What is a virtual office?

A virtual office provides all the benefits of having a physical space without the need to actually purchase one. It allows you and your employees to work remotely while accessing certain business functions on the web or through a virtual office service. It also enables you to build a presence in any location in which you desire to do business, so it’s a great option when you are just starting up in a new market and don’t want to make too much investment before you know if you will be successful in that market or not.

But virtual offices are not only good for business just starting up in new markets. There are many great services to take advantage of when you open a virtual office regardless of the type and size of your business. Here are a few examples:

A postal address

You might be working remotely or outside of the location that you’re providing services to, but you can still have a registered business address for that location. This is highly beneficial as it enables clients and potential clients to put more trust in your business.

Telephone answering

You can have a kind of virtual assistant or receptionist to answer incoming calls to your business, before forwarding them to you. Not only does this make your business seem more professional, it also provides you with a helping hand. The person answering your calls can take messages and help you stay organised in the same way a real-life receptionist would. This also means that instead of having all business calls going to your mobile or personal dial, you have a gate-keeper sorting out sales calls so you only need to take the important and relevant phone calls. You are also left without the distraction of always having to watch your phone to not miss any calls for the business.

Meeting rooms & hot-desking

You may not be ready to make the commitment of having a full-time office space. Nevertheless, you will probably need a physical space from time to time if you’re running a business. Remote colleagues may need to meet and collaborate or you may need to hold meetings with clients. Virtual office services can provide you with such a space as and when necessary. In places like London, rents can be high even for the smallest office space and contracts are often signed for a longer period of time, why a virtual office is often a good solution when you want to test out a new market or if you’re not yet ready to make the commitment and investment.

What kind of businesses use a virtual office?

Both small and large businesses can benefit from a virtual office. Small to medium-sized businesses may be eager to expand within their own country or internationally but may not have the capital to do so. That’s when a virtual office becomes an affordable solution.

Larger businesses may wish to use a virtual office for a different reason. A virtual office allows a large business to test out a location before making a commitment or investing. They may even wish to test two or more locations simultaneously using virtual offices to see which is most successful.

For expert guidance on virtual offices and how to get started in the UK using Goodwille’s Virtual Office services, check out our Virtual Office page or get in touch with us today.