Turnkey workspaces aren’t "turnkey" without technology

By Kurt Patrick
Director of Business Development, North America | essensys

Are most landlords with pre-built office space really providing everything a tenant needs to get to work immediately when leasing a “turnkey” workspace?

The answer to this is no. When a tenant walks into their new ready-built office space, they’ll find new desks, lighting and maybe even a conference room fit out – but they won’t see any internet connectivity, local area network, WiFi network, phone services or software to book shared resources.

While having furniture is obviously important, a truly turnkey workspace in this day and age is more than just FF&E (fixtures, furniture, and equipment). The immediacy that the world of coworking offers has educated the modern office tenant and having the digital infrastructure in place on day one is the new norm.

A pre-installed digital infrastructure doesn’t only benefit the tenant during their initial move-in. Should they add space short-term or utilize swing space, protracted negotiations for a long-term space aren’t necessary, however, a premium for that space used would be paid. Adapting to these types of changes and supporting a tenant’s overall growth should be seamless. For example, booking and utilizing shared conference rooms across floors/sites of an office building or separate buildings in a portfolio should be frictionless, intuitive and automated. Tenants should be able to seamlessly stay connected to their secure network in a swing space, shared conference room, or under a tree in the courtyard. A turnkey workspace should be flexible, which means having the right digital infrastructure in place to support this evolution.

Now more than ever, tenants don’t have the stomach for a prolonged build-out. They’re looking to move into space immediately – which means that instantly available, secure, resilient and redundant network connectivity is critical. The ability to have their private network and phones switch on before their first “turn of the key” can be the differentiator, especially in a highly competitive market.

Without the right technology already in place, landlords will either lose the prospective tenant to a competitor, who can deliver on the immediacy, or leave the tenant with a frustrating, expensive, and time-consuming process to activate services. For example, due to global supply chain delays and worker shortages, the amount of time needed to provision a network can take months, which can prolong the move-in process and ultimately increase downtime for a landlord.

Tenants are demanding more from their technology – they expect it to enhance their overall productivity. From uninterrupted connectivity to easy booking access, tenants are seeking a frictionless experience.

In a recent survey conducted by Wakefield Research, findings showed that 81% of U.S. office workers are frustrated with their current office experiences, and more than half (52%) are envious of the innovative technology available in other office buildings aside from their own.

This raises another question, are office providers and tenants on the same page when it comes to technology? There seems to be a large gap between what tenants actually want and what they are currently being offered.

Be on the lookout for our full research report on occupier sentiment coming soon: essensys is publishing the findings of a US-wide office worker survey that acts as a snapshot of current occupier sentiment. We asked office workers what technology entices them back to the office as well as what hinders and enhances their productivity. This research will be freely available on our website.

Follow us on LinkedIn for a reminder to access the research once it’s published.