How the right office can build client trust and create opportunities

Undoubtedly one of the strengths of Servcorp is the fact there are locations across all major cities in Japan. Whether it be a serviced office, virtual office, or coworking space you’re after, there are 24 premium locations to choose from. The flexibility and range of Servcorp’s Workspace solutions have expanded recently and now more than ever suits those part-time commuters who may only require a workspace occasionally. Particularly for those who live in regional/rural areas that have to commute occasionally to do business, Servcorp really shines as the perfect solution.

One such client is Yoshinobu Hatake, of Hatake & Starship Tax Accountants, who uses co-working space at Marunouchi Yusen Building nestled between the enviable location of the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station.

Please tell us about your business…

I run a tax accountancy and do mainly tax accounting for small and medium enterprises. When a company is undergoing succession but wants to maintain and grow - where there is no actual successor - we will consult on the merge and acquisition.

What kind of services do you use at Servcorp?

I actually operate out of Kanazawa on the west coast of Honshu. As I need an accessible base in Tokyo, Servcorp’s location at Marunouchi Yusen Building made total sense. When I come to Tokyo, I catch the Hokuriku Shinkansen which gets me to Tokyo Station in under three hours and from there it’s a couple of minutes’ walk to the office. I use the Servcorp Coworking space about twice a month – usually the final two days of each month. Over this period, I will likely hold meetings in the boardrooms with clients and situate myself in the coworking space to complete various tasks.

As I alluded to before, I also use the boardrooms frequently. At Yusen there are two good sized boardrooms, which are always beautifully arranged and set up. They have an international atmosphere which I like.

What type of contact do you have with the Servcorp Team?

When the secretaries bring me tea we always tend to have nice chats and I always exchange greetings with the receptionists as I arrive and depart. My contact with clients requires the best levels of service which I really care about. So when I see how the team deal with my clients, I can rest assured they will meet my expectations.

Do you have much interaction with other Servcorp clients?

I hear about social groups and business events on a regular basis. As my base is so far away, I haven’t really been able to participate. I would be interested though if the situation changes.

What sort of businesses do you think suit Servcorp?

You can be based anywhere, outside of major cities like myself and truly find the value in Servcorp. The flexibility offered by Servcorp allows me to secure a neat work space with access to meeting rooms in any major city. For the moment I am not using other bases, but we are a business that consults all over the country so that may change. It’s great that I can be located where my clients are.

As a tax accountant, I can’t suggest to my clients to ‘have a little chat at Starbucks when I am in town. It is very important to me to be able to access proper office space particularly for those clients I meet for the first time.

Why did you choose a co-working space and not a general office?

If I was to consider establishing a base by myself, I would have had to source it myself and from a cost perspective it just didn’t seem worth it. I didn’t want to consider renting a space that was old and shabby. In my business, trust is so important and having a high quality space to do business helps build that trust. It had to be beautiful, new and properly managed. In addition, my business is not the type of business that requires me to be in one place all the time. I need flexibility. For that, Servcorp provides me with the perfect solution.