A virtual office can be a great benefit to many businesses, providing a range of services via the internet. These services often include a physical business address, professional front-end services such as a phone answering service, live receptionist and voicemail, access to conference facilities, and mail services. However, there are pros and cons to a virtual office. So, what businesses benefit the most from adopting this set up?
Freelancers
If you don’t want to give your home address out to the public, then a virtual office provides a solution. Instead, you can use a professional-looking office address and no one will be any wiser that you’re running your business from your home.
A virtual office is also a cost-effective solution for freelancers who may not want to (or be able to) use a coworking space or a shared office space. It’s a valuable stepping stone between the home office and the work office.
Entrepreneurs and start-ups
A virtual office is great for start-ups and entrepreneurs to help build your reputation and grow your brand. It provides the following benefits:
- A business address in a desirable area: A virtual office can provide you with the advantage of, for example, a business address in Silicon Valley if you’re trying to break into the tech sector. But you won’t have to pay the sky-high real estate prices that go with some of the top cities for startups and entrepreneurs.
- A corporate address for credit: a zoned commercial mailing address can help you build your business credit. For lenders, it helps them identify the location and operation of your business.
- A dedicated, local phone (and fax) number: you don’t just get a physical address, you also get local phone and fax numbers. This could help you acquire local customers and build trust in your brand.
- A live receptionist: again, by having a human taking your calls, this helps build a professional image of your business.
- Customized voice mail: this can help direct your customers to the best person to answer their call, improving your service.
- Remote working: your staff gets access to a range of cloud-based solutions allowing them to work from any location at any time thanks to a virtual desktop.
Scale-ups
If you want to expand into a new region, but don’t want to physically open a shop there, you could use a virtual office to give you a presence in a specific location.
This is useful if you are undergoing a period of rapid expansion, where you may not have resources to physically open a branch or store in a new location. A virtual office provides you with a way to have a near-instant presence in a region.
A virtual office is a savvy solution for online businesses who want to boost their sales in a particular region but don’t want to run physical stores or offices.
Any business looking to save money
So, that’s every organization, right? Whether you’re an entrepreneur, start-up, scale-up, freelancer, or multi-national, a virtual office can save your business overhead costs.
You don’t need to pay for office amenities or coworking memberships. However, many virtual offices do give members access to meeting rooms and conference facilities. These are usually decked out with the latest high-tech gadgets to further impress your clients.
With virtual office fees starting from as little as $50 per month, it’s easy to see why this solution is helping businesses both large and small, old and new, set up shop wherever they want to be.
