Congratulations! Servcorp in Japan recently celebrated its 15th anniversary on 19 September 2009. In 1994, Servcorp – the pioneers of serviced offices in Japan, opened 25 serviced offices on Level 32, Shinjuku Nomura building.
Back then – September 1994
When Servcorp first opened, there were no office providers of the same type anywhere in Japan. Unfortunately, there was also no established market for the serviced office product and subsequently very few clients or enquiries for the first five months. Back then, the Servcorp team had to “dial-up” over modems to receive e-mail and did not have a voicemail system. Receptionists manually transferred phone calls using a hardcopy of the client's contact details and an old fashioned switchboard. The manager typed lease agreements on the type-writer and calculated invoices manually.
The Journey
The Servcorp journey over the last 15 years in Japan has revolutionised the serviced office industry. Servcorp went from very simple analogue phone systems (PABX) requiring our receptionists to individually transfer phone calls to state-of-the-art fully integrated IP phone technology offering phone calls over the internet.
Servcorp pioneered voicemail with the Servcorp Unified messaging system and more advanced products such as Servcorp Onefone and Servcorp Onefax. Servcorp has advanced from simple “dial-up” internet systems to business grade, reliable, high-speed broadband internet solutions. The technical support team has grown to ten technology experts in Japan.
In 1996 we opened a second floor in Shinjuku, followed by our Kamiyacho Shiroyama Gardens location in 1997. Since then Servcorp has opened floors every year, with a break in 2002, 2003 and 2008. Servcorp now offers 17 locations in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka and is opening a new floor in Marunouchi Trust Tower, Main (on top of Tokyo Station) in December 2009.
Present Day
The Servcorp team in Japan is now 150 strong and serves over 2,500 clients every day. Many team members have personally witnessed the journey. Servcorp is now better placed than ever to deliver the best office.
