In the aftermath of social distancing, the entire world now understands the benefits of remote work and what working from home looks like. However, not many businesses understood the benefits of a virtual office until recently.
Aside from the benefits of not having to pay rent, property taxes or other fees associated with running an in-person business, a virtual office can be both fiscally and physically beneficial for certain companies. Let’s take a look at how a virtual office can help your business grow.
What Is a Virtual Office?
A virtual office gives businesses the resources of an office building at the price point of a coworking space. For a nominal fee, businesses can obtain a physical address as well as receptionist services, access to physical meeting spaces and more without the hassle of dealing with maintenance-related responsibilities.
Typically a hybrid of a coworking space and business services, a virtual office gives you key business priorities without the costs of administration or rent. It’s a win-win.
How Does a Virtual Office Work?
A virtual office is a scalable solution for all of your office space needs. Whether it be meeting rooms or remote offices, a virtual office provides the necessities to make sure your back office is running smoothly.
The right virtual office plan will likely include the following features, among others:
- Physical Address
- Dedicated Phone Number
- Live Receptionist
- On-Demand Meeting Rooms
- Dedicated Offices
- Business Administrative Services
- Mail Forwarding
- Call Forwarding
- Printing
- Coffee
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8 Major Benefits of a Virtual Office
If you’re thinking about leasing a new space but you don’t know if you want to take on the associated costs of doing so, here are eight benefits of a virtual office that you should consider.
Low Overhead Costs
With a virtual office, your standard business overhead will be drastically reduced. Your rent will be broken down into smaller increments via general subscription models that work in accordance with your needs. This is far superior than dealing with the real estate market, long-term leases, and hefty deposits.
Since you won’t be the primary leaseholder of the workspace, you won’t be responsible for all of the associated fees that come with renting or owning property. You won’t have to worry about electricity, gas, or property taxes. Most virtual offices are already furnished with a modern aesthetic, removing the cost of buying furniture and equipment.
On top of not having to maintain the costs of office expenses, a virtual office service will also save you money in terms of food and beverages in the workplace. With almost all of the administrative work handled by the virtual office’s staff, office and janitorial supplies won’t be costs you need to worry about either. Some virtual spaces will even have a stocked snack bar and free coffee from dawn to dusk.
Corporate Spaces
Though some meetings can be held in public spaces, like coffee shops or restaurants, certain information is too sensitive to risk being heard by other people. Additionally, you may come across as unprofessional to clients and customers. For the sake of confidentiality, virtual offices offer corporate spaces where private meetings can take place.
For meetings that need more structure or overall privacy, a virtual office rental space is perfect. Not only do virtual offices give you a physical space to meet with your clients, they generally have options for different types of conference rooms as well.
Whether you need to give a presentation for a new business idea or speak with upper management in private, the right virtual office will be able to meet these needs. Many remote companies utilize their virtual offices for team meetings as it provides a spacious, connected workplace that’s ideal for regular team collaboration.
Coworking Spaces
A virtual office is a shared environment, but you won’t necessarily feel like you are around other people at all hours of the workday. There are private areas where you can work by yourself in private and total silence.
At the same time, the beauty of virtual offices is that they offer coworking spaces where you can collaborate with coworkers and meet with colleagues. Working from home isn’t for everyone, but neither is working from the office, which is where coworking spaces come into play.
They basically offer the best of both worlds. A virtual office can meet all of your needs and offer the perks you would have in an office, but in a more flexible and cost-effective way.
Remote Work Arrangements
Coworking spaces also make it possible for you to set up satellite offices for your team so that everyone can work remotely. This can be especially helpful when you have employees working around the world, like with the trucking industry.
Even if your company already has headquarters, setting up remote virtual offices in some of your target markets or within a bustling hub can cut down on commute times. In turn, this can improve your employees’ work-life balance immeasurably.
Virtual Offices Worldwide
Choosing a virtual office that has multiple locations in major cities or popular locations for your business can bolster your credibility with your clients as well as your shareholders. With virtual offices all over the country or even the world, you will always have an available meeting space no matter where you are.
Live Receptionist Services
A virtual office service that busy owner-operators can benefit from is the live receptionist service. Whether it be a robocall, wrong call or business call, live receptionist services can ensure that your calls are promptly answered and screened, which will save you time.
A friendly receptionist can enhance the credibility of your business as well. Furthermore, having a receptionist answer your calls in a controlled environment means that the connection won’t be spotty or interrupted by noises or distractions you can’t avoid on the road.
Virtual Phone Numbers
With a virtual office’s live receptionist service comes the ability of having your own business number. A dedicated business-only phone number is a small but crucial step in building trust and credit with financial institutions. Every credible business needs an address and a phone number, which are two features that virtual offices typically offer.
Environmentally-Friendly
Virtual offices can cut down on the commute times of your employees, but they also cut down on the overall waste that your company expends. With multiple businesses using the same space and resources, fewer things will go to waste, especially perishables.
Work Wherever is Best
Virtual offices allow you to scale your business on your terms without having to spend a lot of money on property leases and office supplies. Even if you already have local headquarters, a virtual office can ensure that your company leaves its footprint all around the world.
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This post has been sponsored by Alliance Virtual Offices
FAQ
Virtual offices act as remote work locations, serve as satellite offices and provide various business services that would end up costing more for a business if the owner decided to set them up themselves.
If you are still scaling your business or you are looking to expand into new markets, a virtual office can give you the space and the features you need when you need them. Plus, a virtual office generally doesn’t cost more than 10% of what you would pay in monthly rent for a long-term rental.
Every business needs to have a documented address, not only for financial and legal reasons but also for the sake of receiving mail and packages over time.
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