Work Smarter with a Virtual Office

Virtual offices started in the mid 1980s, however, the industry has dramatically evolved as technology has changed the way we work.

Technology advancements of today have provided workers with the ability to work virtually from almost any place in the world. Whether you are checking e-mail on your phone or logging into your secure corporate VPN via Wi-Fi from your local Starbucks, the ability to access your data anytime, anywhere has never been greater. It used to be that we had to work in a physical office from 8-5 to conduct "business" or access our corporate data files. Today, the rules have changed and many business professionals are no longer required to work within a set time or brick and mortar location. Around the world, more workers are taking advantage of Virtual Officing and the many benefits this way of working brings.  

The advantages of a virtual office are numerous but it's important to fully understand what constitutes a true virtual office. Conceptually, virtual offices started in the mid 1980s, however, the industry has dramatically evolved as technology has changed the way we work. As the 1990s brought rise to the information age, new work solutions were needed to support company expansions and teams spread out over multiple locations. This movement continued through the decade and has led to a decentralization and shrinkage of the conventional office environments and an expansion of alternative officing solutions.

Alternative officing solutions, specifically Virtual Offices, through office business centers continue to expand and adapt to the new requirements of today’s remote workers by providing necessary variations of services, providing supportive environments, and offering the most current technologies. As work-life balance continues to be a focus for today’s companies and workers; virtual offices provide the flexibility that workers need to conduct business while enjoying the ability to work on their terms.  

Today’s busy business professionals require the ability to work anytime-anywhere but still need excellent support, technology and tools to project the professional image successful businesses require.  By offering the best of both worlds, a virtual office allows clients to work smarter while projecting the image of a traditional professional office.  

The typical Virtual Office Packages on the market Include all or a portion of the following:  
 
•    Professional Business Address
•    Mail and Package Handling Delivery
•    Personal Mailbox
•    Local Telephone Number and Call Handling
•    Live Professional Reception Services
•    Call Forwarding
•    Voice Mail Services
•    Meeting Facilities
•    Free Wi-Fi
•    Video Conferencing Services
•    High Tech Business Lounge for Collaboration
•    Administrative Support as Needed
•    Furnished Office Access
•    Copy Services

Virtual Offices provide companies of all sizes substantial benefits such as a dramatic reduction in overhead due to the decrease in costs associated with a physical office, furnishing requirements and upkeep. Major global companies such as IBM and Accenture have almost 50% of their workforces who work in “alternative workplaces,” of the 115,000 US IBM workers, 46,000 fall into this category. For the startup business, small business or entrepreneur the virtual office gives the company the ability to level the playing field of projecting the big business image at an all important affordable cost. For any size business the flexibility offered along with the elimination of long term leases and fit up costs is tremendous in today’s business environment.  

A virtual office allows any company to be up and running the same day, something simply not possible with traditional office space. More often than not, the Virtual Office address is one that is viewed as prestigious in the market, such as Main Street or a new up and coming business district.  Companies which require local presence in a market, the virtual office solution provides the unique combination of a physical footprint as well as a daily staff member to tend to incoming shipments, documents, calls, etc. Many FORTUNE 1000 and international companies choose virtual office solutions to comply with government regulations and establish presence in a given market.   

Companies who embrace remote workforces are rewarded with higher levels of worker satisfaction, faster turn around times and increased productivity. Ironically workers who are working remotely or through a virtual office typically put in longer hours than their counterparts working in a physical office. Virtual Officing is favored by workers in almost all industries but the Financial, Legal, Real Estate, Marketing, Media, Technology Sales, Consulting, Healthcare and Small Business industries have high saturation of workers taking advantage of this solution.

Many markets have virtual office providers offering the full range of state-of-the-art virtual office services, however  the service providers provide varying degrees of technology offerings, professional staff as well as their individual décor. Finding the proper fit in virtual officing is much like buying a car, make a visit and take a test drive to discover the one feels right.   

For more information on virtual officing feel free to contact me directly at kcondi@allianceofficestrategies.com.  

About the Author:
Karen A. Condi is Executive Director and Principal of ALLIANCE Office Strategies and has over 12 years experience in the Office Business Center industry and has been a key play player in AOS' rapid expansion; she possesses extensive knowledge and expertise in the areas of sales, marketing, operations, planning and development. Specializing in turnkey, takeover, start up and crisis management projects, Ms. Condi has dramatically increased ROI for many clients across the country. Prior to working with ALLIANCE, Ms. Condi served on the leadership team for a national Office Suite provider, where she opened, acquired, developed and managed over 30 locations throughout the United States. Ms. Condi brings unparalleled development, management and operations experience with a complete understanding of best practices to maximize ROI, revenues and profits. She is currently the Executive Director and Principal of ALLIANCE Office Strategies. The AOS team is currently engaged in over a dozen consulting, development and management deals with business centers around the world.