Operating a small business or startup can be a costly endeavour. That’s where virtual offices can help provide leverage for your profitability and competitiveness without sacrificing your credibility or costing as much as a traditional physical office. Before committing to a virtual office solution for your business, it’s helpful to know what are the features of a virtual office.
With the advent of telecommuting, wireless technology, and the internet, business owners no longer necessarily need a physical office location to perform their daily tasks. Virtual offices provide the functionality of a physical office, including many features that make them a great solution for your needs.
Below are some of the features of a virtual office that are worth considering for your business.
A reputable and professional business address is critical to developing trust with clients. Virtual offices can provide you with a business address that looks trustworthy and credible even if you choose to work elsewhere. Furthermore, virtual addresses may be used to register an office with the local authorities whereas a home address may not.
When you receive mail at your virtual business address, many virtual offices can open and scan your mail and have it sent to you electronically. You can choose to have it forwarded to your home or another address or to have it shredded confidentially at the click of a button, meaning that you don’t need to physically check the mailbox yourself.
Your private mobile number may not be the best option for receiving business calls because you may begin to blur the lines between private and work life. Moreover, customers may be more hesitant to ring a mobile number and may feel deterred from leaving you a message if your answering machine doesn’t reflect your business professionally.
Virtual offices can provide you with business phone lines, answering and call forwarding features, and the benefits of having a local telephone number to further boost your local reputation and credibility.
Inviting clients to your home may not be the best idea and it certainly doesn’t come off as professional. Meeting in public places such as coffee shops may not afford you the privacy desired by your or your clients. What can be done about this? Renting out hotel meeting spaces can be quite costly, but virtual offices may offer the use of professional meeting and conference rooms for a far more affordable cost.
Many virtual office services will permit you to make use of traditional office facilities, much like a co-working space. This can be a great asset to use on occasion, as you’ll often have access to professional office equipment, including computers, software, high-quality printing, fax machines, and more.
In addition to the above features common in most virtual offices, you can also increase your functionality and business presence with further added features. Some examples include virtual assistants and receptionists, local business directory listing services, and telephone answering services.
In summary, virtual offices provide a wide range of features commonly found in most traditional offices and are therefore a great solution for anyone working remotely or from home that desires a business that presents itself as reputable and professional.
Francesca's knowledge of the industry and business support is second to none. She's personally handpicked each one of our virtual office locations.
