What is a Virtual Office?
A virtual office is a service that gives your company an official business address at that location even though you’ll work remotely, as well as a list of office-related services as part of your “rent.” It operates as a single office unit with a physical mailing address, but it doesn’t necessarily exist in a single location; you can still work primarily from home, or even take advantage of services from multiple locations.
The concept first came from the Executive Suite Industry after being launched by Ralph Gregory in 1994 when he termed the idea “The Virtual Office, Inc.”
These services may include phone answering, access to meeting rooms if you ever do want to impress a client, mailing services, and more. The development of virtual office software offering communication and collaboration tools such as screen sharing, video conferencing, and messaging services has led to a stark increase in the popularity of virtual offices.
Virtual offices are appealing to brands who love the convenience, flexibility, and significantly lower overhead that comes with having their team work remotely. There are no long leases, you don’t need to employ additional administrative or janitorial staff, and the cost of renting a virtual office is significantly lower than renting, furnishing, and paying utility bills on an entire physical location.
While the virtual office is typically a less expensive option for business, some services like phone answering and videoconferencing might have limited accessibility depending on the office and the membership plans they offer.
Virtual Office Services
Physical Office Space
ADSL2+ Broadband is the standard broadband available to most households in the UK. This uses the Openreach copper telephone network to deliver broadband to your premises at up to 24Mbps.
Mail Receiving & Forwarding
Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) Broadband is the most common type of Fibre Optic broadband available to consumers in the United Kingdom, but is not available for all premises.
Live Answering
Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) Broadband is the most common type of Fibre Optic broadband available to consumers in the United Kingdom, but is not available for all premises.
Video Conferencing
ADSL2+ Broadband is the standard broadband available to most households in the UK. This uses the Openreach copper telephone network to deliver broadband to your premises at up to 24Mbps.
Virtual Assistants
Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) Broadband is the most common type of Fibre Optic broadband available to consumers in the United Kingdom, but is not available for all premises.
Virtual Phone Number
Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) Broadband is the most common type of Fibre Optic broadband available to consumers in the United Kingdom, but is not available for all premises.
Only £45 Per Month
Our Virtual Office Birmingham package (Plus VAT)
Only £30 Per Month
Alternative Rental Mailbox Service
Advantage of Virtual Office
Flexibility
You still work predominantly or entirely remotely, and your team can, too. This means that none of you are necessarily restricted by geographic location, and you can hire the best people for the job no matter where they are. You can also keep your working hours as you see fit, and still choose to work from home in your pajamas if you want.
Lower Costs Than Renting a Conventional Office Space
You're not renting an entire office that is large enough to hold your entire staff on a daily basis. This means you also don't need to furnish an office, worry about commercial renter's insurance or utility bills. You also gain access to some services like assistants or receptionists, which is much more affordable than employing someone full-time.
Access to Additional Services
We mentioned this already, but one huge advantage of virtual offices is the services that they offer like virtual assistants, answering services, in-office receptionists, and teleconferencing. They might also offer mailing services and can receive physical mail for you. This means that you're never going to miss a delivery that needs to be signed for, and ideally every customer call will be answered by at least a virtual receptionist for a personal touch before they're sent to your voicemail. It's much easier to gain all these services through one source instead of trying to pay for and manage them through unique individual services or contractors, so if you need these benefits, a virtual office is a great choice to consider.
Established and Professional Appearance
Startups and solopreneur businesses are more common than ever before, and it's also in some cases harder to gain client trust and demonstrate credibility as "everyone owns their own business." Having a physical business address in an established building and a place where you can meet your staff is about established as it gets, and it helps to instill client confidence in your brand.
No Maintenance Concerns
You don't need to replace those creaky chairs or worry about what will happen to the building during a major natural disaster. Maintenance of the building itself isn't an issue for your business, so you can just focus on growing your brand
An Added Layer of Privacy & Security
Many startups and small businesses that work remotely don't have a true physical office. This means that the business owner's home address is often listed on everything from public business licenses to online business directories and even client contracts. This may pose a privacy and security issue, as people can easily find your home address with a quick Google search with your business. With a virtual office, you get a physical mailing address that you can list on all official documents, making it harder for people to find your personal home address. And if you're using their virtual answering service as your primary business line, you can prevent customers from having access to your personal phone number, too (though getting a virtual business line is often a good call)
Fixed Address with Low Overhead Costs
A fixed, permanent address can be an enormous asset when you're running your business. Did you know that in some states, you need to pay to update your business license paperwork if your business address changes during the year? This might be an extra few hundred dollars depending on the state. It's quite the hassle to update every single client, financial institution, and business service every time you switch apartments or living locations. Having that single fixed address while you move around is an asset, especially if you're just moving around the same city and want something more stable.