You must have heard about the virtual office service getting popular. Although the name is self-explanatory, there is a lot more to it than what meets the eye. The word ‘virtual’ creates misunderstandings as well. But before going further in this direction, let us understand what a virtual office is and how it can benefit your business.
A virtual office is an online service that offers office facilities, both online and offline. It offers all the business tools under one roof. You not only get a business identity but also professional services for office activity.
Not all businesses need a physical office for operating. We have experienced that during the pandemic remote working can be applied to almost all industries. You can perform many office tasks from your home. Remote working does require vital equipment and discipline. Discipline is to be attained by you, let the virtual office handle the rest.
A virtual office is a hybrid solution for your office needs. You can use the physical premises when you need to. Virtual office services also give you technical support including professional staff and well-maintained offices. You don’t have to worry about bills and operational costs anymore. Virtual office service covers everything. In turn, you have to pay a nominal subscription fee.
The service offers flexible packages that cover every aspect of office usage for your business. It helps you scale and expands your business easily. But if one day you feel like you don’t need the service anymore, just unsubscribe and you are done with it. Compared to a traditional office where you have to deal with lease termination charges and utility dues to clear before wrapping up, a virtual office needs one click to move forward.
The features that virtual office offer you to run your business are:
- One of the basic features of a virtual office is a business address that can be used officially. This address is legal to use as a commercial address and is of a renowned business location. You can use it on all of your correspondence, documentation, and business cards.
- To give your business a professional look, you need professionally trained staff to handle your clients. The virtual office offers you the services of professionally trained staff to handle your calls and mail. You will need your urgent mail to be scanned and emailed to you while maintaining privacy. Virtual office mail forwarding services solve this problem for you.
- Even if you have an online business, face-to-face meetings are unavoidable. With a virtual office, you get access to meeting rooms and conference rooms. They have all the required facilities to conduct conferences and meetings. Since it is a shared working environment, you need to schedule your meetings before.
- When all of your team members are working from different remote places, security is the biggest issue you face. Virtual offices give secure tech support for your whole team. They can easily collaborate without worrying about a security breach.
- A virtual office also gives you typical office facilities like Wifi, telephones, fax, photocopy machine, etc.
- Virtual offices also have recreational facilities for your team meetups. There are coffee shops and cafeterias where you can grab a bite while pulling all-nighters.
- A virtual office is not just an ordinary building. It is designed according to the latest trends and aesthetics. Your visitors will be impressed with the interiors. It creates a pleasant look for your workplace.
Myths you should not believe about the virtual office:
Virtual offices are an amazing service that helps your business, but there are myths and misunderstandings about this service in the minds of people. We will debunk these myths in front of you. Read through to find out how and why these myths are completely wrong.
Myth: Virtual office is an expensive service
Anything related to technology seems expensive. Although a virtual office is supported by technology and is used online, it is a very affordable service. As compared to a fully functional office, you don’t have to pay any of the operational charges. This cuts down overhead a lot.
Remote working is cheaper than traditional offices because you don’t have to pay any rent, bills, admin staff salaries, and other charges. You just have to pay a small monthly subscription fee.
So, before labeling it as an expensive service, please do your research. Compare the features you get at for the amount you pay. Also, compare it with the cost of renting and running a physical office. You will understand how much you are saving and what a blessing virtual office is.
Myth: Virtual offices hinder the productivity
Working from home is generally considered a non-serious way of working. People usually think that the quality of work is not up to the mark when working from home or remotely. But research has shown that remote working is more productive.
The employees get to pick the time they want to work in. They are more alert and active at the selected time. Some work better at night time while others are early birds. Giving them the freedom to work when they want increases the attention they pay. The results are better and employees are happy.
They work in a relaxed environment without the stress of traffic and commute. This also makes them happy to work and most of them put in extra hours to get the work done in time. Everything from meetings to data sharing is done online easily. That is why both employers and employees prefer virtual offices.
Myth: virtual offices are not real, they are just an online presence
The word ‘virtual’ misguides people sometimes. Virtual offices are not just online platforms. It gives you shared physical office space as well. It caters to your needs for face-to-face interaction with team members and clients.
One of the basic features of a virtual office includes meeting and conference rooms. You can use them for meetings, seminars, and conferences. They have all the facilities that are required in the conference rooms including video calling, microphones, projectors, etc.
Other than that you can also use the office area and office equipment. There are services like fax machines and scanners that can be used by you or your staff members when needed. All these features make virtual offices a very real and physically present service. It is a solution that you can use on per need basis.
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