Before deciding how many different types of virtual offices and services exist out there, it’s best to come up with a definition of what we are talking about with a virtual office. Many people think of virtual offices as different things. For our purpose in this article let us define a virtual office as such:

A virtual office is merely a physical location that houses all of the things you would want in your own physical office building, however in a virtual office you don’t occupy the office necessarily. You use certain services and may share others to have the functionality of a full service office without the cost of employees and equipment to bear. This cost is shared by all of the users of the office space, equipment and services.

With that in mind let us talk about the different types of virtual office companies out there and the services that they provide.

You can find lots of different size and locations of office suite and that rent different services by the hour, week or month. The services you would find in this type of facility are generally:

A virtual receptionist: This is a type of virtual office helper that you pay a fee to use for their service. They may answer phones, receive mail, forward mail, pay bills and so on. The list of services for a virtual receptionist is limited only by your budget and your imagination.

A telephone answering service: This service generally provides you with a local number that you can use as your own. They company will answer the phone as if you occupied the building. They will use your name or your business name when answering and basically give the impression that you are in the office. Messages will be taken and relayed to you. They may even transfer calls directly to you, once again giving the impression that you are in the building.

Virtual office address: One of the biggest reasons most smaller businesses or business owners may seek a virtual office is for an address. Nothing smells of small time more than using a home address or PO Box. You might as well announce that you are a one-man show. With the variety of nice office suites and office building addresses you can give the impression that you have a location in most any area in the United States or the world for that matter. And, in combination with the services shown above, nobody will know that you are not in a large premium office space with employees and all.

Conference rooms and meeting space: If you have access to a virtual office company in your general vicinity, one of the nice offerings is the ability to use a professional fully equipped conference room. When meeting with a client or business associate, who wants to meet at Starbucks? With many companies willing to rent premium meeting rooms at a reasonable price, it only makes sense to put your best foot forward. Often times these conference rooms come with coffee and tea, white boards, conference phone, big screen monitors and other big dollar features. It’s a great way to offer the professional appearance that you want for your prospects or associates.

Many other services are offered, things like shared office suites, time-share type office space, couches, chairs, phones, you name it. If someone wants to rent it by the hour it is almost certainly available. When all else fails, Google it.