When you are in the process of choosing an office space for your business, you have a lot of options. When businesses are just starting up or are moving into a new city or town, many find they need a virtual office, at least at the beginning. There are a number of reasons to look into this option when you need to find a space for your company.
In order to know if you need a virtual office, it is important to know what they are. When you rent virtual office space, you get a few things that you would not get if you went with a more traditional office situation. You get a professional person to answer your phone line, a place where you can receive packages and mail, a great address for your business, and access to meeting rooms.
These are some of the reasons companies go with virtual office space, here are a few:
- You will spend less on overhead. If you think you need a virtual office, one of the best reasons to take that route is the amount you will save on overhead. If you have just a few employees, this can make a big difference. You pay a fee but there are a lot of things you will not pay for. If you manage a sales team, you do not have to spend money on office space that your people will not be using much.
- Your workers can be more productive. The commute time is cut completely out of the picture when you have a virtual rather than a traditional office space. All of that time your workers would spend commuting can be spent doing more productive things with that time. This means they get more done and do not have to deal with the hassle of driving to a job every day or fighting with other people on whatever public transportation system exists in your area.
- Your brand is boosted by the professional image your virtual office will give you. One of the main reasons a company may need a virtual office is because they get a better image for your business than what your budget may allow for a traditional office space lease. Depending on the location of your business, the rents can range from decent to crazy expensive. You can save a lot of money on rent by going with a virtual office space. All of the perks listed above (a professional looking address, a professional receptionist, and great spaces for your meetings with clients or customers) can do wonders for your brand’s image and reputation. It certainly looks better for your business to have a virtual office space in a nice part of town than a cheap office space in a shady area.
- You will make your workers happier. Employee turnover is a huge problem for companies around the world. New evidence shows that at least 46% of businesses that let their workers work remotely are able to keep their workforce happy and have fewer problems with turnover. At least 80% of workers say they like being able to work form a remote location as a great perk to a job.
- Using a virtual office space is great for the environment. There are a lot of ways you are making a positive impact on the environment when you use a virtual office to do your business. You are not using energy to heat, cool, or light a space that is not used much. By taking the commuting time away, you are also not adding to the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere when people commute.
- It is an accepted way to do business. Given the changing nature of the United States and global economy, the practice of using virtual office spaces for companies and coworking spaces for single practitioners have become more the norm. It used to be frowned upon but is not any longer.
More and more companies are opting to use virtual office spaces for their employees. If you are looking for a new space for your business, even if you think you do not need a virtual office, it is worth giving them a look.