What is a Virtual Office? FAQs & How Does it Work?

A virtual office is a service that lets you use the office address of a private office location for business reasons, but with the flexibility of a coworking space. Although access to a physical office space is a component, virtual office users also have virtual assistants answering calls and responding to mail as they would in a traditional office – so they may never be there at all.

Flexible office spaces have been in high demand since the early post-industrial period, where access to meeting rooms and a business address was all many early white-collar companies required, thus making property rental for lots of businesses unnecessary and very expensive.

As leading providers of a range of virtual office spaces across Greater London, we are well-placed to explain what a virtual office is, how they operate and the intricacies of remote work or face-to-face serviced offices.

Get in touch with us to enquire about a virtual office in London.

How Does a Virtual Office Operate?

A virtual office operates in much the same way as an ordinary office or meeting space, but with an emphasis on sharing for small businesses and coworking. Although people may work together, not everyone using a virtual office will be associated with each other.

The fundamentals of a virtual office, which we provide through our virtual office services across London, include the following:

  • Mail handling: As a registered address for a business, a virtual office serves as a mail delivery centre. Mail can be collected from the address, or even forwarded to a more convenient address such as a director’s home, which is not available publicly.
  • Call forwarding: Virtual offices have telephone calls just like a normal office. The phone systems in the building can seamlessly forward a call to a mobile phone, landline or simply a voicemail messaging service for customer and client enquiries.
  • Reception services: Either by phone or in-person, reception services are often available in a virtual office. With a person answering each call by announcing the company name and other greetings, you create a better strength for your brand.

Many variations of the above services are seen in our membership plans, which include several buildings in Monument, Southwark and Mayfair. For example, a mail opening service can take the effort out of sorting mail. All virtual services are tiered, so they are easy to manage.

Aside from the core services above, meeting rooms are the next feature of a virtual office. Bookable per hour at a set rate, these allow the company to use the virtual office to get their business done in a professional commercial space, which casts a much better impression.

Conference rooms have all the facilities of a full office, which the user can take advantage of as and when they require. Video conferencing for important meetings and mixed virtual and in-person meetings are usually available, which creates better flexibility.

Freelancing

What Are the Benefits of a Virtual Office?

Virtual offices have some business-enabling facilities, but there are some key benefits of them  that you might not think about, which include the following:

  • No commute time, remote work means you can avoid expensive train and bus journeys into a physical office space
  • Credibility and legitimacy, a simple address carries a certain amount of weight for the professionalism and capabilities of your company
  • Productivity, with mail and calls handled for you, it is much easier to concentrate on the fundamentals of your business and devote greater time to more useful tasks

There are both long and short term options and it is easy to expand and contract as necessary, which is also very cost-effective. Overall, virtual office spaces offer great value for money.

What is a Virtual Office Example?

There are several ways to work in a virtual office. The key aspect is having a registered address, which is the outward-facing address of a business or individual contractor. In this case, working from home will be the default, but there are ways to use a virtual office’s physical space.

For example, the shared virtual office acts as a business address and is used for registration of the company, but it is possible to have occasional needs for conference rooms and other facilities. In this case, the building management can accommodate this need as required.

Some virtual offices have the option for shared working spaces, which are useful for individuals looking for a place to use fast internet, computer monitors and desks for whatever task they might like. A perk of shared space is having tea, coffee and refreshments on hand while working.

All maintenance and cleaning or other admin is taken care of by the building management and the option of working in a virtual office physically remains open. Aside from hot desks, assigned desks and even private office room arrangements can be made in a virtual office.

How to Set Up a Virtual Office Membership in London

Virtual offices allow a business to enjoy the facilities of a very large company, but with minimal costs. Paying for office space and facilities on an ad-hoc basis and with set membership tiers gives a company the ability to economically take advantage of essential business services.

You can use our services for first-class virtual offices. No matter what location you decide to select, we offer the following membership plans and prices:

  • Virtual Membership – 1 month, or £99 per month – BOOK NOW
  • Virtual Membership – 6 months, or £85 per month – BOOK NOW
  • Virtual Membership – 12 months, or £75 per month – BOOK NOW

We provide virtual offices and other business services for companies in London and beyond, so we understand the subtleties and advantages of using them. Please feel free to get in touch with us to find a virtual office membership for you and your business.

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