Virtual Office Resources

What is virtual office and what are its advantages?

Whether an existing company requires a presence, or a new company has ventured into the busy sector of business, a virtual office can be the solution that can provide an organisation or individual with the benefits of an office without having to physically lease or own any office space. A virtual office can allow a business to have a business address, have their post handled and forwarded, have a personalised answering service and, in some circumstances, individuals and businesses can hire boardrooms and private offices, when required. The advantage of a virtual office is that by using these virtual services on a pay as you use basis, they are more cost effective and less risky for a business. If a company has ever considered the investment of permanent premises, it can be a good option to choose virtual office to test the business firstly, together with its products, services and overall growth.

Who uses virtual office?

A whole host of small businesses and blue chip companies can utilise the services of a virtual office. Many companies may want to try out new products before venturing into permanent premises, or a small company may want to reduce the overall costs of their business, so the use of virtual office within an organisation of any size, can be very cost effective. Sales companies who may be searching for an international or regional address may also utilise the services of virtual office.

How much does virtual office cost?

That can vary depending on the services undertaken. A simple PO Box may cost a very small charge per month, or a full postal address with professional call answering and mail forwarding in certain locations may cost over £200 per month. An average cost for virtual office that includes the basic telephone answering, mail forwarding and fax forwarding would be on around £100 per month.

Will virtual office work for a home business?

If an individual or company works from home and wants to appear professional to their existing customers and potential prospects, virtual office is a good option to consider. There are also no worries about ever missing a telephone call because the call will be forwarded from virtual office so whether the client is on the road or working in their home office, they need never miss a call. Switchboard operators at virtual office centres answer all of the client’s business calls, using the name of the business and then the message or call is transferred seamlessly to a preferred number chosen by the client, by way of a telecom system within the virtual office. Operators can also transfer the call to a virtual office voicemail or to the client’s home voicemail, or they can even email the message to their client.

Will virtual office work for a small business?

Virtual office can give a small business a bigger presence. With the use of mail forwarding and call forwarding, virtual office gives a company the freedom to be anywhere that requires their business expertise without having to own a dedicated office. Professional virtual office operators answer all clients’ virtual calls with their business name, and then any incoming calls are forwarded to the business number of the client’s choice. Messages can also be taken and delivered to each client according to their preferred methods. If an organisation wants to test their market, and therefore reduce any set-up costs, it can be performed easily with the use of a virtual office.

Will virtual office work for a medium or large business?

Yes because virtual offices allow a company to set up their local presence without having to expand on their real estate portfolio. Companies will gain instant access to an address within their virtual office, so therefore it can allow a company to test new markets without having to pay for the lease of any office space. Plus all calls will be forwarded to the company’s existing telephone structure. Virtual offices are cheap to run and generate increased contact from all customers.

Will a more expensive virtual office provide a better service?

With the hundreds of virtual office organisations to choose from, obviously they all offer different services at varying levels of quality and price. More expensive virtual office providers may not necessarily offer a better service though. It is recommended to ask the following questions and make sure that the organisation is getting a valued service and the best quality from their chosen virtual office provider:

What is the ratio of telephone operators to client? It needs to be low so that calls are answered quickly and efficiently.
How many clients does the virtual office organisation have? If the company have too many clients then the service level may drop due to the high call volume and the lack of staff to answer them.
What is the average employment time of the switchboard operators? This is very important because the switchboard operators or telephone operators need to get to know an organisation’s clients so that they can offer them effective representation.
What is the nationality of the telephone operators? Do the operators have mother tongue English as their first language? Call transferring and poor message taking can give customers a poor impression of a company. If English is not their first language then the client must ask if they can test their service and make sure that they are completely content with the service of the telephone operator before they acquire those essential virtual office services.

How long does it take to set up a virtual office?

Virtual offices can usually be set up within 24 hours, or within some virtual office companies, once a deposit has been paid, the virtual office can be set up the same day.

Can virtual offices be used as a registered company address?

In theory yes, but it is usually up to the operator of a building whether they allow a company to use their location as their company’s registered address. This is mainly because of the high level of fraudulent companies setting up in business.