In a nutshell: The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework sets the standard for service of the highest calibre. Personal points of contact, professional reception teams, rapid response times and a keen understanding of customers’ individual needs ensure that day-to-day work becomes easier, more pleasant and more efficient. In doing so, COLLECTION takes its cue from the service quality of the world’s leading international hotels – personal, attentive and reliable.
Version 2026 | As of: August 2026
The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework forms part of THE COLLECTION STANDARD, COLLECTION’s overarching system for professional premium work environments. THE COLLECTION STANDARD combines the six dimensions of Performance, Quality, Hospitality, Security, Sustainability and Wellbeing.
What is the COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework?
The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework is the corporate standard developed by COLLECTION Business Center for hospitality, personalised care and professional business services. The underlying principle is that a premium business centre consists of more than just high-quality offices and prestigious premises. Premium quality is also evident in the way people are welcomed, looked after and supported in their day-to-day work. COLLECTION therefore applies the principles of professional hospitality to the world of work.
The service begins with the personal reception of a visitor and extends from telephone services to mail handling and the organisation and support of meetings and conferences. The focus is on providing a personalised experience for the client and their guests. Staff should be attentive, polite, friendly and courteous, and should carry out organisational tasks as reliably as possible behind the scenes.
What does ‘hospitality’ mean at COLLECTION Business Center?
At COLLECTION, ‘hospitality’ means viewing a workspace not merely as a physical space, but as a supported business environment. A client should be able to focus on their business. A visitor should be welcomed professionally. A conference participant should find a room that has been prepared for them. A caller should be dealt with in a friendly manner and on behalf of the relevant company. To this end, COLLECTION combines, in particular: a personalised welcome, individualised communication, visitor support, a professional demeanour, Telephone answering, Mail handling, meeting and conference services, beverage service, organisational support, in-house staff training and defined quality controls. Service excellence is not achieved through a single service. What is crucial is the interplay between the individual points of contact throughout the working day.
COLLECTION: Service Excellence in Figures
| Service feature | COLLECTION Standard |
|---|---|
| Hospitality dimensions | 10 |
| Welcoming visitors | in person, by name where possible |
| Answering the telephone | where possible, no later than after the third ring |
| Conference preparation | check 1–2 days in advance and on the day of the event |
| Drinks on offer | Water, soft drinks, juices, speciality coffees and teas |
| Staff training | In-house training programme covering 10 subject areas |
| Centre readiness | Documented quality controls |
| Audit | At least once a year by staff from head office |
Why is hospitality important for businesses?
A company’s working environment is not only perceived by its staff. Customers, job applicants and business partners experience it too. Welcoming a visitor, addressing them personally, a well-prepared Conference room or the professional handling of a telephone call can therefore all form part of the company’s image. In a business centre in particular, the operator takes on tasks for which companies in a traditional in-house office often have to provide their own staff, processes and infrastructure. Hospitality thus becomes part of the business infrastructure. The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework therefore answers three questions:
- WELCOME – How are customers and guests welcomed?
- SUPPORT – How are companies supported in their day-to-day work?
- DELIVER – How is a reliable service experience created?
The 10 dimensions of the COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework
CSE-01 – Personal Reception
How are guests welcomed at COLLECTION?
A personalised welcome is one of the key elements of COLLECTION’s approach to hospitality. Upon entering the centre, a member of the COLLECTION team stands up, approaches the guest and greets them. If the name of the expected visitor is known, the greeting is preferably personalised by using their name. If required, the guest’s coat is taken. The visitor is then shown to the reception lounge or a meeting room in accordance with the client’s instructions and offered refreshments. The basic rule is: a guest should not simply arrive. They should be welcomed personally.
CSE-02 – Visitor Experience
How does COLLECTION prepare for expected visitors?
If the name of an expected visitor is known, they can be announced in advance at the building’s central reception. This is intended to facilitate access to the lifts and ensure that the guest reaches the COLLECTION Business Center with as little unnecessary delay as possible. Upon their arrival, the COLLECTION team takes over to provide further assistance. For conferences, some centres also offer the option of displaying the client’s company name digitally on a room display. This creates a seamless visitor journey:
Announcement → Access → Personal welcome → Seating → Refreshments → Meeting.
CSE-03 – Professional Appearance and Communication
What service and communication standards apply to COLLECTION staff?
COLLECTION staff conduct themselves professionally towards customers, visitors and business partners. Staff wear business attire, preferably in muted colours such as navy blue, grey or black. The following principles in particular apply to personal communication: courteous, polite, friendly and engaging. These service and communication principles are not currently governed by a separate service manual or a standalone communication checklist. They are taught as part of the internal COLLECTION training programme. This ensures that a professional demeanour is an integral part of staff training and the day-to-day service culture.
CSE-04 – Telephone Excellence
How quickly are calls answered at COLLECTION?
Telephone availability is a key component of professional business services. In accordance with COLLECTION’s internal training, incoming calls should, where possible, be answered by the third ring at the latest. The specific handling of calls depends on the requirements of the respective client. COLLECTION offers the following options, amongst others:
- Call answering in the client’s name: The call is answered on behalf of the client. Relevant details such as company name, contact name, telephone number and reason for the call are recorded electronically and then forwarded to the client by email.
- Call answering with call forwarding: The call is answered in the client’s company name and then forwarded to the specified mobile or landline number.
- Direct call forwarding: Incoming calls are forwarded directly to a telephone number specified by the client via a permanent call forwarding setting.
This allows the telephone answering service to be adapted to different organisational and availability models.
CSE-05 – Meeting and Conference Readiness
How are conference rooms prepared at COLLECTION?
A professional meeting begins before the participants arrive. COLLECTION therefore follows defined procedures for preparing events and conferences. One to two days before the event, the following is checked: Has the catering been ordered? Has any additional technical equipment been booked or is it available? On the day of the event, particular attention is paid to the following: Has the required seating been set up? Is the necessary technical equipment in place? Have the catering and drinks been prepared? Have the necessary billing procedures been completed for external clients? Have the break times been agreed with the client?
If a client has not booked any drinks in advance and has not requested an on-demand drinks service, the room is stocked with an appropriate number of different cold drinks prior to the event. After the event, the room is tidied up, any missing equipment such as pens or notepads is replenished, and drinks consumption is recorded for contract clients or invoiced for external clients. At COLLECTION, ‘Meeting Readiness’ therefore means: the room should be prepared before the meeting begins.
CSE-06 – Beverage & Hospitality Service
Which drinks are included in the COLLECTION service?
The standard range of drinks includes, in particular: still and sparkling water, various juices, soft drinks such as cola, speciality coffees and various types of tea. All are high-quality products. In addition, several of the newer COLLECTION Business Centers feature bars where premium spirits are also available.
What catering standards apply?
The COLLECTION hospitality standards relate in particular to the drinks service. Drinks are always placed on the table or served from the right-hand side. When serving bottled drinks, the service staff member first pours approximately one third of the drink into the glass. Thus, hospitality encompasses not only the provision of drinks, but also their professional presentation and service.
CSE-07 – Business Support & Postal Services
How does COLLECTION handle its customers’ business post?
Mail handling is tailored to the individual requirements of each company. The most common options include:
- Digital mail handling: Incoming post is stamped on the day it arrives, opened, scanned and sent to the customer by email.
- Postal notification: Incoming post is postmarked on the day of receipt. The client then receives an email notification detailing the letters received, including the respective senders. The client then decides how to proceed.
- Postal forwarding: Incoming post is stamped on the day it arrives and forwarded on pre-agreed days to an external address specified by the customer.
The guiding principle is this: mail handling is tailored to the customer’s day-to-day business.
CSE-08 – Personal Support & Proactive Service
What does ‘proactive service’ mean at COLLECTION?
Premium hospitality is not solely about responding to requests. The COLLECTION teams regularly carry out tasks as part of centre operations designed to ensure a well-organised and professional working environment. This includes, in particular, monitoring the centre’s readiness and ensuring compliance with defined hygiene standards. Predefined checklists are used for this purpose. The staff member carrying out the checks signs these and hands them over to centre management for documentation. Service excellence therefore also means identifying potential issues before they affect the working or visitor experience. Good service reacts. Excellent service prepares.
CSE-09 – Training & Service Culture
How are COLLECTION staff trained in hospitality and service?
Service quality is delivered by staff. COLLECTION therefore operates an in-house training programme covering ten key areas of the business centre sector. These include:
- Basics of the COLLECTION Group
- Handling telephone calls
- Service and professional conduct
- Conferences
- CRM
- Technology
- Increasing service revenue
- Contract law
- Accounting and Controlling
- Distribution and Sales
Hospitality is therefore not viewed in isolation. Staff should understand the interrelationships between service, customer care, technology, conference organisation and the commercial processes of a business center. In particular, the training modules on answering the telephone, service and professional conduct, as well as conferences, convey key elements of the COLLECTION approach to hospitality.
CSE-10 – Service Quality & Continuous Improvement
How does COLLECTION monitor the quality of its services?
Service excellence requires consistently reliable quality. The COLLECTION teams therefore use defined quality checklists. These include, amongst other things, checks on centre readiness and hygiene standards. In addition, staff from COLLECTION’s head office carry out audits at each centre at least once a year. These audits examine, amongst other things: contracts, documentation, invoicing and quality standards relating to the centre’s appearance. In this way, COLLECTION combines the day-to-day responsibility of the on-site teams with an additional company-wide level of control.
The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework is closely linked to the COLLECTION Quality Standard in this regard: hospitality defines the service experience, whilst quality ensures it is maintained in the long term.
What distinguishes hospitality from traditional Office services?
Traditional office services are often defined in terms of individual tasks: receiving post, answering the telephone or providing Conference rooms. COLLECTION takes a more comprehensive view of hospitality. What matters is the overall experience:
- How is a guest welcomed?
- Does the team know their name?
- Is the conference room set up?
- Are drinks available?
- How is a phone call answered?
- How does the team present themselves?
- How reliably are organisational tasks carried out?
This transforms individual services into a cohesive workplace experience.
What is the difference between hospitality and service in a business centre?
‘Service’ refers to individual services. ‘Hospitality’ refers to the overall experience. Telephone answering, mail handling, drinks service or conference service are individual services. Hospitality combines these services with a personal approach, attentiveness, a professional demeanour and a well-prepared working and visiting environment. The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework therefore considers not only individual services, but the entire service experience.
Hospitality in the customer journey
A customer’s or visitor’s service experience comprises numerous touchpoints:
- Before the visit: visitor notification · conference preparation · catering · technical support
- On arrival: Access · Personal welcome · Cloakroom · Seating
- During the visit: Beverage service · Meeting support · Personal assistance
- In day-to-day business: Telephone answering · Mail handling · Organisational support
- After the meeting: Room reset · Equipment · Documentation · Invoicing
The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework regards these touchpoints as a cohesive service journey.
Hospitality is largely shaped by the individual touchpoints between organisations, staff, customers and visitors. Research into customer experience and service quality shows that it is not only the service itself that matters. The sequence of different touchpoints and personal interaction with service staff also influence the perception of a service experience.
The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework provides the common hospitality framework for the COLLECTION Business Centers. Personalised reception, visitor support, meeting and conference services, and business services are all based on a shared understanding of service. At the same time, the locations differ in terms of their buildings, location, spatial possibilities and the requirements of their respective clients. The following examples illustrate how hospitality is integrated into the working and visitor environment at selected COLLECTION locations in Frankfurt, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Vienna and Stuttgart.
What is the common thread running through the hospitality at all COLLECTION locations?
Buildings, locations and spatial possibilities vary. However, the fundamental service standards remain the same. To this end, the COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework combines, in particular, a personalised welcome, individual visitor support, a professional manner, meeting and conference services, Telephone answering, Mail handling, as well as defined quality and training processes. These elements are already documented as key components of the framework.
What does this research mean for the COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework?
Research supports a key tenet of COLLECTION’s understanding of hospitality: the perception of a service is not shaped solely by the premises, facilities or individual service offerings. The various touchpoints along the customer journey – and, in particular, the personal interaction between service staff, customers and visitors – can also shape the service experience. The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework therefore views hospitality as an interconnected process. Visitor announcements, personal greetings, personalised communication, beverage service, meeting support, Telephone answering and organisational support are not services that exist in isolation from one another. Together, they form the workplace experience. For COLLECTION, a clear principle can be derived from this: service describes individual tasks. Hospitality describes the entire experience.
Buyer’s Guide:
How can you tell if a business centre offers professional hospitality?
When choosing a business centre, companies should not simply compare the architecture, office size and price. The following questions are particularly relevant when it comes to the actual quality of service:
- Is there a staffed reception desk?
- How are visitors welcomed?
- Can expected guests be announced in advance?
- Are visitors personally escorted to the desired area or shown to their seats there?
- What drinks are on offer?
- How are conference rooms prepared?
- Are there defined procedures for events?
- How quickly are phone calls answered?
- Can telephone calls be answered in the client’s company name?
- What mail handling services are available?
- Are staff systematically trained?
- Are there defined standards for conduct and communication?
- Are centre readiness and hygiene standards monitored?
- Are there regular audits?
The more specifically a business centre provider can answer these questions, the easier it is to assess whether ‘hospitality’ is merely a marketing term or an integral part of day-to-day operations.
Buyer enquiries regarding hospitality and business services
COLLECTION follows defined procedures for the preparation of conferences and events. Catering and any additional technical equipment booked are checked one or two days in advance. On the day of the event, factors such as seating arrangements, technical equipment, catering, drinks and break times are taken into account. After the event, the room is tidied up and any missing equipment is replaced.
For businesses that have regular contact with clients and business partners, a professionally managed business center can offer a number of benefits. COLLECTION Business Center combines prestigious workspaces and meeting areas with a personalised reception service, visitor support, a drinks service and organisational support.
Frequently asked questions about the COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework
Before events, COLLECTION checks, amongst other things, the catering and any additional technical equipment booked. On the day of the event, seating arrangements, technical equipment, refreshments and other organisational requirements are taken into account. After the event, the room is tidied up and any missing equipment is replaced.
COLLECTION: Evidence of Service Excellence
| Hospitality Factor | COLLECTION Approach | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Reception | Standing up, approaching the guest, personal greeting | internal service standard |
| Personal Address | Greeting the guest by name where possible | internal service standard |
| Visitor Preparation | Advance notice of expected visitors | Visitor process |
| Telephone Service | Answer the phone, if possible, no later than after the third ring | Internal training programme |
| Meeting Readiness | Preparation before and on the day of the event | Staff logbook |
| Beverage Service | defined drinks and serving methods | internal service standard |
| Post Service | three central processing models | customer process |
| Employee Training | internal training programme covering 10 subject areas | COLLECTION training programme |
| Centre Readiness | Documented checklists | Quality management |
| Continuous Improvement | Reviews at least once a year | COLLECTION Quality Standard |
The COLLECTION Hospitality Promise
COLLECTION does not view hospitality as a mere add-on to office space. A personalised welcome, visitor support, Telephone answering, mail handling, conference services and day-to-day support for clients are all integral parts of a professional working environment. It is not a question of artificially standardising every contact. Personal service thrives on attentiveness and responding appropriately to each situation. The COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework therefore defines our shared commitment: to present ourselves professionally, to engage personally, to act with preparation and to provide reliable support. The aim is for clients to be able to focus on their business whilst ensuring their visitors experience COLLECTION as a professional part of their corporate image.
THE COLLECTION STANDARD
About COLLECTION Business Center
COLLECTION Business Center operates 14 premium business centres in Germany and Austria and serves several thousand clients. Its offering includes private and flexible offices, Coworking spaces, business lounges, day offices, meeting and Conference rooms, virtual offices and business services. With the COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework, COLLECTION defines a company-wide framework for personalised support, professional reception, conference services and business services.
Publisher: COLLECTION Business Center
Standard: COLLECTION Service Excellence Framework
Version: 2026