Virtual Office Working - Five Key Issues

To succeed as a mobile entrepreneur requires effective daily management and organisation with a focusing on clients and the needs of the business.

There is rarely a typical day and home based workers often rely on smart phones and instant messaging to manage projects and time. The growth in Virtual Offices is explained by the growing number of businesses performing this juggling act.

Outsourcing telephone answering plus administrative and secretarial duties can free up time to concentrate. Many virtual office companies also have bricks and mortar locations for you to meet clients or pitch for new business, removing the need for business insurance or provision of additional space at your home.

Depending on the business the benefits of presenting a credible business address via a Virtual Office (which can include mail forwarding and or specific city telephone prefix) may be an important element in the corporate image an entrepreneur may wish to project. Before making a decision about whether a virtual office is the right approach, or even which supplier to choose, there are a few questions which need to be addressed.

1. How do you feel about clients knowing where you live and having access to your home number or mobile?

Consider for example whether an 0207 telephone number with a live virtual receptionist would help to manage day to day calling activity. For example, are there large numbers of incoming calls or just a trickle. If the former, a virtual receptionist can screen out time wasters. If the latter, make sure the decision is taken for good business reasons rather than vanity.

2. Do you need to project a professional image from the start or is this an aspect that can be deferred until the business is more secure?

Is a business address going to help secure clients? Some virtual office providers offer a pretty flexible service. This allows business owners to make changes to their requirements as the needs of the business change. Check contractual terms and make sure that there is a facility to increase or reduce service levels as the business grows or to cope with challenging market conditions.

3. Meet the virtual office supplier if you can.

There are some budget virtual office providers in the market that may be perfectly adequate for the needs of many small or start up businesses. For instance, such companies would offer just an address to put on a company website. Do consider all the future trajectories the business can take. Visit the location of the virtual address, meet the staff handling the mail and telephone calls, inspect the reception area, meeting rooms and the areas of interest

4. Is there a plan to have a physical office one day?

Make sure the virtual office supplier can offer office space if that is a consideration for the future. Check the flexibility of the terms. This enables a business to keep the same contact details and, if the office doesn't work out, facilitates going 'virtual' again with no drama or inconvenience.

5. Is there a need to meet clients face-to-face, either now or in the future?

Go to any city centre coffee shop or hotel lobby and you will see business people meeting every day. This can be a perfectly adequate way to conduct face-to-face meetings. However, for the entrepreneur who wishes to be more than a one person business there is value in projecting a more established professional from day one. If this is the case make sure the virtual office supplier has meeting room space which is flexible (check variable room sizes and minimum usage times) and is at a location which is easily accessible for potential clients.