs.
The pandemic has significantly altered the work model, redefining how and where we do the work. What impact has this had on Business Link?
Crises are usually very verifying. We were faced with questions about whether our existing business model was sound or flawed. The pandemic was certainly a lesson in humility. Had we known early in 2020 what we know today, we would have approached certain things differently. To give an example, many companies panicked, reducing their office spaces down to zero. In fact, downsizing was observed across the entire real estate market, including traditional leases, i.e., long-term leases. There were a lot of opinions that due to the pandemic, “Home Office is now the future while office buildings should be demolished,” but as we now know, this was not the case.
After the second wave, we saw that many clients – who had previously said that flexible spaces were not for them – began to notice the benefits of this solution, such as cost optimization. More and more companies realized that some things were done more efficiently from the office, and employees should come back, though not necessarily every day. While sometimes flexible offices are considered an expensive solution, it turns out that, when all costs are calculated, this isn’t the case. The client pays only for the workstations used and not for empty desks.
What does the future of Business Link look like? In addition to your ever-growing range of services, are there plans for you to open more offices?
We are monitoring the market, and, of course, we have plans to further grow the network, although, at this point, I am not able to comment on where, how, and when. We do not want to repeat the mistakes of other space operators from the past. Too much expansion at the start generates a lot of expenses. We want our growth to go hand in hand with thoughtfulness – selecting locations that are actually good for us. There is no doubt that flexible offices are currently experiencing a sort of a “boom.” Watching what is happening on the market and talking to other brokers, we hear that it can even be hard to find space to rent in some cities. However, we are not just looking at what is currently going on when choosing a location. We analyze everything in terms of long-term business. We observe what works and what does not, drawing conclusions from it. We think about the types of spaces and their most useful arrangements to our clients. All this is very significant for us.
Can you please share your secret to success in business?
First of all – a rational approach. Unfortunately, some businesses completely lose touch with reality. Sure, “great ideas” sell well, but business is business at the end of the day. Only those businesses that respond to customer needs have a chance of succeeding. A good business pays attention to the customer and takes account of their expectations. This is both simple and very difficult to achieve. If those expectations are not met, often over time, it may turn out that what we are doing is not working.
For this reason, at Business Link, we really examine customer needs and communicate honestly if we see that we can’t provide a certain solution for technical reasons. We don’t want customers to rent a space that doesn’t meet their requirements – it’s not ‘fair.’
It’s also good to “get to know” the client – what kind of business it is, what is their work model, and what do they need. It’s this information that shows whether we can provide the right solution. This sound approach to business allows us to develop our services and build good, long-lasting relationships with our clients.
ShareSpace is a platform that matches businesses with traditional and flexible workplace providers and offers a comprehensive online office leasing process, including a search engine with real-time office availability and pricing. The company is a pioneer in using blockchain technology to securely sign contracts online.
ShareSpace provides a bespoke 360° consultancy service and an on-demand app for booking desks and meeting rooms.
If you are a business looking for a flexible office solution, use the ShareSpace Search Engine to view the wide range of locations across the market.
Want to rent an office at Business Link?
View Business Link offices for rent
Office to rent Poznań – Business Link Maraton
Office to rent in Warsaw – Business Link Astoria
Office to rent Wrocław – Business Link Wrocław Green2Day
Office to rent Kraków – Business Link High5ive
