Marketing agency Smartbutlers moved to the Paratiisi section of ElectroCity's Werstas last autumn. We met with Smartbutlers' leader Meri Anckar on site at Paratiisi. How has the company enjoyed its time at Werstas, and why was it specifically the Werstas coworking world that interested them?
– When we were looking for new office space, an important criterion was a vibrant area and comfortable workspaces. We also needed representative facilities that include a kitchen and the opportunity to use meeting rooms for client meetings. We have enjoyed our time here very much, and the good service and cleanliness are a plus, says Meri Anckar.
Werstas met our criteria perfectly, and we found an office space for four people in ElectroCity's Werstas. The spaces at Werstas are also suitable for a smaller company, and the services in the Science Park area, such as lunch restaurants, are right nearby.
– Even though the work is independent, there is still a community around us here. Usually, we come to the office at least on Mondays as a whole group to kick off the new week. We are also often at clients' premises, Meri Anckar continues.
Smartbutlers was founded in 2013. The company has always had its own office space, and before Werstas, its office was located a bit further from the center. The Science Park area was already familiar to the Smartbutlers team, and the office's new location is a great fit, as the commute these days is conveniently managed on foot as well.
– We have always done hybrid work, meaning we are at the office, our home office, or with clients depending on the nature of the work. It's nice to meet as a group at the office, and during the brainstorming phase of new projects, in-person meetings are definitely the most productive way for us to move forward. Client meetings are also often held on site, and it is nice to invite clients to Werstas' representative meeting rooms, Anckar continues.
"It is nice to invite clients to Werstas' representative meeting rooms."
Smartbutlers is a small and efficient expert agency with four employees. The company provides business design services.
– 'Liiketoiminnan muotoilu' (business design) is a somewhat stiff translation for what we do. The English equivalent, 'business design', reflects our service better. We help client companies design their business for growth requirements with our brand development, productization, and software development services. We assist, for example, in commercializing new product or service ideas or opening sales to new market areas, Meri Anckar says.
"Our strength is combining strategic and operational work."
The company's way of operating is outsourcing. Work is done on a project basis or as a continuous service. In practice, Smartbutlers' employees, or 'butlers', act within client companies in marketing manager or software developer roles.
– Our clients are often manufacturing companies, where digitalization of business is often a prerequisite for renewal. In practice, this can mean software for product management or sales processes, for example. Our strength is combining strategic and operational work; we don't just tell what should be done, but we can also take responsibility for the implementation, for example, through software development, Anckar continues.
Where does the name Smartbutlers come from then?
– The name reflects our way of working: we always act on behalf of the customer and are able to adapt as the situation requires and solve the challenges that arise, as a good butler should know how to do. We want to be our customers' trusted player. 'Smart' comes from data-drivenness: we combine emotion and data in a smart way, Anckar concludes.