Remote working has gone from being a niche trend among tech start-ups in Silicon Valley to a widely accepted way of doing business across the world. In fact, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, in the 12 months to December 2019, the number of people working mainly at home in the UK was 1.7 million. Open the definition up to people who worked at home at some point during that period, and the figure jumps to 8.7 million.
The survey covers the period leading up to (but not including) the major jump in homeworking that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it. But long before the outbreak, virtual office services were already on the up, keeping step with the rise of the remote worker.
So what does virtual office rental mean in practice and is it right for your business? Let’s take a look in our complete guide to virtual offices.
What is a virtual office?
Popular with everyone from start-ups to multinationals, a virtual office provides a service in which people rent a fixed office address away from where they actually do their work.
The idea of the virtual office has been around for a long time – it was initially realised by entrepreneur Ralph Gregoryback in 1995, but since then, virtual offices have been put into action by businesses across the globe. More about Mailing Address
What are the benefits of a virtual office?
Virtual offices offer lots of benefits for companies and entrepreneurs alike, but here are the most common attractions:
A virtual business mailing address
In the early days of running a business, many owners will work from home. However, to attract the best clients, they might need a more prestigious address – the problem is they simply can’t afford one.
This is where a virtual office comes in. You pay for a virtual mailing address at an attention-grabbing city location, and then you can use that address on your correspondence and marketing to potential customers.
A mailing service
As we’ve mentioned above, if you’re paying for a virtual company address that adds extra gravitas to your offering, you’ll use it in your emails and promotional material. But what if people start trying to contact you at that address?
It’s for this reason that most virtual offices will also provide a mailing service as part of the package. They’ll forward your business post on to your home address, or open and scan your letters before emailing the scans over to you.
A trained receptionist
A letter-forwarding service is great for written correspondence, but what if clients and customers start calling your virtual office to set up meetings?
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Most virtual office packages will include a fully-trained receptionist who’ll be able to handle calls and book meetings on your behalf. So, even though you’re not located at that office, your customers will still enjoy a totally professional experience.
Meeting rooms
Your virtual receptionist has taken a call from a potential client, and they’ve requested a meeting at your city centre virtual office location. But you’re not using that address as your workplace, so what do you do? Fortunately, many virtual office packages will also offer meeting rooms as part of the service. So, even though you’re not there from day to day, when it’s time to make an impression in person you can accommodate clients and customers on site.
mailing address 