How would you go about choosing a virtual office? Would you do a quick Google search and go with the first result, or would price be the main factor to influence your decision?
Are you thinking carefully about the services you may need access to and crucially, the location of the virtual office?
Unfortunately, not all businesses put the right level of thought and research into choosing a virtual office – which often results in the wrong decision being made. Changing virtual offices can be costly, inconvenient and disruptive to your business, and it doesn’t look very professional.
Why location is so very crucial in a virtual office
You may be able to work anywhere, but, as our blog about choosing a location for a virtual office highlights, your virtual office needs to be in exactly the right location. There are two very important things to consider when looking at the location of your new virtual office:
- A professional business address. Virtual offices give smaller businesses the opportunity to have a professional business address where they can receive correspondence and calls, and your address can say a lot about you as a company. Ideally, you need an address near a major city or a big business hub, like Leeds for example. This connection with a major city instantly conveys the impression that you too are a thriving business in a location close to established business networks, limitless contacts and a wide range of resources.
- Convenience and accessibility for meetings. One of the main benefits of virtual offices is access to services like meeting space, which may be available at a discounted rate if you have a virtual office contract. However, this meeting space is only useful if it’s in a convenient, central location that is easy for clients and customers to reach. For example, Carrwood Park in Leeds, which has both virtual offices and meeting rooms, is situated just 2 minutes from a major motorway (the M1) and 15 minutes from Leeds city centre. It also has on-site parking, which is another key thing to check when choosing a virtual office.
The essentials – what services do you really need?
With location at the very top of your list of priorities, there are other things you might need in your ideal virtual office, as we mention in our ‘What do you need for a virtual office’ blog. For example, do you (or will in the future) need any of the following?
- A professional call answering service. If you can’t afford to lease office space and hire a full-time receptionist, a far more cost-effective option is to use a virtual office with a professional call answering service attached. Having someone else handle and screen your calls (and possibly even your emails too) can save you a huge amount of time as well as money, leaving you free to focus on moving your business forward without getting bogged down in admin. An off-site reception can also be good for your clients and customers, as they get to speak to a real person rather than an answering machine – this can do wonders for making them feel valued.
- Unlimited post and calls. A virtual office that puts a limit on how many calls and letters it handles on your behalf is probably not the one to go for – make sure you check any limitations on correspondence before signing up.
- Discounts for using other services. If you sign up for a virtual office, will you receive any kind of discount if you need to book a meeting room or use co-working facilities? Some virtual offices do offer this, so it’s always work asking – it could really save you money.
Do you need a desk, or maybe a meeting space?
While some virtual offices simply give you a glamorous-sounding postcode and somewhere to pick up your post, others offer a more flexible solution with a wide range of extra services. For example, many small businesses and freelancers find it incredibly useful to have access to a desk or a meeting room when they need it, on an ad hoc basis.
Ultimately, it could be a good idea to choose an all-in-one facility - one with virtual offices, meeting and co-working spaces in the same complex – as it gives you the option to pick and choose from the services you need, when you need them.
For more advice on how to choose a virtual office, subscribe to the Carrwood Park blog. If you’re ready and raring to go, why not download our brochure?
If you are looking for quality, friendly and professional virtual offices, Leeds based Carrwood Park provides the perfect virtual office solutions for companies and individuals looking to capitalise on the many benefits these types of offices provide.