Part 2 – Taking Your Business Elsewhere: The Basics of Working in a Virtual Office

The Perks of Going Virtual

What do Automattic (the company behind WordPress) and tech companies 37signals and GitHub have in common? They’ve all gone virtual and never looked back. Not sure if you could do the same? Let these perks give you the courage to take the plunge:

Cost Savings

There are different advantages to going virtual, but probably the biggest perk any business will get out of virtual office services would be considerable cost savings. Businesses are ultimately about making money, so cutting back on expenses like rent and utilities is a big deal as it makes room for bigger profits and a stronger cash flow.

But how does a virtual workplace help you save money? For starters, it takes away the need for a physical office. An office can eat up a significant chunk of your budget because rent—particularly in strategic business locations, the very places where you’d want to set up shop—can be really expensive. Not to mention the fact that what you pay month after month doesn’t even cover other office essentials such as furniture, office equipment, utilities, maintenance, and in some cases, transportation allowances for employees.

Just how much savings are you looking at here? It will largely depend on current rates in your city, but it’s possible for a business to save as much as $4,500 a month on rent alone.

Flexibility

Providers of alternative workspace solutions offer a range of products and services. It is up to you, the business owner, to pick out which solutions will best address the needs of your company. With the understanding that a one-size-fits-all way of thinking does not work, virtual offices have become better equipped at taking care of business needs, no matter how big or small the client may be.

What’s more, because your virtual office will be custom-designed to address the specific needs of your organization, you’re also more likely to achieve your business goals and hasten the growth of your company. Another plus: you only need to pay for whatever service you’re actually using, which minimizes waste and gives you more freedom regardless of the size of your budget.

Convenience

The very nature of virtual offices means that they are easily accessible by authorized personnel wherever they are in the world. Providers have also made it possible for prospective business clients to get a firsthand feel of their virtual workspace solutions through their websites, allowing you to do a preliminary assessment of their services and see which solutions your day-to-day operations will require. If you like what you see, scheduling an appointment with a representative from a virtual office provider is as easy as a click of a button.

Kathlene Buchanan

As the founder of Metro Offices, she has championed workspace innovation since 1989, inspired by the creativity and drive of their 30,000+ clients. Woman-owned and locally focused, the company tailors its spaces to meet the unique needs of every business.

tags: Blog