In an increasingly digital age, working remotely as opposed to an actual office is becoming more acceptable and common in the professional world. Many businesses have associates and employees that are located all over the country, away from their physical business address.
Even some of those same business owners might be working from home or somewhere else in a non-traditional office setting. If you are one of those individuals who is working from home, and you find yourself in a position to establish or expand your business, then you probably would like to have access to an office space that is not your home.
This is when having a virtual office can come in handy. Below we will explain in further detail what a virtual office is, why they are useful, the pros and cons of them, and how you can set it up.
What is a Virtual Office?
A virtual office is a regular office with a physical address but which is leased on a temporary basis. It provides businesses with any number of different services without the overhead of bearing the capital expenses of a long term lease and administrative staff that one might have with a traditional office.
Who Can Benefit From A Virtual Office?
A virtual office is for anyone who can work remotely but still needs basic office tools like meeting rooms, a mailing address to receive packages, phone answering and messaging services, private office space like a desk to work from or a private office, somewhere to do video conferencing, a professional setting to meet and greet clients, and a whole lot more, but all at a lower cost and with greater flexibility.
Someone can have a virtual office in multiple different locations so that they can have access to all of these services without having to rent office space in multiple locations. As well as having a “presence” in a market they may find more strategic for their company by being geographically closer to where their client base.
This creates awareness in that market or to give a leg-up on their competition. Having a virtual office address as a business owner means you have established you can have access to all of the tools necessary in the place necessary for a cheaper and with greater flexibility for your marketplace.
Pros of a Virtual Office
The Ability To Have an Office Where Your Clients Are
Geographically you may not anywhere near your clients, but you may still need to communicate with them from within a professional office setting where they are. With a virtual office (or multiple in several different strategic locations) you can have a physical presence in those marketplaces without physically being there doing business everyday.
It is a Cost-Saving Option
For many small, start-up business owners, managing the finances poses a tremendous task on a daily basis. Having to be mindful of each expense and what it means for your business will result in you trying to areas where you can keep costs to a minimum. That is where having a virtual office comes in handy.
It not only gives you the option to have an office anywhere you choose, but it will also save you money in the long haul. A virtual office means you do not have a lease to pay, an office to maintain, utilities, and amenities to cover.
Have the Same Features as a Physical Office
You can create a professional image of having your own office anywhere that you like because the services and the products are the same. You have your meeting rooms, mail address, internet, phone lines, a receptionist to meet and greet clients, kitchen and bathroom etc
FlexibilityWithout being locked down to a fixed location, to a fixed office size, for a fixed costs you now have the freedom to operate from wherever you like, the ability to expand and scale down as well as paying a fee for the time that you need the services as opposed to paying precious capital upfront.
Cons of a Virtual Office
Communication
Of course, having a virtual office does include drawbacks with it. One of those may be the communication between having a temporary virtual office location. If you have multiple virtual offices with multiple employees then sometimes communication can become a weakness if not handled correctly. To stay on top of this it's important to always have clear and concise communication between all parties involved at all times.
Can't Always Get AccessDue to having to share services like meeting rooms etc you may not be able to have access to one in an emergency. It's common to have things change last minute and therefore plans can change quickly. Unfortunately all of the offices are booked for that particular day and therefore you cannot gain access. This can be problematic in those occasions.
The trick to staying on top of this is to manage yourself and your clients as far in advance as you possibly can. Although we all know that sometimes things happen that are totally out of our control it is still possible to try and minimize those situations. It's always useful to try and have a backup plan if such situations should arise so that at the time you won't go into panic mode.
In Conclusion
Having a virtual office can be a financial and strategic win for your business. With greater flexibility and more mobility it can be a great option in this modern day an age where our business are more mobile than ever before. If you need help finding a virtual office space or if you want know why Florida is the virtual office hotspot. If your needing use for office space in Hallandale Florida then feel free to contact us for a consultation.
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