While recent past events have accelerated remote working into the new norm, traditionally-minded clients might consider it unconventional and lacking the corporate appeal synonymous with physical office spaces. Remote businesses targeting such clients thus have to develop a professional presence; virtual office services are the most viable way to do this.
Want to work remotely? Then take a look at this guide from BlueJeans. We'll show you the benefits of working in a virtual office.
What is a virtual office?
A virtual office is a service that provides business owners with all the perks of a brick-and-mortar business location without the inconvenience of renting an actual office space. A virtual office provides services that bridge that professional gap that differentiates home-based businesses from those operating in a commercial property.
With a virtual office, business owners can get an office address within reputable area codes, thus reassuring the client of the business' legitimacy. The business also gets access to meeting and conference rooms through the virtual office, reducing the need for expensive long-term leases. Virtual offices also offer voicemail and phone answering services, helping you manage incoming calls, while a receptionist organizes meetings in and around your virtual office. Their landline number enhances your business' professional appearance, unlike a personal mobile number.
Virtual offices can also offer envelope-opening and scanning services for mail sent to your other addresses where the business is not located, meaning you can get all your posts scanned and emailed to your location.
Benefits of a virtual office
Flexibility
A virtual office allows for remote working by eliminating the need for a central physical office. Businesses can thus operate from anywhere, which gives employees greater flexibility and autonomy while also reducing commute time. The ability of a virtual office to enhance the credibility of a business means that the organization can attract a larger pool of skilled and talented individuals without being restricted by the physical location.
Less overhead
A virtual office space eliminates the need to pay rent or buy office equipment and furniture, or even hire a receptionist, as is the case with a business that operates on a commercial property.
Increase collaboration
Virtual office tools make collaboration possible by extending the atmosphere of a physical office to remote work. Virtual offices have a floor plan that groups workers in the same office into onscreen boxes and allows employees to show availability. It thus becomes easy to tell apart the colleagues that are available for quick meetings and consultations from those who are busy. Basically, virtual offices eliminate the formality of channels or need for meeting times and session set-ups, allowing one to drop in on their colleague as if they were in a physical office.
Increasing your professional presence
An address and office number at a prestigious business location enhances the professional image of your business and gives more credence to your operation by giving the perception of an established, relevant and sizable organization. Such an appeal cannot be achieved by giving customers your home address and personal phone number.
Expand your business
A virtual office space makes it possible to test out your business in new regions by simply creating a mailing address in the new territory while working remotely. A new physical address at which to receive mail and phone calls can help your business widen its customer base without incurring expensive overheads. A virtual office also helps businesses venture into international markets without the cost of travel.
Conclusion
A virtual office allows your remote business to seamlessly operate without encountering the challenges resulting from the lack of a physical office location. Adopting a virtual office for your business will make operations more flexible while enhancing your firm's credibility and lowering overhead and expansion costs. A virtual office also makes it easier for remote workers to collaborate.
BlueJeans provides a wide selection of collaborative tools from file sharing to chat capabilities that help bolster the operations of businesses and organizations. Our video conferencing capabilities are compatible with most devices and help bridge geographical barriers between team members, ensuring such obstacles do not get in the way of your business.
Ready to use the BlueJeans Video Conferencing platform? Sign-up for a free trial today.
You also might be interested in a related blog titled: Top Mistakes made by remote workers
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