5 Reasons to Switch to a Virtual Office

Posted in Virtual Offices on September 22, 2014

If you’re leasing a full office – with more than one room, a copier, AV equipment, and so on and so on, and you’re a one-person operation or you have several employees or sub-contractors who work out of their homes, read below for five reasons why you should switch to a virtual office.

First, a definition: a virtual office, basically, is an office that exists virtually. It has no walls, no desks, chairs, coffee maker. Those who lease a virtual office are solopreneurs or a company with remote workers or subcontractors who work on their own via a laptop, Internet connection and cell phones from any place in the country or even the world.

1.    The first benefit of switching to a virtual office is the cost savings. No longer will you have to pay for an actual office, desks, chairs, copiers, AV equipment, kitchen, etc. You already have those things at home. If you’re a startup or small business, a virtual office can save you a ton of money from the get-go.
2.    The second benefit is the fact that a virtual office alleviates one of the negatives of working from home – not having a “real” business address. Many people who work from home are loathe to put their home addresses on business cards, letterhead, etc. for security reasons. Also, home addresses often look like a home address (206 Winding Way). A virtual office provides you with a very professional business address, one that is going to impress potential clients.
3.    Many solopreneurs or small-business owners answer the phone themselves. Again, this isn’t as professional looking as having a receptionist screen calls. A virtual office provides its tenants with professional reception and phone answering services (including the taking of messages), providing your company with one of the key indicators that “you’ve arrived:” a professional other than yourself who answers and screens your calls! A virtual office’s reception/phone answering service is much less expensive than hiring a receptionist/phone operator.
4.    Many small business owners also need places to meet with prospects and clients from time to time. Again, meeting in a home office brings up security issues as well as how-professional-do-I –appear issues. Virtual offices almost always allow tenants to lease an office or conference room on as-needed basis in order to give your company that extra bit of professional panache. Lease an office or conference room for meetings when needed and you can also rent the office’s AV equipment, copiers, kitchen and/or catering services for an additional reasonable fee.
5.    Working at home can get mighty lonely. There are just some days you want to work surrounded by people, like-minded people with whom you can collaborate or, at minimum, talk about the crazy weather. Many virtual office services have co-work tables, cubicles or even small offices you can lease on daily, weekly, part-time or full-time basis. Allowing the small-business owner to work alone but not be alone.

If you’d like more information on 90 State Street’s virtual office services, contact us at 518-694-0662.