Now, first of all, you need to know some basics about virtual offices: What are they and do you really need them? Let’s explore those two intriguing question one by one.
What is a virtual office?
A virtual office is, well, an office for your day-to-day business activities, with one major difference compared to a physical address: It’s virtual – you can have your receptionist, faxing machine, local address, local phone number, and even your own meeting room – without the need to actually invest on them.
If you really want a formal definition, here it goes:
A virtual office is a combination of off-site live communication and address services that allow users to reduce traditional office costs while maintaining business professionalism. (source: Wikipedia)
The number one perk of a virtual office is the fact that you can access to professional looks/feels and services without spending a fortune for them; in fact, you only need to pay a relatively low monthly payment, which amount depends on what services you require.
Here are more perks for you: With a virtual office, you don’t need to allocate resources to train your receptionists, hire an IT administrator, purchase equipments and fixtures, and manage, as well as setup, your office; in short, with a virtual office, you are well taken care of.
Is virtual office for me? Do I really need it?
The answer is rather cliche, really: It depends on what you need and what your business plan is.
Typically, virtual office is either for startups that want to keep overheads low or for freelancers/consultants/trainers/brokers/online entrepreneurs (including those who work at home or work in location independence manner) who want professional image on their business.
If your line of business requires you to have a local, “physical” presence, a virtual office is for you. You can get a local phone number and address. You can also have virtual receptionists who will take calls as if they are your very own staffs.
However, virtual office might not be for you if local presence and/or professional image are not your main concerns. For example, if you are a web business owner working at home (like me!) you need a virtual assistant and a group of freelancers working for you, instead of setting up a virtual office. You might want to consider a virtual office if you want to set up an LLC for your web business and need a proper localisation of your business (local physical address, local phone numbers, etc.)
Again, the answer depends on what you need and what you plan for your business.
Takeaway
When you finally make a decision, then you should start looking for virtual offices. The best route for you is to find a reputable virtual office company, such as Servcorp which has global reach – 110 locations worldwide to be exact, to help you fulfill your and your business’ needs.
You can always compare service lists and prices among virtual office companies – take your time and always focus on the best value for your money.
Ivan Widjaya
Virtual offices offer you freedom and professional image at the same time
Image: Just2shutter