If you are self employed, work from home, or run any sort of small business, a virtual office to use as a base can be an invaluable investment, but many start ups are still wondering ‘Why?’. With that in mind, we’ve put together our top ten reasons why you should consider using a virtual office.
Presence. A registered business address instantly gives your company credibility and your clients a sense of security. The addition of a physical presence reassures your customers that you are a professional that they can trust and that they want to do business with – especially in the case of online only ventures.
A Meeting Place. As well as providing an address to receive mail and deliveries, a virtual office can offer a space to meet with your clients and colleagues as and when you need it, without having to worry about hiring additional conference rooms or expensive meeting rooms in hotels and so on.
Time Saving. We all know that ‘time is money’, and if you choose a space that offers mail collection, call handling and so on – your time and expertise will be freed up to use elsewhere on more important tasks.
Money Saving. If you were to pay for all the elements a virtual office combines separately, the bill would rapidly add up – not a great way to start your business! By choosing a virtual office, you can utilise all the benefits of mail sorting, call handling and so on, without employing any extra staff, and so slash your start up overheads.
Cut Bills. Using a virtual office gives you all the benefits of a modern office space, with none of the costs. There’s no need to worry about electricity bills, water bills, heating bills, telephone bills – as these are all included in your service!
Expand your staff without recruiting. Most virtual offices will offer the services or Virtual Assistant’s and/or secretaries. If you choose to ‘employ’ these services and your receptionist is ill or on holiday – your office provider will offer a replacement. You only pay for the service, not the staff member’s holiday time! Therefore, a virtual office can allow you expand your operation without the expense of employing new staff.
Higher Productivity. Any staff your business does employ will be able to increase their productivity through being able to access the office remotely wherever there is an internet connection, and setting their own hours to access the physical office. The flexibility lends itself perfectly to part time, remote, home workers and/or free lance workers alike
Test Your Market. A virtual office gives you the opportunity to test your market and gauge your client response before committing to a more permanent arrangement. Effectively, it means you can ‘dip your toes in the water’ without any massive commitment – financially or otherwise!
It’s Flexible & Eco Friendly. You can use your virtual office service as much as you like. If you have a day without meetings, you can work from home – avoid the commute, save resources and so on. On other days, if working from home isn’t ideal (kids home from school perhaps!) – Head to your virtual office for a professional space where you can concentrate and be productive.
Most importantly, a virtual office is a smart, flexible solution that works the way you want it to, according to what works best for your operation.
