Although the concept of a virtual office has been around since the 1990s, it has really taken off in recent years. With modern-day working habits being dominated by remote and hybrid working models, virtual offices provide a crucial service that helps a business to run efficiently while keeping costs down.
Thinking about signing your own business up for a virtual office service? Read on as Circle Hub talks through the most important features to look out for.
What is a Virtual Office?
A virtual office is a service aimed at businesses. It offers a range of professional features that essentially enable a business to run without needing a fixed, physical office space. Thanks to virtual office services, many businesses are able to successfully operate remotely, saving money while still maintaining a professional presence.
The Most Important Features to Look for in a Virtual Office
While some virtual offices offer the bare minimum when it comes to features, others go all out. Of course, you get what you pay for, which is why it’s important to find a virtual office service that’s capable of fully meeting your company’s needs while still being within your budget.
Here are the most important features to look out for when shopping for a virtual office service:
A Professional Business Address
One of the main features offered by a virtual office is a professional business address. This means that your business can use the physical street address of where the virtual office is based as its official, legal business address. This is arguably the most important virtual office feature because it allows a business to be completely remote if needed while still upholding a physical presence.
The best part? Most virtual offices are located in prestigious areas of towns and cities. Having your business associated with an upmarket location will immediately give your credibility a boost. You’ll be able to strengthen your business profile, impressing everyone from clients to suppliers. A legit address will promote trust in your business, which will ultimately lead to bigger profits.
Of course, having a professional business address is key from a safety aspect too. If your business doesn’t have a physical base, then there’s a good chance that the only address available for you to use is your home address. You don’t want this address to fall into the wrong hands, yet this is very likely if it’s splashed all over your website, business cards, invoices, and more. From a privacy standpoint, having a separate business address is a must.
Mail Handling and Forwarding
Wondering what happens to your mail if you’re using a virtual office address as your business address? Mail handling is usually part and parcel of a virtual office service. They’ll take in any mail that you receive and store it until you’re able to collect it.
Many virtual offices offer mail forwarding too. This is essential if you aren’t physically anywhere near where your virtual office is based.
If you have no urgent need for the physical copies of your mail, some virtual offices, like Circle Hub, will forward your mail to you digitally. As you can imagine, this can save a lot of time, enabling you to receive any correspondence much faster.
Call Answering and Forwarding
While having your mail taken care of is a given part of a virtual office service, some go the extra mile and handle phone calls for your business too. For smaller businesses and startups, this feature may not be needed. However, if your company regularly receives phone calls, it would be worth seeking out a virtual office that offers this service.
How, exactly, does it work? You’ll be given a dedicated phone number that’s local to where your virtual office is based. Calls are answered by a live receptionist in the company’s name. Each call is then forwarded on to the appropriate person, or a message will be taken.
Some virtual offices offer a trimmed-down version of this, wherein you get your own business phone number, but all calls are automatically diverted to your cell or another number of your choosing.
Access to Meeting Rooms and Workspaces
While the features we’ve already discussed go a long way in enabling a business to operate remotely, there will still be times when face-to-face meetings are required. Whether with clients, team members, potential investors, or anyone else, this can be tricky when you don’t have a physical professional base.
Some virtual offices offer a way around this in the form of meeting rooms and workspaces that you can use. Take Circle Hub, for example. Our virtual office service runs from our coworking space. As a Circle Hub member, you’ll be able to book one of our conference rooms whenever you need to host a meeting. Our shared workspaces are also perfect for whenever your team needs to work in close proximity. It’s the ideal way to bridge the gap between remote working and having a permanent physical presence.
How Much Does a Virtual Office Cost?
Now for the big question…how much does it cost?
This, of course, depends. They’re usually charged on a monthly basis, and the cost of this will vary based on the features offered by each virtual office setup. Location matters too. Usually, the more high-end the address, the more the monthly membership fee.
This is why it’s important to first figure out exactly which virtual office features you need. This way, you won’t end up paying for features that you won’t use. With that said, keep growth in mind! Although you may not need a meeting room right now, for example, it may become a necessity on a regular basis in a few months’ time.
Does Your Business Need a Virtual Office Service?
Still undecided about whether or not your business actually needs a virtual office? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
Do You Need an Address for Your Business?
Every business needs a legal address. Although you could use your home address, this can, as we discussed above, come with privacy concerns. Using a virtual office service will give you a professional address that you can use freely, even in legal documentation.
Are You Often Inundated With Calls or Mail?
As you’ll know, there’s so much to focus on when running a business. The last thing that you want is to be bogged down by a mountain of admin or constantly distracted by phone calls.
With a virtual office service, you’ll essentially be outsourcing this. Someone else will handle the immediacy of any mail or phone calls you receive. They’ll then organize this information in a way that’s easy for you to focus on when you’re ready. This will open up some precious time that you can put toward other aspects of running your business.
Are You Trying to Establish a Presence in a New City or Country?
When you’re trying to establish a presence in a new location, it always helps to have a local address and possibly a local phone number as well. Opening up an office on your own adds to the risk you’re already taking. A virtual office, however? Virtually risk-free.
Usually, you can sign up for a virtual office service no matter where in the world you live. This can make it much easier to enter into new markets.
Are You Trying to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Your Business?
Sustainability is everything these days. If your business needs a physical base, but you’re trying to keep your environmental impact as low as possible, combining a virtual office service with a coworking space could be the perfect solution.
This is exactly what we offer at Circle Hub. With a variety of different workspaces to choose from, we cater to all. Coworking offers up so many different benefits to a business, from increasing productivity and creativity to providing plentiful networking opportunities. Bringing your business into a coworking environment could give you the push that you need to really excel.
Do You Sometimes Need Access to Other Business Services?
If you’ve ever found yourself wishing that you had somewhere more professional than your home office to host a meeting, a virtual office setup could be exactly what you need.
It’s so important to make a good first impression in business. Where you hold your meetings matters – it reflects on you and on the values of your company. At Circle Hub, our meeting rooms are sleek, private, and equipped with all you’ll need to ensure success. Multiple sizes are available, and you can rent them by the hour or book one for the day at a discounted rate!
Conclusion
If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, there’s a good chance that a virtual office could solve some of your problems. It’s a great way to give your business a professional edge without having to part with too much of your budget. With virtual offices being such a cost-effective way to run a business remotely, it’s hardly surprising that it’s a route being taken by more and more modern startups, with many established companies turning to this model too.
Want to find out more about the virtual office service offered by Circle Hub? Click here to contact us today!