What Are the Benefits of a Virtual Office?

If you’re still working from your studio flat but looking to level up your business image, a virtual office is the perfect solution for you.

Not only that, but working from a virtual office also means that you can save huge overhead costs on a physical office, while still accessing essential business services, and operating with the flexibility to scale your business as needed.

But before we dive deeper into the benefits of a virtual office, it’s important to get a solid understanding on what they are, how they work and who uses them.

What Is a Virtual Office and How Does It Work?

To put it simply, a virtual office is a service that allows business owners and employees to work remotely by providing a range of business functions accessible via the internet.

For example, they can provide businesses with a professional business address, post handling, phone answering services, and even access to meeting rooms, without the need for physical office space.

Here’s some more detail of how these features work:

• Professional business address: This gives your business a professional address, even if your team is dispersed. This can help businesses seem more professional and prestigious than their real home address. This address can be used on your business cards, website, and other marketing materials.
  
  
• Post handling: This is where the virtual office provider receives any post sent to your virtual office address, and once it’s received, it can either be forwarded to your actual location, stored for pickup, or scanned and emailed over to you.
  
  
• Phone answering services: This where a dedicated business phone number is provided by the virtual office provider, and calls are answered by a professional receptionist in your company’s name. This helps you manage your incoming calls, meaning you don’t have to offer out your personal mobile with the added benefit of looking more professional.
  
  
• Access to meeting rooms: This means that when you need to meet clients or hold team meetings, you can book these spaces through your virtual office provider. This is especially useful for businesses that do not require a full-time physical office but still need occasional access to professional meeting spaces.

Virtual offices are ideal for anyone looking to upgrade their brand image and cut business expenses, while also benefiting from a range of essential business functions.

Who Uses Virtual Offices?

Virtual offices are used by a range of different individuals and businesses across different industries. 

Startups and entrepreneurs are big users of virtual offices as they often have limited budgets and are looking to minimise overhead costs while still maintaining a professional image. 

Another group of people who typically use virtual offices are SMEs. This is because small to medium sized enterprises are generally looking to expand or operate in multiple locations and may use virtual offices to establish a presence in new markets without committing to long-term leases.

Think about it, It’s a cost-effective way to test out new markets and grow their business footprint, without actually having a physical office in those areas.

Freelancers and independent contractors can also benefit from a virtual office, as they often work from home but need a professional address to present to clients. A virtual office will give them a proper business address and access to meeting rooms when face-to-face meetups are required.

At Tramshed Tech, our virtual memberships operate based on a virtual office model.  Get in touch with a friendly member of our team to learn more! 

The Top 7 Benefits of a Virtual Office For Your Business

7 top benefits of a virtual office include:

1. You Will Save Money

First and foremost, a virtual office will allow your business to save money. 

With a virtual office, you eliminate the costs of lots of furniture, desks, storage areas, and other expenses like telephone lines and printing costs. 

What’s more, using a virtual office service for external services such as call handling and diary management, you’ll be cutting even more costs, as you don’t have to employ more people to deal with these responsibilities.

According to NerdWallet, equipment cost startups between $10,000 and $125,000.

2. They Offer Significant Flexibility and Convenience

As virtual offices don’t require the traditional use of office space, everyone in the business (owners and employees) can work from any location, as long as there’s a strong internet connection. This means that they can access the tools and services they need to operate effectively, while at home, in a coffee shop, or on the move.

They’re also super convenient as they often provide access to meeting rooms, coworking spaces, and administrative support on a pay-as-you-go basis. This means you only pay for what you need when you need it.

At Tramshed Tech, we understand that running a business is a balancing act and freedom to be agile is key, which is why we’ve built flexibility into our coworking and virtual memberships.

So, whether you want to work from different locations every day, need a hot desk now and then, or are looking for a firm base to scale your venture, we’ve got you covered.

Learn more about our coworking and virtual memberships here. 

3. Environmental Benefits

As virtual offices eliminate the need for a physical office, this in turn eliminates the daily commute to and from work (which for some, could be an hour or two in the car or on public transport.

Removing the need to travel makes virtual offices an environmentally friendly option compared to traditional office spaces, as cutting the commute reduces carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, this lowers your carbon footprint and contributes to a healthier, happier planet. 

What’s more, removing the commute means no more time wasted in traffic or crowded public transportation, giving employees more time to do the things they enjoy. This leads us nicely on to point number 4…

4. Increased Employee Productivity and Satisfaction

Opting to work from a virtual office rather than a traditional ‘in-person’ office environment can have a significant effect on your staff, both on employee satisfaction and in turn, productivity. 

As touched on above, virtual offices give employees the opportunity to save time and money on commuting to work, and they can set up and work from wherever they feel most comfortable, enjoying a flexible work-life balance.

Happier employees work better and produce higher quality work, it's as simple as that.

In fact, a study by Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, found that happy workers are 13% more productive, stating that ‘‘We found that when workers are happier, employees work faster by making more calls per hour worked and, importantly, convert more calls to sales,’.

5. They Provide a Professional Brand Image and Credibility

Having a professional business address via a virtual office ensures that your brand’s image remains credible and legitimate, instead of a home address.

Customer relationships are largely influenced by trust, and using a physical business address and office phone number on your business cards, website, and email will naturally help to build trust with prospects and clients. 

Also, choosing a virtual office address in a well-known, prestigious area relevant to your business enhances your brand’s image even more so. For example, if you are a tech startup, using a virtual address in a reputable location such as London, can elevate your reputation as a tech company. 

6. You Can Hire Top Talent From Anywhere in the World

Another fantastic benefit of a virtual office is access to a larger talent pool, as location is no longer a barrier.

This means you can source and hire talent from anywhere around the world without the need for them to relocate to your (otherwise) physical office. This is great for business owners as it allows them to source the best possible talent without the constraints of area or the need for a bigger office.

7. You Can Expand Quickly

Last but not least, a virtual office is a fantastic way to expand your business in a short amount of time.

Normally, growing your business as a small business owner or start-up can be incredibly challenging when you take into consideration all of the overheads and running costs. But virtual offices provide everything that a physical office can, except with less constraints and less costs.

Additionally,  virtual offices offer scalable services that grow as your business grows. When your company expands, you can simply add more services like additional phone lines, more post handling, or admin support, without the need to haul more money in a bigger physical office space.

We are Tramshed Tech: a startup ecosystem home to 50+ companies and 600+ registered members from the digital, creative and tech communities. 

We have six convenient locations in South Wales, spread across spaces in  Grangetown, Cardiff Central & Newport, Barry and Swansea.

Are you looking to maintain a professional image, reduce costs, and increase working flexibility with a virtual office? Give us a call on 029 2010 3090 or enquire via our contact form to learn more.

You can also browse our coworking memberships or check out our member benefits to find out why our spaces are great for your business.