A virtual office is nowadays a rapidly growing solution for many freelancers and entrepreneurs who are seeking flexible and affordable services for their business. Most of the new entrepreneurs already know that these working spaces are a professional alternative to physical offices.
If you consider that most virtual offices are the same, this article might change your opinion. For example, do you feel as though all physical offices are identical? Or do you feel they each have their own identity? The answer is that they are all unique.
Similarly, there are various types of virtual offices and services.
Therefore, this short guide will reveal to you the reasons why a Premium Virtual Office (and not just any old virtual office) might be the best solution that can help you boost your business growth.
Table of contents:
- Why are virtual offices not created equal?
- The 3 most common services provided by virtual offices
- What is a Premium Virtual Office?
- Why you should get a Premium Virtual Office for your business
1. Why are virtual offices not created equal?
I guess you are already aware, as a freelancer or entrepreneur, of the main difference between a virtual office and a physical office.
Therefore, I will not give you a long speech about the meaning of this concept and why it became popular so rapidly (for example, it is obvious that the global Covid-19 pandemic gave business owners some very good reasons to make the transition to a virtual office).
However, I would like you to bear in mind that when you rent a virtual office you’re in fact renting a selection of services that can be accessed from anywhere, wherever in the world you are (except when you need a physical space to meet your clients). Doesn’t working under a beach umbrella sound like a great idea?
But why are virtual offices not all the same? The difference between them lies in the type of services they provide (and also in the quality of these services).
2. The 3 most common services provided by virtual offices
First, I’ll give you a cunning tip. When you make the best decision for your company, it is not enough to identify your goal, evaluate your options and make your choice (these are that kind of mediocre and banal advice that people should stop giving. It doesn’t mean that it is wrong to follow them, only that they are so…obvious).
I recommend that you use cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Let me digress a little from my speech: you should always rely on CBA to decide whether the advantages of a particular action are likely to outweigh its drawbacks (by the way, you can use this systematic approach also in your personal life. If only I knew that before writing this post!). You will learn that the lowest cost won’t bring you the highest benefit.
Why am I telling you this? Because it is highly important for you to understand this concept – Even if you pay some extra money for a Premium Virtual Office package, you will get more benefits for your business in the long term rather than if you choose a basic virtual office.
Now let’s see the 3 most common services that are usually provided by ordinary virtual offices:
- Virtual address
First, you should know that you can also get a virtual address without renting a virtual office (the difference between them is related to the services they offer).
A virtual address might be the best solution for your company, as there are very few people who would like to have their home address and personal phone number registered as their businesses (it is relatively easy to find these business owners contact details just by checking ASIC‘s public records).
- Post handling and mail forwarding
A basic virtual office should include a post and mail service (usually you receive just a box of all mail under the reception desk).
- Meeting Rooms
Some basic virtual offices provide meeting rooms that can be accessed from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm while some others don’t even have this feature. In this case, there are only two options left for you.
First, you can give your house the appearance of an office (I’m sure you will not forget to hide the drying rack before having an important business meeting). But if you do that, everyone will know where you live.
Second, you could meet your clients at a cafe, but it won’t be always easy to find one that is relatively quiet for you to conduct business within.
3. What is a Premium Virtual Office?
You can also call it a “good” virtual office. Or a virtual office that can solve most of your business’s ‘office’ needs for a fraction of the price (and by the way, you can read here more about the advantages that the high quality services provided by a Premium Virtual Office can bring to your business).
At its simplest definition, a Premium Virtual Office is a virtual office that provides high-quality services necessary for a business in order for it to run successfully.
This means that, first, you must be sure that the virtual office you choose for your company has the key features that answer your company’s needs. For example, if you receive a large number of calls from your customers, it might be wise for you to choose a virtual receptionist or replace your mobile phone number with a re-routed Australian landline number.
Second, make sure that all the services provided by the virtual office provider are high-quality services. Even if they are a little bit more expensive each month. (Remember the cost-benefit analysis we ran through above?)
First, let’s see how a Premium Virtual Office can improve the 3 services that are provided by most of the common virtual offices:
- Virtual address
A Premium Virtual Office will offer you a prestigious location to create an impressive image for your business (and not one that can be located also on the outskirts of the city).
- Post handling and mail forwarding
A Premium Virtual Office will allow you to have a physical secure business mailbox with a PIN code and not just an ordinary box of all mail. You will receive an email notification immediately after the arrival of your mail/parcels.
- Meeting rooms
Meeting rooms in a Premium Virtual Office are different. They are modern and designed spaces that can be booked using online portals and where you can have high-speed Internet and modern telecommunication systems.
Here are the extra features that only a Premium Virtual Office can provide:
- A virtual receptionist
A Virtual Receptionist is a person who answers your calls and can be available to provide coverage 24/7 if necessary. This service must ensure flawless communication between the business and the stakeholders.
So, why do you need a virtual receptionist for your business? I will answer this question with a question: can you sacrifice the hard and efficient work you do to grow your business to answer every call that comes through? You sure can’t (or at least shouldn’t).
The only other option is to pay an employee a monthly salary which is probably too large of a cost for the volume of calls.
- An Australian landline phone number
This service provides you with a local number that you can use as your own and have redirected to your virtual receptionist or mobile phone.
The benefit of this is that it continues to validate the professional image of your business while also proving that you have a physical address – which is a requirement of getting an Australia landline phone number.
- Keyless entry 24/7
There are very few virtual offices that can provide this service. A keyless entry office building that can be accessed 24/7 brings a lot more flexibility and effectiveness to your business (yes, if you make your clients eager to buy your products and services you can meet them also at midnight).
4. Why you should get a Premium Virtual Office for your business
So, what do you think so far of the advantages of a Premium Virtual Office? Is it worth it?
Here are the main reasons why you should consider one:
- Ensures more credibility to your business
- Builds customer trust
- The benefits can far outweigh the costs
- Enhance dramatically your company reputation
- You can save even more money (for sure you already know that you can save money by improving quality!)
To sum up, Premium Virtual Offices provide businesses with additional services, such as a virtual address in a prestigious location, modern meeting rooms that can be accessed 24/7 using online booking portals, a virtual receptionist and an Australian landline phone number, as well as a professional post handling and mail forwarding service, with a physical business mailbox.
The benefits that a Premium Virtual Office can bring to your company can significantly outweigh the costs. (And, just before we finish, I would like to let you know that we would be more than glad if you would consider the premium virtual offices that we provide at B2B HQ.)
