A virtual office is becoming a popular business operations model for many reasons. From affordability to bespoke office facilities to expansion, it manages every aspect of the office environment.
The virtual office caters to all types of office needs without any liability for logistics and utilities for your business. You get to pick the prime business location for your office at a very affordable monthly subscription.
Are you getting confused? Don’t be; let us understand in detail how and why a virtual office is the most suitable model for your business expansion.
As the name implies, a virtual office is not physically owned or run by you. It is a business address and shared office space that you use as you need. It can be used for meetings and conferences, or just as a front office for your mail and calls. It is run and managed by a virtual office provider.
The best part about using this service is quite obvious. First and foremost, you don’t have to rent or lease a physical office. Secondly, you don’t have to pay the utility bills or hire administrative staff to run a building.
For startups, these two can be burdensome. When you are starting your business, many things need your attention. If you can take the burden of managing an office off your shoulders, it can be helpful to stay focused on decision-making and other aspects of your business. A virtual office gives you this freedom.
Among the many benefits of a virtual office is the legitimate office address that you get. The virtual offices are situated at prestigious business locations that would otherwise cost an arm and leg.
But with this service, you can get all of the above for just a small monthly cost. Remote working or online businesses need this more than anything. Imagine, that you are running your business from your attic or garage but your customers will think that your office is in a posh business center.
You will be getting mail, calls, and orders at home but your customers will think they are interacting with a company’s office with numerous staff members. This is the beauty of a virtual office.
But the benefits don’t just end here; it gives the best business support services. With fully loaded offices and state-of-the-art furnishings, virtual offices offer professional environments for you to hold your meetings and conferences.
You and your employees can also use the office and office facilities when needed. These facilities include fax machines, photocopy machines, Wi-Fi, computers, a projector, a cafeteria, etc.
How can virtual offices help you in expanding your business?
Expansion is the progression every online business desires. Right from the start of your business, you want to expand it to new horizons. To develop your business into a renowned brand, exploring new markets is very important.
But, it is easier said than done. Opening a new office or a branch is not a piece of cake. You need to have the following elements for a successful expansion in a different location:
A legitimate address at a prime location:
The impact of entering a market is more with a good location. You need to get an office at a very good location, with proper legal paperwork done. It should be an accessible business location, so your target audience can be reachable.
The biggest issue here is that you are not familiar with the real estate issues of the new area, nor are you familiar with the legal issues about land in that area. Purchase, rent, or lease can cause legal issues that can be negative for your business. Agents can misguide you for their advantage as well.
Fully functional office facility:
A fully functional office with trained and efficient staff is an important pillar in running a successful business. Setting up a new branch means hiring and managing the required staff. It also means that you would need office furniture and equipment.
Maintenance of the equipment and management of the staff are additional responsibilities that are part and parcel of this.
The physical presence of higher management:
Once you start a new branch, you need to be physically present there. Your time will be the biggest investment on your part apart from the money that you will be contributing.
Managing a new office and staff is equally important as reaching out to new clients. It will be like starting the business all over again. If you can’t be present yourself then a trusted manager needs to be running the ship.
Even after fulfilling all the requirements, there is no guarantee that it will be successful. Will your prospect clients respond to your marketing pitch? Will your investment go down the drain or not? These are questions, that can only be answered when you enter the new market. But, if the answer is negative, it will be a very expensive answer to find.
What solution does a virtual office offer you in such a scenario?
A virtual office gives you a perfect solution to test the waters in the market. You get all the elements mentioned above without paying a heavy price for it.
- Get a legally registered office address with all legal formalities taken care of.
- Get mail forwarding and call answering services.
- You can get a shared office space that can be used as needed.
- No utility bills to pay.
- No need to hire and pay administrative staff.
- Get a fully equipped office with state of the art and latest electronics.
- Use conference rooms anytime you want.
- Set meetings with your clients in aesthetically pleasant yet professionally decorated meeting rooms.
- Get affordable rates.
- You can discontinue the service without any prior notice.
- Pay monthly for only the services you use.
Final verdict:
A virtual office is the easiest way to open a new branch in another area. Since remote working is at its best in this model, you can easily manage the new branch without having a physical presence there.
Simply subscribe to a virtual office service in the area and start doing business. You can hire staff remotely as well. Your mail and calls will be forwarded to you. If you want to have any meetings or organize any promotional seminars, you can easily do so by using the virtual office services.
The biggest benefit of using this service apart from the above-mentioned ones is that if your market response is not good, you can easily pack and leave. There won’t be any debts or monetary losses to face. All you have to do is unsubscribe and you are good to go.