I am assuming that you are scanning this convinced of why you will need a virtual office and how it can benefit you. If you need some convincing why virtual office would work for you, you probably need to read my earlier article. But this article is to give you some information from an insider’s point of view on the to look out for when choosing a virtual office suitable for you or your business.
Here are a few tips which will be helpful for you.
- Understanding your business needs.
Different provider will have different emphasis. Some emphasize on the respect of their address, some on the professionalism and reliability of their receptionist, call answering service or meeting rooms. If you have the business needs of regular usage of meeting rooms and meeting facilities, you should obviously pick one that can cater to your meeting needs.
- It’s all about the address.
Every address has its image and reputation, Prestige Park Grove just like any other brand. An address is like a brand. Generally you want to avoid an address with a bad reputation, like crime or illegal activities. It may be just a virtual office address we talking about, but it still matter if the address location is full of failed businesses. A prestigious, prime and robust commercial address is actually a great choice. An easy reference is to compare contrary to the location’s commercial rental and property sales value. The higher the property price of the location, usually the more respect or prime the virtual office address.
- Location, location, location
Virtual office may not be an office that you go to work, but it does matter how convenient it is for you to access to grab your mails or have meetings. Are there many roads leading to the venue? How’s the traffic condition during peak and non-peak hours?
- Parking facilities
Do you need to waste a lot of time looking for parking and pay a hefty amount for the parking fee each time when you check out at the virtual office to grab your mails?
- Who are the others who live nearby?
This certainly supports the respect image of the office address, if many other successful and big brands or multinational companies are in the same commercial building or block or region.
- Look out for hidden cost and additional charges.
This is one of the vital factors while choosing the right virtual office provider. Many may seem cheaper based on the published rate, but you may end up paying more at the end of the year. For example, many may offer free fax number, but charge by per page received. Others may offer you meeting rooms, but the constant room rates may be more expensive than the usual 5-star hotel.
Some providers offer other value-added services, such as dispatch or booking keeping. You may want to know how they charge for those services. Does the provider charge an additional introduction fee or do they mark-up from the vendor or both? Are they transparent about their charges?
Lastly, other than the tips above, it may be good to know if the virtual office philosophy is owned or leased by the owner. Can you imagine how troublesome it would be, if sometime they decide to move due to some tenancy issue?