You’ve decided you want a virtual office, but now you don’t know how to find one. Well, good news: we’re here to help. With the rise in telecommuting and working from home, there are new virtual offices springing up all over. Here are some tips for finding a virtual office that works for you.
Are you self-employed? Do you have a very small workforce? Do you find yourself wishing you had someone to help keep you from falling behind, or even get ahead of upcoming projects?
Determining the best virtual business address in the Bay Area is like trying to determine the best car to buy: It really depends on what you need and how much you want to pay. But just like you can categorize cars into commuter vehicles, luxury rides and sports cars, you can categorize virtual offices based on certain factors. Let’s break down what are the best virtual office suites in the Bay Area, based on features, location, etc.
The easy answer to the headline is yes, a virtual office is an excellent investment for start-up businesses and will make your life just a bit easier. But there are many reasons why that’s the case.
If you own a business, you already know how huge of a hub the Bay Area is. The list of huge companies that started here goes on and on (Apple, HP, Cisco, and Google just to name a few). There are many reasons that make the Bay Area a great place to run a business, but not everyone lives close enough to operate out of a bay area office. Even if you live across the country, you can still have the reputation and benefits enjoyed by a local San Francisco area company? How is this possible? By using a virtual office service.
A virtual office can include many things, but generally speaking, it is a service that includes a business address where you can receive mail, and a phone service, as well as the possibility of a physical space you can work from for a certain amount of hours per week. The purpose of a virtual office is to allow your business to have a professional feel, to show up on internet searches with a business location, and to allow you to have things shipped somewhere without having to give out your home address. Often times, virtual offices give a few different options for you to choose from, based on your business needs.
You take your business seriously, but unfortunately for some clients, working from home might give the impression that you’re not able to afford an office, when in reality, you’re a savvy business owner who refuses to pay for things that aren’t needed, rather than allocating those funds to something more necessary. Virtual offices solve the problem of creating a professional public image, without requiring you to pay rent on an office you barely use.
Say you’re talking with a new potential client, and they ask to meet with you this Monday. Your virtual office package can include access to an actual coworking space, with a professional conference room you can rent out. Say you have a vendor that needs to ship some supplies to you. Your virtual office allows you to use their address as your business address so that you don’t have to give out your personal address. You can either have your packages held, and ready for you to pick up, or shipped to you, whichever is more convenient for you.
Answering your own phones is fine, but nothing gives off a more professional feel than having a specified phone number for your business calls and messages. Give out the business phone number you receive with your virtual office package, and all messages will be forwarded to you via phone or email, depending on your preference.
When you’re running a start-up business, your current set-up is probably very minimal; very few employees, a tight budget and you may not even have a physical office.
A virtual address, and the various amenities that can come with it, is a relatively new concept that has really gotten popular in recent years. In the digital age, where people are connected in many different ways, the need for traditional offices is diminishing. If you are running a small business, you may not have the need for a full-time office, or your business may not be big enough to afford a dedicated office yet.
If this sounds a lot like your business, then you should consider a virtual address for your business. Here are some of the benefits to consider:
San Francisco is a very common choice for startups that are looking for a place to work from. The problem is that it can be incredibly pricey and hard to get to if you are commuting from outside the city. This is why many companies are looking for workspaces outside of the actual city of San Francisco.
Slowly but surely, the traditional office is becoming a thing of the past. According to a new report by PwC, only 14% of those asked prefer to work in a traditional office environment. One in five say they want to work in a virtual environment or use a coworking space. HR professionals are getting ready for the transition and predict that at least 20% of their workforce will be comprised of temporary workers or contractors by 2022.
