A virtual office enables businesses to have many of the benefits of a physical office without any actual space or desks.
First, let’s understand what is a virtual office.
A virtual office is a service that enables businesses to work remotely by providing them with a business address, internet-accessible business services, work and meetings space, and required technology without bearing the expenses of a physical office. In other words, “A virtual office is a company that only exists on the Internet, and all of its employees work remotely.”
These days, a lot of entrepreneurs are using technology to their advantage by launching virtual office space. If you want to start a business but you don’t have a large capital, a virtual office provides many resources that could be used to your advantage. Some of these advantages include spending less on furniture, office equipment, office space, working flexible hours, and much more. It also allows you both to hire staff from different parts of the world, giving you access to the best talent in your desired field, and decide where you want your business located any part of the world.
How does it Work?
Virtual offices are composed of employees spread across different locations who perform different jobs and may also have different cultural identities. These dispersed and diverse employees are joined together by communication technologies such as the telephone, fax, e-mail, Internet, and instant messaging.
Whether you’re a sole proprietor or you run your company as an LLC or a corporation, you have the option of using a virtual office address as your business’ legal address. You could receive not only regular business correspondence at your virtual address but also any legal correspondence from the government.
With the popularity of mobile solutions, like laptops, smartphones, and tablets, a person can conduct business almost anywhere in the world.
The Benefits of Virtual Office Spaces
A small business can appear larger and more established than it is, thanks to having a high-status mailing address as well as telephone answering services, videoconferencing services, and the ability to use state-of-the-art conference room facilities.
The most significant benefits of acquiring virtual office space include the following:
Flexibility- You still work predominantly or entirely remotely, and your team can, too. This means that none of you are necessarily restricted by geographic location, and you can hire the best people for the job no matter where they are. You can also keep your working hours as you see fit and still choose to work from home in your comfortable clothes if you want.
Lower costs- It costs lower than renting a conventional office space. You’re not renting an entire office that is large enough to hold your entire staff on a daily basis. This means you also don’t need to furnish an office, or worry about commercial renter’s insurance or utility bills. You also gain access to some services like assistants or receptionists, which is much more affordable than employing someone full-time.
Access to additional services- One huge benefit of virtual offices is the services that they offer like virtual assistants, answering services, in-office receptionists, and teleconferencing. They might also offer mailing services and can receive physical mail for you.
This means that you’re never going to miss a delivery that needs to be signed for, and ideally, every customer call will be answered by at least a virtual receptionist for a personal touch before they’re sent to your voicemail. It’s much easier to gain all these services through one source instead of trying to pay for and manage them through unique individual services or contractors.
Established and professional appearance- It provides a more established and professional appearance to your business. Start-ups and solo entrepreneur businesses are more common than ever before, and it’s also, in some cases, harder to gain client trust and demonstrate credibility as “everyone owns their own business.” Having a virtual office for your business to establish client confidence in your brand is an easy and convenient option.
Low maintenance or no maintenance concerns- You don’t need to replace that furniture or worry about what will happen to the building during a major natural disaster. Maintenance of the building itself isn’t an issue for your business, so you can just focus on work and growing your brand.
An added layer of privacy & security- Many start-ups and small businesses that work remotely don’t have a true physical office. This means that the business owner’s home address is often listed on everything from public business licenses to online business directories and even client contracts. This may pose a privacy and security issue, as people can easily find your home address with a quick Google search of your business. With a virtual office, you get a physical mailing address that you can list on all official documents, making it harder for people to find your personal home address. And if you’re using their virtual answering service as your primary business line, you can prevent customers from having access to your personal phone number, too. Though getting a virtual business line is often a good call.
Fixed address with low overhead costs- A fixed, permanent address can be an enormous asset when you’re running your business. Did you know that in some states, you need to pay to update your business license paperwork if your business address changes during the year? This might be an extra expense depending on the state. It’s quite the hassle to update every single client, financial institution, and business service every time you switch apartments or living locations. Having that single fixed address while you move around is an asset, especially if you’re just moving around the same city and want something more stable.
Conclusion
Virtual offices would be the right fit for small businesses, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and growing brands who primarily work remotely but want access to occasional office space and impressive traditional office benefits, they’re a great option to consider.
The ability to have a professional work environment for yourself, your team, and your clients without the overhead associated with a commercial lease can be an enormous asset, especially once you factor in the business services that typically come with virtual offices.
There are plenty of virtual offices available all over the country, giving brands plenty of options to choose from. Make sure that you’ve considered what you want and need out of a virtual office before you go looking to ensure that it will meet your needs both now and several years down the line.
