One of the most effective resources for business owners who work from home is a Virtual Office Service. It provides the benefits of staffed commercial premises but without the high costs, commitment, and administrative burden of buying or leasing a physical office.
Whether you work from home through choice or necessity, it’s important to maximise productivity, maintain a professional image, and provide high standards of customer service at all times.
What is a Virtual Office Service?
A Virtual Office Service is a remote business-to-business service that provides a range of essential office-related functions on an as-needed basis, such as:
- Business addresses for limited companies, LLPs, partnerships, sole traders, freelancers, and other self-employed individuals.
- Mail handling and forwarding.
- Unique business telephone numbers and fax numbers.
- Telephone answering and forwarding services managed by a team of highly-trained, professional receptionists.
- Out-of-hours voicemail.
- Fax-to-email services.
- Access to meeting rooms and conference facilities.
- Conference facilities.
Available on flexible terms at affordable rates, a Virtual Office Service is a practical solution for business owners who work from home, in the field, or on clients’ premises. It is also ideal for those who wish to establish a local business presence in a specific area without the need to buy or lease additional premises.
How can my business benefit?
A Virtual Office Service can be an invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes, whether you operate alone as a sole trader or limited company, or run a business alongside other people.
Some of the most significant benefits of a Virtual Office Service include:
- Prestigious business address and company address options
There’s no need to sacrifice an impressive professional image just because you work from home. With a prestigious Business Address in a city-centre location, you can establish a credible reputation, stand out with distinction, and create a professional image that makes a positive first impression. - Establish a local business presence
It can be challenging to establish a local business presence if you don’t have permanent, visible commercial premises in that area. An ideal solution is to set up a business address or company address in the area in which your target customer base is located, supplemented with a local business telephone number.
This is a cost-effective strategy which will provide an instant and impressive business presence. It will also help you to increase brand awareness and confidence, and enable you to test out new markets without the costs and commitment of acquiring and managing your own office space. - Minimise business costs
Business premises are incredibly expensive to buy or lease. There are also additional costs to consider, such as furnishings, utilities, building maintenance and repairs, and hiring employees. Many small business owners simply do not have the budgets for such expenses.
A Virtual Office Service is an affordable alternative that offers all of the same benefits as private commercial space whilst enabling you to minimise business costs.
Furthermore, there’s no need to commit to a long commercial lease, take responsibility for office maintenance, or deal with employee recruitment and management. - Maximise productivity
Working from home is often laden with distractions, so it’s important to set boundaries and establish self discipline. One of the best ways to maximise productivity is to limit interruptions that break your concentration, such as dealing with telephone calls.
By having a telephone answering service, your business will benefit from a unique business telephone number and a professional team of receptionists who will answer calls in your company or business name and manage out-of-hours voicemail services.
If you’re in the middle of an important task, dealing with another call, or unavailable for any other reason, you can rest assured that your business calls will be answered immediately. This will ensure high levels of customer care and satisfaction are maintained even when you’re personally unable to take a call. - Personal privacy
Personal privacy is something that all business owners should bear in mind, which is why it is best to avoid using your home address and personal telephone numbers for business purposes.
Limited companies and LLPs have to provide registered office and service address details for the public company register at Companies House. Many small company owners are inclined to use their home address details for such purposes. To protect your privacy as best you can, we recommend the use of a non-residential address, like the one included in a Virtual Office Service.
Sole traders and other small business owners may also need to provide a business address and contact telephone number to customers and suppliers.
Whilst this information is not a matter of public record, it’s advisable to refrain from giving your home address details and personal phone numbers to customers and business contacts. A Virtual Office Service provides the ideal solution.
What types of businesses use Virtual Office Services?
The functions provided by this kind of B2B service are designed to suit all manner of office-related needs. As such, many types of businesses use Virtual Office Space Services, including:
- Self-employed sole traders and freelancers who work from home.
- Small company owners who work from home offices.
- Contractors who are usually based on their clients’ premises.
- Tradespeople who work remotely.
- Business owners who travel frequently.
- Partnerships that wish to establish a central business location.
- People who operate field-based businesses.
- Small business owners who have commercial premises but require ad-hoc telephone answering services or other business support functions.
- Business owners who want to test the market in a new location, without the need to buy or lease premises.
- Business owners who wish to establish a presence in an additional location or multiple locations, without buying or leasing new commercial units.
- Businesses based in less desirable locations that could affect their reputation.
No matter what type of business you run, a Virtual Office Service will enable you to establish a prestigious geographical presence for minimal cost and commitment whilst continuing to work from home.
With a virtual office rental, your small business can enjoy the same benefits afforded to larger companies for a fraction of the cost. You will also have the option to customise your services as the needs of your business change.
To find out more about a Virtual Office Service and Virtual Office Rental click here.
Check out our Virtual Office Hertfordshire.
The original version of this article was published in www.bluesquareoffices.com