Part 1 – Taking Your Business Elsewhere: The Basics of Working in a Virtual Office

What is a Virtual Office?

Virtual workplaces are a growing trend across many industries today because of the many benefits they can bring to a company. But before you even consider its applicability to your business, it is a good idea for you to get a firm grasp on what going virtual really means in the first place.

So what is a virtual workplace? When you say that a business has a virtual business address, this means that some or all of its personnel are working in a non-traditional setting where their office is basically wherever they are at any particular point in time. A lot of people assume that working in a virtual office is synonymous to working online, but this is not true—or at least, not completely.

The Role of the Internet

The internet plays a big part in the success of a virtual office because it allows for connectivity and access that in turn lets the magic of collaborative work happen. While it is true that online access is essential to many traditional offices, it is not as mission-critical to them as it is to their virtual counterparts.

Simply put, a virtual office cannot function without an internet connection. The internet is the framework that allows a virtual workplace to exist in the first place. But just because internet access is available doesn’t mean that that’s all a virtual office will amount to. On the contrary, it’s just the beginning of what this type of workplace can do for businesses.

Equal-Opportunity Lover

A virtual office does not discriminate. Managed correctly, it can take care of the needs of nearly any company that sets out to take their business where it has never gone before: online, remote, and free from the shackles of a physical location. From the biggest corporation to the smallest start-up, any business owner can take advantage of what a virtual workplace has to offer with the help of providers of alternative workspace solutions.

These providers make a wide range of flexible workspace solutions available to interested companies. Need meeting space? You got it. Want a more professional business address? Done. Don’t want to spend more than $1,000 a month? Your call. These products and services are flexible, designed to address varying needs at varying degrees. Different businesses have different needs, after all.

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