You have made a very smart move in deciding to use a virtual office instead of a physical one. You have weighed up the pros and cons and obviously, they outweigh the other in terms of cost, viability and how much it matches your business model. Looking at the market, you realise there is a plethora of ways that you can set up a virtual office and some companies offer a one stop solution for you. Personally I would not go down the software route, which gives you a matrix – a sort of office interface to manage your daily needs. These usually come with an automated voice reply system as well as an automated email reply system.

I find this too mechanical and much too human. You should give the companies who only offer this sort of system a miss too because in the long run, giving your company the human touch is a lot better than making it seem robotic and impersonal. It goes to your branding efforts which could be undone by unhappy customers who feel all cold when they try to call you up and you’re busy in a meeting or a presentation. Every companies brand should be associated with a warmth associated with handshake and a smile.

It should speak to the consumer and it should convey trust – something only a human voice and a listening ear can handle. Always choose a virtual office that allows you to choose the type of secretary or call assistant that suits you. Usually, some of these companies will outsource these services to external homesourced parties – which ironically enough operate in a ‘virtual home office’ on their own. Also, take a gander at the list of services they have (compare it to the price!) and it must be comprehensive.

Things like a centralized fax number, digital print services, providing a physical mailing address as well as other services like being able to acquire ‘virtual meeting’ software as well as the option to rent a physical boardroom for those all important meetings and presentations that demand the physical presence the clinch the deal. There is a lot to be said about choosing a virtual office that isn’t right for you and this could cause a lot of stress and undue problems.

The key to choosing the right virtual office is ease of operations and a smooth flow of daily activities. It should be the hub, the centralised point of distribution for all documents and there should be an interface where you can access everything about your business through a computer. The synchronization of software and hardware along with the human touch will make a virtual office, a virtually perfect one – one that allows you to breathe easy and concentrate on churning out the profits.

The cost must be kept low as well – there is no point turning to a digital solution when all you have to show it is a monthly bill is ridiculously high. These are the issues of importance when choosing a right virtual office.

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