Small businesses in London have a hard time finding affordable office spaces and support services. While it’s easier to outsource cleaning, maintenance, IT support and other essential business needs, it can still be difficult finding the right support services at the right price. Most service providers require a contract so it’s important SMEs do some research to find the right company before committing to a long contract.

So how can London businesses be sure to find the right contractors for their requirements? The capital if full of office support companies to service the city’s thousands of businesses – London and the South East account for a third of the UK’s business population. Here are some tips for small enterprises to find good value and credible support services.

Personal recommendation

As with anything, before investing in a service or wasting time trying to find what you require, ask somebody you trust for a referral. If you know a genuine person who is happy with the service provided, it’s likely you’ll be happy with it too. Who could you ask for a personal recommendation for an office support service? If you share your commercial building, ask the other business owners who they hire for their commercial cleaning or which waste company they have a contract with. It’s best to ask somebody in the local area but otherwise you could turn to social media or networking groups for recommendations. Word of mouth is one of the best marketing tools!

Good reputation

It’s really important that you consider a company’s reputation before signing a long contract. A credible company will have a lot of experience, notable clients and a number of positive testimonials. You could also check if the company is a member of or affiliated with any industry body or organisation, such as Safe Contractors and Quality Management. Lastly it’s worth checking out the service provider’s reviews on social media and independent websites to judge their online reputation.

Multi-service providers

Of course your decision will mainly be based on the service needs you have at the moment, and if a company can meet those needs in terms of price, location and quality. It might be worth looking up service providers which offer multiple services to save you the bother of hiring a range of companies. Why deal with five different providers and invoices when you could roll it all into one? Not only will you save time, you’ll probably get a discount too by employing one provider to supply all of those services. For example, a cleaning company may also be able to provide a gardener in the summer months and a handyman when you have maintenance issues.

Finding a new service provider every time you have an odd job can be tiring – which is why Regional Services offers extras as and when they are required. Take a look at all of our support services for London offices.