Virtual Offices And How They Help Your Business Thrive

By Author: Simeon Howard
Total Articles: 4762
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If you are a start-up business or work from home, or if you're looking to maintain your stronghold in your market while downsizing and saving operation costs, a virtual office may be just the right option for your situation. Virtual offices allow you to behave and operate as if you are located in a state-of-the-art professional facility without the associated overhead and employee costs. This is a wonderful option when you need to keep costs as low as possible or want to maintain separate contact information for both your personal life and your business that you operate from home.

Professional Appearances

It's hard to make a great impression with a potential client in many industries without the facade of a professional-looking office and quality personnel. Unfortunately, these image-boosting options for your business come at a premium cost when sought after in the traditional sense. Renting a space, buying equipment and paying a receptionist to answer your business calls are not always in the budget for a small business owner.

A much less expensive option is renting virtual office space which allows you ...
... to maintain separate operations for your home and office. This is also ideal if you operate several different businesses and need to have a location for each of them. When paying for a virtual office service, you'll be given a business address and phone number to include on your business stationery, such as your business cards and letterhead. This always looks professional and gives your clients an added sense of confidence when doing business with you.

How It Works

When someone sends mail to your business address, your virtual office provider will repackage it and forward it to your actual physical address. This way, you still receive business documents in the comfort of your own home or other remote location but your clients will never know where that is. Mail-order businesses or Internet-based services find this service most helpful in conducting daily operations from home.

You may also have the option of adding a virtual telephone number to your office address. Customers can dial your assigned number which is included on all your business stationery. When they do, they'll be greeted by a friendly and professional receptionist. When calls are received for your assigned number, they are answered in your business's name. Depending upon the option you choose in your plan, you may then receive these calls via call-forwarding, or the details of the call will be emailed to you directly.

Virtual Extras

Additional options available with virtual office providers include virtual personal assistants and virtual meeting rooms. Perhaps you need someone to perform basic bookkeeping tasks, schedule your workday or even type specific documents. A virtual personal assistant is much less expensive than hiring someone on a full-time basis, but it frees up your time and energy to do far more important business-building activities.

At times, you may need to meet with prospective or current clients to go over proposals, or even staff members who are employed on a contractual basis. Conducting meetings in your home causes an invasion upon you and your family's privacy, and allows total strangers to know where and how you live; most business owners realize the value in keeping their professional and personal lives separate from each other. Virtual office space services can also provide physical meeting rooms for hourly, half- or full-day rentals to conduct these necessary meetings in a professional atmosphere.

Competition Strategies Flourish with the Addition of Virtual Services

In addition to simply saving you and your business significant funds, virtual office space can help you to compete with the leaders in your market by providing quality service at a much lower rate. Lower overhead and business costs mean you'll be able to compete with lower prices yourself-something many smaller businesses and individuals aren't often able to do. Utilizing this service will prevent you from pricing yourself out of your market by ensuring your customers are receiving the best rates and service possible.

When you use virtual services, your business will give the impression that you are in solid competition with the larger operations in your market. It's hard to compete with big, fancy offices and top-of-the-line technology as a small business just starting out. The addition of virtual services gives your clients and customers confidence that they're working with someone who is just as established yet priced fairly, giving your business the boost it needs to succeed and compete with even the largest corporations in your specialty.
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At YourCityOffice.com our virtual office technology makes us unique, by integrating Bespoke Software developed by Open Design Systems, the groups Graphic