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That’s a good question to ask your customers. Maybe you should …

You may think customer service at your business center is excellent—but your tenants may have a different perspective. It’s better to ask and find out so you can make adjustments rather than lose tenants mysteriously.

That’s what Avanta India did. When Avanta India launched in 2008, the business center set out to build on strong service standards and infrastructure. But the company didn’t just develop a customer service program and leave the results to chance. No, Avanta recently launched a survey to take the pulse of its customer service efforts.

“Our center enjoys over 90 percent occupancy rate and is known as one of the best serviced office providers in the region,â€� Avanta India’s manager says. “While we adhere to a strict code of conduct, we believe in improving our services continuously. In order to do that, there could be no better feedback mechanism than asking our clients so we decided to conduct a customer satisfaction survey.â€�

Avanta India designed a questionnaire that sought to measure the customer experience from the moment they stepped foot into an Avanta India business center—starting with the facility tour. The survey then asks questions about every detail of the experience and services, from how easy it is to get set up to housekeeping to billing and beyond.

How did Avanta India fare? Here are just a few of the many customer service metrics the business center collected in its survey:

70% of clients chose Avanta because of its excellent location
90% respondents liked the ambience, hospitality and reception
100% appreciated the speed and timeliness of the information sharing

“The customer satisfaction survey also included open-ended questions that could help us gather comprehensive feedback,â€� Avanta India’s facility manager said. “We also wanted to seek inputs for continued service excellence and further improvements. The team was delighted to receive accolades for excellent service, resourcefulness and reliability. Our staff members were applauded for their extremely helpful conduct.”

Although Avanta India scored exceptionally well in every area it tested, there is always room for improvement. Avanta India can’t easily change the location of its business center, but the fact that 70% chose the serviced office space because of its excellent location is a strong indicator that the company’s site selection process is strong.

What’s more, the customer service survey now becomes a marketing tool. Avanta India can take these and other customer satisfaction scores it gathered and use it to drive word of mouth about its excellent service while it continues to make small improvements along the way.

Avanta India also did something else: produced a YouTube video showing what its clients have to say about the business center’s service levels: Watch the video

Regus may be doing its business center competitors a big favor—or it may become a bigger threat. It all depends on your perspective.

The executive offices suites giant just published a new book that aims to answer the key business question of the decade: How do you grow a business in today’s ultra-competitive landscape?

Dubbed Growth in a Difficult Decade, the book offers advice from successful entrepreneurs, along with practical insights for managers and business owners in every industry.

Regus pulled out all the stops to offer a resource to its would-be tenants, including advice from more than 60 entrepreneurs and corporations. Donald Trump and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz join teenage Internet millionaires, winning serial entrepreneurs, and founders of billion-dollar family businesses that are now being transitioned to the next generation in offering the secrets of success.

“At Regus we work closely with successful entrepreneurs all over the world, so we wanted to help share their insights into how to achieve sustainable business growth, even in times of recession or economic uncertainty,� says Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus.

Growth in a Difficult Decade, the Regus book offers guidance on every facet of running and growing a business, from how to monetize and execute a business idea to the importance of validating and iterating ideas to how to build a business sustainably, tips on raising finance, how to expand a business into new countries or continents, and what to look for when hiring key staff or finding business mentors.

“This book shows there’s no single formula for success and growth—there’s a fascinating diversity of ideas and approaches,� Dixon says. “But it also shows there are common themes for success—from the power of marketing, to the importance of mentors and colleagues whose talents complement your own, to perseverance, to the importance of exploring new markets. The insights and practical tips in this book will help businesses of all sizes and at all stages of growth.�

Regus’ strategy is simple and effective: Become a resource for entrepreneurs, small business owners and large corporations alike. People value books, and they especially value books with practical advice for doing business in today’s economy.  What’s more, Regus has demonstrated that it can grow in a difficult decade, which gives it the credibility it needs to author such a book.

Regus’ book is now part of its marketing arsenal. It will become a calling card, of sorts, a resource for would-be tenants that shows Regus gets it. Professionals in all industries have been authoring books to build their personal brand for years. Regus has taken a similar approach with Growth in a Difficult Decade. Ultimately, the book alone won’t help Regus win customers. But it becomes part of a larger branding and marketing effort that helps turn heads.

What can your business center to do position your brand as an expert resource in the field?

There’s been plenty of headlines about the poor judgment of some U.S. Secret Service members in recent weeks, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that more federal agencies are making mobile IT investments that set the stage for remote work. Is your business center ready for the storm—and the potential food?

The Telework Exchange just announced the results of The 2012-2013 Telework/Mobile IT Almanac. The Almanac provides a snapshot of where federal agencies stand on enabling remote workers and delivers a forecast for mobile IT investments.

“Mobile device use among federal workers is clearly on the rise,� says Bob Kerr, vice president of SwishData Corporation. “Federal agencies are successfully implementing telework polices and the technology infrastructure needed to support remote workers—but there are some areas where agencies can improve.�

The report reveals that 65 percent of federal agencies cite above average IT programs for enabling telework and mobility. What’s more, federal IT executives expect mobile device use to increase by 20 percent by 2013. What does this mean for your business center.

If you’ve been paying attention, you may have already noticed a federal worker walking through your business center doors. The study shows about 21 percent of federal employees are already teleworking. Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed expect more regular teleworkers and 45 percent expect more part-time mobile workers in the next two years.

“More than half of Federal agencies are making the grade in terms of enabling the growing mobile workforce,� says Cindy Auten, general manager, Telework Exchange. “They serve as a model for others looking to strengthen their telework programs in the most efficient way possible,� said Cindy Auten, general manager, Telework Exchange. “As the number of teleworkers and mobile workers increases over the next couple of years, it is imperative agencies invest in technology that supports the changing workforce.�

And it’s also imperative that business centers invest. Federal workers must be assured that they can do business from your serviced office space securely. With the rising population of remote federal workers who need a place to land while traveling or need a meeting room in which to conduct business, savvy business centers are taking measured steps to bolster the security of their technology infrastructures now. It may be time to consult with a security specialist who can help you prepare for opportunities on the federal worker front.

What’s better for your business center? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or pay-per-click ads? Where will you get the bigger bang for your buck?

Based on a new survey from Social Media Examiner, you may be better off with SEO. In case you aren’t familiar with SEO, it’s the process if improving the visibility of a website in search engines via natural (also called organic or unpaid) means. By contrast, pay-per-click, or PPC, ads are just as you would expect: paid.

Although SEO isn’t always free—you can pay firms pretty pennies (and nickels, and dimes and even thousands of dollars)—you can accomplish a certain level of SEO yourself if you are willing to invest some time in keyword research and updating your website appropriately. And that might be all it takes.

Of course, you might also opt for e-mail marketing. Or you could invest in social media efforts galore. But what is more effective? Social Media Examiner’s fourth annual survey listed SEO right behind e-mail marketing. Paid search, or PPC, was sixth on the list. I think for business centers, SEO may be the most effective online marketing strategy of all.

It seems many social media marketers agree on the value of SEO. In total, 65 percent of social media marketers said they used SEO compared to only 38 percent who use paid search. That should tell you something, business center marketer. It appears that the experts believe you get a higher return on investment for SEO than paid search.

According to the survey, 68 percent of respondents plan to increase their SEO efforts. And another telling stat indicates that only nine percent say they have no plans to use SEO. So now the question is: Are you using SEO? Have you search engine optimized your business center Web site? Are your competitors using SEO? If they are and you aren’t, you are likely missing out on tons of free Internet leads.

SEO is ideal for location-based operations like business centers because you can target based on your city. For example, if your business center is in New York, you’d want to use words like “New York executive office suites� in your meta tags and content. If you are in an area with heavy competition for business centers, SEO could mean the difference between winning and losing the opportunity to sign up new tenants.

If you have any questions about who can provide your business center with knowledgeable SEO or PPC services, please contact an ABCN representative at 800.869.9595.

Dayoffice Card, the leading day office service for independent business centers is now inviting U.S. business centers to join the program. Dayoffice Card enables business centers to offer their clients a service very similar to the Regus BusinessWorld Card allowing clients to book and use offices, by the day, at hundreds of locations around the country and the world.

Dayoffice Card, the leading day office service for independent business centers is now inviting U.S. business centers to join the program. Dayoffice Card enables business centers to offer their clients a service very similar to the Regus BusinessWorld Card allowing clients to book and use offices, by the day, at hundreds of locations around the country and the world.

Dayoffice Card, the leading day office service for independent business centers is now inviting U.S. business centers to join the program. Dayoffice Card enables business centers to offer their clients a service very similar to the Regus BusinessWorld Card allowing clients to book and use offices, by the day, at hundreds of locations around the country and the world.

Dayoffice Card, the leading day office service for independent business centers is now inviting U.S. business centers to join the program. Dayoffice Card enables business centers to offer their clients a service very similar to the Regus BusinessWorld Card allowing clients to book and use offices, by the day, at hundreds of locations around the country and the world.

Dayoffice Card, the leading day office service for independent business centers is now inviting U.S. business centers to join the program. Dayoffice Card enables business centers to offer their clients a service very similar to the Regus BusinessWorld Card allowing clients to book and use offices, by the day, at hundreds of locations around the country and the world.

So far in our business center branding series, we’ve looked at what branding is and how customer service plays into the strategy. In part three