Furniture as a Service – the next big thing for your business
Say you wanted your company to run “in the cloud,” would you go buy a server, set up a network and build the applications yourself? Of course not, the process would consume valuable time and even more valuable resources.
Instead, you’d call a company that could lease your company some server resources and do all the work creating the application, setting up the servers and managing the system for you. The result is the same, but done at a fraction of the time and cost. This is called “software as a service” (SaaS), and it has revolutionized IT.
More recently, the “as a service” concept has been spreading to other time-consuming and costly parts of setting up a business and, now, it’s made its way to office furnishing. One startup is targeting the enterprise sector to make furnishing an office that much easier with a Furniture-as-a-Service model that grows with a company.
Why office furnishing?
Office furnishing may not be the first thing on an entrepreneur’s mind, but it must be taken seriously for two main reasons:
- The aesthetic of the workplace is a major asset in attracting talent and managing productivity.
- Buying furniture is a substantial capital investment, and could make a big dent in your company’s capital. Also, a large furniture tab runs up your operating costs, and that doesn’t look good to new investors.
Furniture as a Service
Swivelfly is the world’s first Furniture as a Service (FaaS) provider, created by people who believe furnishing office spaces should not be a lifelong commitment, as it enables growing companies to outfit their workspaces quickly and with minimal risk.
You start by uploading a blank floor plan of your office, along with your employee count and office square footage. The company utilizes Swivelbot, a design intelligence assistant that helps companies create a workspace that is customizable and stylishly furnished. It offers a variety of contemporary office furnishings and a simplified dashboard to experiment with colors and styles.
From there, Swivelfly’s Swivelbot design-intelligence technology creates a custom furniture plan based on your unique space and headcount, so you receive the precise amount of furniture you need. Once your plan is ready, all you have to do is select your favorite design theme and Swivelfly delivers it your office immediately.
“The FaaS model removes the guess work and specifically calculates a company’s needs based on headcount and workspace size,” said Bruce Paul, CEO and founder. “Because fees are charged as a monthly expense, companies can plan better and stretch their dollar further.”
At the moment, Swivelfly only offers furniture, not artwork. This includes furniture for employee work spaces such as desks, chairs and screen mounts, as well as furnishings for break rooms, conference rooms, collaboration rooms, waiting areas and reception spaces.
In terms of costs, this depends on the company’s needs including break/collaboration room and reception area furniture, and the duration of their service contract. A typical Swivelfly example pricing plan is $50 to $80 for workstations only, or $80 to $120 for complete offices. All pricing is per person/per month and the subscription cost includes furniture, space planning, design, project management, delivery, installation and removal.
The FaaS model offers companies the ability to be flexible, redecorate on a regular basis, style and count in a simple and proven process. This ensures that as businesses evolve, their workspaces do as well.
Photo source: https://pixabay.com
