Setting Up Your Virtual Office

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the time I went to the city and saw Jasper, the one-man band. He had a drum, cymbals, harmonica, kazoo, guitar and a keyboard. Somehow he managed to transport all of these instruments and set up ‘shop’ whenever and wherever he wanted to play. When I think about a virtual office, Jasper is who I think of. He had ‘virtually’ everything he needed at his fingertips. So, how do you translate Jasper’s idea of a virtual office to setting up your own virtual office? If you’re one person and have the skills necessary to offer a service of a product, you need to be able to present yourself to an ‘audience’ or customer-base.

What is a virtual office?

Simply put, a virtual office is the same as a physical office, but without the need for office space. You may need a physical address, but you can use a post office address or your home address. You probably need a phone number, but may not want to give out your personal number. You most likely need a fax number, possibly a conference number, and various department extensions. It’s all about the appearance of a business, without the added expenses of extra equipment, phones, or personnel.

How does a virtual office work?

A virtual office works exactly the way you believe it does. You have a product or service offering and you conduct business. Let’s take the example of Jane. She is a marketing guru who offers her clients everything from writing business/marketing plans to creating/maintaining websites. She works from a home-office and has assistance from her husband, Rob. She’s the creative one and he’s the technical guy. The question is, how do they operate their business from a home-based office? The answer is simple, they have phone numbers that ring into desk phones, but also into their mobile phones. They have the flexibility to sit at their desks or take their son and daughter to the park. Regardless of where they are, they can conduct business virtually anywhere.

How to Set Up a Virtual Office

Setting up a virtual office is pretty simple, but first you have to determine how you want your business to appear to the outside world. Take Jane, from our previous example. She is the creative head of her business. She needs a phone, a computer, and the ability to hold meetings with her clients. She will need to find a telecommunications company that offers phone service, fax service, audio/video conferencing, messaging capabilities and file transfer/storage options. 

Step 1: Determine what type of presence you want for your business. Will you need a mailing address, or will a post office box suffice. 

Step 2: Figure out how you want to communicate with your clients. Will it be solely through telephone services, or do you require the ability to video conference to ‘show’ your clients what you’re working on for them?

Step 3: Once you know what you need in a virtual office, you’ll need to start shopping for the communications company that provides the feature/services you need to conduct business (auto attendant, follow me/find me, voicemail, text messaging, etc). 

Step 4: You’ve chosen the communications service and now you’re ready to set up your virtual office. Desk phone(s), phone numbers, fax numbers, file storage, conferencing, etc.

Features of Virtual Offices

Every business owner who decides to go the virtual office route, will need to determine what communications features they will need to remain successful. Following are just a few features you’ll want to have as you do business virtually:

• Voicemail – receive calls and place them directly into your voicemail box for future response.
• Digital Fax – enjoy the flexibility of faxing documents directly from your desktop computer.
• Follow Me / Find Me – mobility is key in a virtual office setting. Going from desktop to vehicle to client appointment is a valuable asset.
• Audio/Video Conferencing – you need to be able to conduct meetings, both audio and video, with clients and colleagues. 
• File Transfer/Storage – create a document, store it for quick access and share it with colleagues, clients and vendors with just a click of your mouse.
• CRM Integration – integrate with various apps like Zoho or Saleforce for even more control

Advantages of a Virtual Office

• Reduced Cost – when you don’t have a brick and mortar and have to pay for the heat to stay on, the reduced costs of running a virtual office become quite apparent.
• Flexibility – having the ability to work remotely in a virtual office environment gives you the opportunity to work any time, any where and on any device.
• Increased Productivity – you are the arbiter of your own work hours within a virtual office environment. If you have a brainstorm at 2am, you can move to your laptop and whip out a 3-page document and still have time left to go back to bed until the alarm clock wakes you for the day.
• Mobility – having the ability to move from your office to your car to the dentist's office and still take your virtual office with you is so powerful. You are the one behind the driver's seat and anywhere becomes your office.

Disadvantages of a Virtual Office

• Social Interactions – having a virtual office sometimes means giving up that 10 am and 2 pm water cooler gatherings. With a virtual office, you need to be aware of how important it is to stop and smell the coffee.
• Personal Time – with a virtual office, you are accessible 24/7/365. You would benefit from features such as auto attendant, follow me/find me, and voicemail.
• Family/Life Balance – you may get so wrapped up in living in the virtual office space, that you forget to take stock of why you decided to move to a remote/virtual situation. Don’t let 24/7/365 accessibility be your downfall. Take time with your family and enjoy the life you’ve made for yourself.

Setting Up Your Virtual Office

When you're ready to set up your own virtual office and set up your unified communication solution, set up a time to meet with our team. Or learn more about our business VoIP systems.