The working world is always evolving, with today’s workplace looking and functioning very differently from the one I started working in, not so long ago. One of the most significant innovations is the fact that less people are working in what we might call a traditional office setting. More and more, we see people working remotely, whether it be from home, a cafe or a shared office space.

Virtual offices have provided an excellent alternative to a traditional office set up. Let’s take a look at some of the most important benefits they provide:

1. You’ll get a professional address 

   You may be able to get by, at least for the time being, by working out of your home. But do you really want to use your personal home address as your business address? It will only take a potential customer a few seconds to see that it’s a residential address, which may make a different impression than the one you’d like to make. And who wants business contacts showing up at your end, especially during off-hours? Depending on your line of work, it may be important to maintain an actual address (not just a P.O. Box) in a particular municipality, and a virtual office can provide just that.

    

2. It’s a cost saver.
   

   OK, it doesn’t cost less than working on your kitchen table, but it’s a huge savings in comparison to renting a full office. Why pay for a lot of extra, expensive real estate, when you may only need a conference room, and even that, only occasionally. A virtual office gives you only the services and space you need, at a fraction of the cost of a traditional office.

    

3. You get a receptionist, without having to pay a salary.

   One of the perks of a virtual office is that it includes the services of a receptionist. Having a human answer your phone in a professional manner just sounds so much better to your potential clients than giving out your home number or even your cell phone. And the best part of it is that you don’t actually have to hire this person. They’re on staff (and payroll) of the virtual office company, and their services are included in your monthly contract.

    

4. You’ll have access to a conference room in a business environment.

While you may not need a full-time office space, there are certainly some things that I’m sure you’d prefer not to do within your home. Meeting important clients and contacts is certainly one of those. As beautiful as I’m sure your home is, I doubt that it’s where you want to host a meeting with a potential client. And a conference room in a professional office suite sure beats setting up a meeting in a cafe, doesn’t it?