As I shared previously, you will get the complete list of 26 questions that you should ask before getting a virtual office.
However, if you didn’t have the chance to read my first post concerning this topic, you can find it here. I recommend you first read it as it will give you a complete understanding of the questions that you should ask a virtual office provider before getting a virtual office.
Before I continue my previous post, I would like to remind you that switching from a physical office (or a home office, in case you registered your business with your home address) to a virtual office is a significant step. Therefore, you should make sure that your virtual office provider includes all of these 26 features in their virtual office packages.
Table of contents (continued):
- Do I have the ability to grow with my virtual office provider?
- Does the virtual office provider have a presence in multiple locations?
- Is my virtual address prestigious enough to attract clients?
- Does the virtual office provider have a great track record?
- Can the virtual office provider provide testimonials and case studies?
- Does the virtual office provider ensure a rapid response time to all requests?
- Does the virtual office provider care about customers?
- Does the virtual office building have 24/7 CCTV?
- Is the virtual office provider actively promoting their business?
- Can I have access to conference and meeting rooms?
- Can I use high-speed Wi-Fi?
- Are there projectors/TVs available in all rooms?
- Is there a VoIP phone system that can be used for call conferences?
14. Do I have the ability to grow with my virtual office provider?
Stability is important for any small business and you should look out for a virtual office provider who has stood the test of time and also has features that will accommodate your growth when you begin to expand.
For example, as your business grows, you would need additional tools for your business such as meeting room access, a landline number that can be redirected to your mobile number or even a custom business email, and so much more.
Ensure that your provider will stand by you doing your growth stage as well when your needs have increased.
Eg, at B2B HQ, most of our clients start off with the virtual address, which is a mailing address and a physical mailbox BUT after about 6 months they upgrade to the “Virtual Business”, which include a mailing address, physical mailbox, AU landline phone number with redirection credit and monthly access to meeting rooms and boardrooms.
15. Does the virtual office provider have a presence in multiple locations?
As your business grows you might need to explore more locations and a virtual office provider that has a presence in multiple locations will be great to have.
Even if they do not have other locations covered, they can have partners in other cities who also offer virtual offices and refer you to them as well.
Eg, at B2B HQ, we only have one location in Melbourne but have built partnerships with other virtual address providers around Australia to provide a network of other great service providers that will meet the same high standard that we never compromise on.
16. Is my virtual address prestigious enough to attract clients?
Having an address that is located within a prime location and close to your prospective customers will help your business thrive.
For example, if your virtual address location is in or around central business districts you can entice your clients with this and have labels that carry the location such as “Melbourne” or “Carlton”, which is a 5-minute walk from the Melbourne Central Business District, and has a lot of available car parks around the office to add perks to your business.
Eg, at B2B HQ, we deliberately picked a location that can be labelled as Melbourne, is around the corner from the Central Business District (CBD) and has free or paid car parks available.
17. Does the virtual office provider have a great track record?
When selecting your virtual address provider, you should carry out a proper investigation to see what people are saying about their service. A provider with at least 4+ star reviews online is what you should aim for.
You can check from sites like Google, Trustpilot, Better Business Bureau, and so on to confirm their performance ratings.
Eg, at B2B HQ, we have been fortunate enough to receive a lot of positive reviews from our amazing customers and as an example, our Google reviews have an online profile of 4.9 stars from 48 reviewers.
18. Can the virtual office provider provide testimonials and case studies?
A great virtual office address provider should be proud of their excellent service and flaunt the same on their website. This should therefore be visible for you to see and if not, then it suggests that they might be hiding something or it means not too many customers are happy with their service and you should be wary of such.
Eg, at B2B HQ, we provide to our clients a dedicated testimonial page for them to showcase their own case studies and stories with how they have come to use and love the virtual office.
19. Does the virtual office provider ensure a rapid response time to all requests?
An effective virtual office provider should be able to respond to your request or query within 2-12 hours. If their response time is longer than this then this is an indication of how they would handle your requests when you are a customer, and not just a sales opportunity.
So be careful and tread with caution before enrolling with them so they don’t end up ruining your business.
Eg, at B2B HQ, all of our internal team members have a 4 business hour response time on all requests and questions (as well as a live chat that is operational almost 24/7), meaning that no matter if it is a question for some help or a sales lead, everyone is created equal.
20. Does the virtual office provider care about customers?
A good virtual provider should be able to genuinely offer advice to you as their customer and educate you on what works best for your kind of business.
Ensure that they care about YOU and are not just out to sell you their top prices services. They must be ready to go out of their way to see that you get the best from their services.
Eg, at B2B HQ, we never hard sell any business owner and instead, allow our educational content (for example, this blog post and other previous blog posts, such as this one), the space’s incredible ambiance and our existing clients do the talking for us – we never do the hard sell but will always ensure we have done our best to guide you to the solution your situation requires.
21. Does the virtual office building have 24/7 CCTV?
Security is vital, especially in this day and age! It should really be a non-negotiable feature that must be available across all virtual office providers – unfortunately, it isn’t.
The provider you are reviewing should have both exterior and interior 24/7 CCTV cameras that have a physical and digital back-up in case anything goes wrong.
Eg, at B2B HQ, we have exterior and interior CCTV security cameras with offline and online back-ups to ensure all of our clients, their mail, and the facility is safe and secure.
22. Is the virtual office provider actively promoting their business?
A good provider should not be actively promoting their business to your meeting visitors or to those who look up your address. Remember, your customers are your customers and the virtual solution provider should never look at them as if they should be theirs.
Some subtle letterheads in the office are fine but nothing more and the office should not be labeled as well.
Eg, at B2B HQ, we do not have our logo, company name, or branding on the door entrance, within the meeting rooms, at the reception area, or anywhere throughout the facility. This means that to your clients, the space looks like it is all yours (and not ours).
23. Can I have access to conference and meeting rooms?
Although at the beginning, you might not need these, you should ensure that this is available for when your business begins to grow. Access to book meeting rooms on demand is a must to enable you to organize meetings with your team and other important clients.
You can easily add this address to your business card and hand them out to clients who need to locate our office as well.
Eg, at B2B HQ, we started with the end in mind and knew that our clients would not just need a mailing address, so we incorporated physical mailboxes, client rooms, meeting rooms, and large 16 person boardrooms to ensure that anybody could run a business from home but make it seem they have a large office.
24. Can I use high-speed Wi-Fi?
A virtual office provider must have high-speed Wi-Fi to enable you to connect to the internet as well as get in touch with your remote workers from around the world.
It doesn’t make any sense if you have to pay separately for the equipment when you subscribe to using the services of a virtual office provider.
Eg, at B2B, we have worked closely with NBN Co to ensure we have a flawless 100 mbp/s connection for everyone using the office.
25. Are there projectors/TVs available in all rooms?
A provider that offers meeting rooms should be equipped with not only large televisions and projects but also have on-hand a lot of HDMI adapters or Chromecast /Apple TV. This will ensure that you have all the equipment that you need for holding your meetings.
Eg, at B2B HQ, every meeting room and boardroom has a large television on the wall, as well as a whiteboard and conference phones.
26. Is there a VoIP phone system that can be used for call conferences?
Communication is vital and setting up an online-based phone for your business is a smart decision. You can opt for a live or automated telephone service which will work as if your company is operating it.
This means that at any time of the day your customers will be able to reach you or make some form of contact with your business.
Eg, at B2B HQ, all meeting rooms and boardrooms have teleconference facilities.
Conclusion – The primary essence of virtual office providers is to furnish their customers with flexible services to get their jobs done within a reasonable time frame. Also, they should ensure high-quality services that can actually boost a business’s growth.
A customer-oriented virtual office provider should have the patience to answer all of these 26 questions. Don’t feel shy to ask questions when it comes to your company’s growth and money (yes, when you pay for a service you have the right to ask as many questions as you want).
As Anne Robinson (she’s a famous English TV presenter and journalist – in case you don’t know her already) was saying, “My best business decision is always to have been unembarrassed about negotiating a decent deal. Not being coy or shy about money is second nature to me.” So, don’t feel embarrassed to ask questions when making an important business decision.
In the end, we would like to let you know that the B2B HQ team is always available to assist you. No matter how many questions you have, we would be happy to clear your doubts and help you make a business decision. Also, in case you are looking for a virtual office provider suitable for your company, we would appreciate it if you could consider us as well.
