As the world navigates the intricacies of working during the coronavirus pandemic, many companies have had to shutter brick-and-mortar locations and ask employees to work remotely.
And as workers set up shop inside their home offices, kitchens, and even walk-in closets, they’re encountering many new challenges, including a lack of resources they normally have readily available at their physical office.
However, there is a best-of-both-worlds solution that can enable the continuation of remote work without sacrificing key benefits of physical spaces.
Enter the virtual office.
Virtual office services enable employees and business owners to work remotely — whether from home, a coffee shop, or a beach in Bali.
With solutions that include professional mailing addresses, mail and package collection, mail forwarding, and phone answering, virtual office services can give a business the appearance and convenience of having a physical office without the expense of leasing a space.
Types of businesses that typically take advantage of virtual office services include:
However, these services have broad appeal for a wide range of industries.
So, why should you consider a virtual office? Here’s a deeper dive into the benefits:
Of course, sometimes you need a physical office. But for certain businesses, it makes sense to replace regular office space with virtual offices.
And in some cases, it can save you thousands. That’s because virtual office services offer many of the same benefits as physical office spaces, but at a fraction of the cost.
With a virtual office from Premier Workspaces, you’ll get much more than just a physical address to add professionalism to your business.
We offer mail and package collection and mail forwarding so you can keep that communication channel open while working remotely, plus answering and voicemail services to keep your home phone lines free.
Need to use a physical office space sometimes? With Premier Workspaces, you’ll get that flexibility. Because our virtual office addresses are actually real office spaces, you can use them to meet clients with hourly meeting room rentals, access printers, scanners, and fax machines, or even get out of the house for a bit with a private office rental.
By removing some of the challenges associated with remote work, virtual office services can make its benefits more appealing to businesses.
Working remotely has many advantages, including (surprisingly) better productivity. A study conducted by Harvard Business Review of a travel website found that employees working from home completed 13.5% more calls than in-office staff, quit at half the rate of in-office staff, and reported much higher job satisfaction. The business also saved $1,900 per employee for the nine months it ran the study.
Research from Stanford University, meanwhile, found that the average worker is willing to accept 8% less pay for the option to work from home. This means that employers can save on costs while adding value to a worker’s job by granting geographic flexibility.
It’s a win-win for both the business and the staff: An employee can work from anywhere, and the company can hire talent from anywhere while saving money.
Virtual offices give companies the ability to have a local address in a market even if they’re not physically there. If you’re ready to grow your business’ geographical footprint at minimal cost, Premier Workspaces has over 90 virtual office addresses to choose from.
For example, let’s say you want to expand to Southern California and feel like having a mailing address in the area will lend you credibility. You can use our virtual office services to get one — even in a highly desirable location like Beverly Hills — without spending a fortune on an office lease.
Virtual office services are an excellent choice for those who want the best of both worlds: the freedom, flexibility, and cost savings of working remotely and the amenities, services, and professional appearance of a physical office.
However, not all virtual office providers are the same. All will offer a physical address, but only some will offer added amenities and services like mail and package collection, mail forwarding, phone answering, printing and scanning, and rentable meeting rooms.
Ultimately, when choosing a virtual office provider, an organization should consider what features it values most.
Learn about virtual offices from A-Z.