8 Reasons You Need a Virtual Office Solution
The genie is out of the bottle when it comes to a virtual office solution and hybrid working arrangements. The work-from-home normal during the COVID-19 pandemic overturned long-held beliefs that remote workers are less productive, more distracted, and uncollaborative. Solopreneurs discovered that they are just as productive — and maybe more — working from their home offices as from a fixed workspace. Business leaders and managers who thought their workers would shirk their responsibilities and unable to adapt to remote work found the exact opposite happened.
Remote Work Is Here to Stay
81% of companies in a study late last year indicate they plan to have more remote workers post-pandemic. A study by the Harvard Business School found that 16% of workers will remain at-home workers long after the pandemic has receded. The researchers also discovered that industries with better educated and higher paid workers likely will see higher rates of workers who continue working from home.
Other studies have similar conclusions. HR resources consulting firm Mercer found that one-third of companies believe over half of their workforces will work remotely after the pandemic. This compares to 1 in 30 companies pre-pandemic.
It isn’t simply companies that are planning for remote work post-pandemic. Two-thirds of workers in a survey conducted by recruitment company Hays indicate they plan to continue working remotely after the pandemic dissipates. Those embracing long-term remote work plans span the spectrum of titles. Indeed, more director-level professionals adhere to the idea than any other professional strata.
Why You Should Use A Virtual Office Solution
A virtual office solution offers solopreneurs and businesses a flexible, cost-effective solution—whether for those who work from home 100% of the time or those with hybrid work environments where some of the time is spent working from home and some from a workspace. The following is a list of reasons why a virtual office solution is a great solution for many solopreneurs and business professionals:
Remote Work Lowers CapEx
Numerous companies—big and small—are making plans for post-pandemic remote work by eliminating permanent real estate workspace. Fewer than one in five executives indicate they want to return to the office as it was pre-pandemic. Almost one in nine are making changes to their real estate strategy, which include consolidating office space in premier locations and opening more satellite locations.
A More Affordable, Flexible Alternative
Most executives believe their teams still need in-person interactions and collaboration. According to PwC, over half of executives plan to build satellite locations to accommodate a hybrid workforce. While this might make sense in some cases, co-working space and other virtual office solutions offer a much better option—from cost to flexibility. Permanent real estate and long-term leases are expensive and not ideal for many.
Professional Addresses
For solopreneurs and businesses that go 100% remote and those with hybrid work strategies that include opening workspace in more locations closer to where their workers live, a virtual office solution offers professional office addresses that garner respect. A virtual office solution comes with mail receipt and forwarding (for those who are working from home), a lobby director listing, and even entity formation services for those opening operations in a new state (to expand business and build greater business presence). This is particularly compelling for businesses seeking to expand into new locations without the overhead of a permanent office.
Professional Workspace and Meeting Space
Many virtual office solutions include options for co-working space, day offices, and rented meeting space. While a percentage of professionals and businesses will opt to go 100% remote, the reality is that a majority will embrace hybrid workspace strategies where two or three days are spent working from home offices and two or three days are spent in some type of workspace environment with other professionals.
Securing a virtual office solution that also offers working space, day offices, and rented conference rooms is important. In some cases, professionals and businesses may use the same workspace location every time. In other instances, however, they may elect to use different workspace locations depending on who is involved in meetings, the proximity to other business tasks, and so forth.
Separate Work Life from Home Life
For professionals who use their home address as their mailing address, an intertwining of their work and personal lives can occur. Plus, while home offices can provide solitude and uninterrupted work most of the time, there are occasions when home life can creep into work life and time in a professional workspace can provide a nice respite.
Benefits of a Lobby Greeter
Most virtual offices come with a lobby greeter who add a professional touch by welcoming clients and visitors to the office, answering questions, and providing other forms of assistance. As many solopreneurs and small businesses cannot afford to hire receptionists to greet clients and visitors in their permanent offices, virtual offices offer a huge plus here.
The Support of a Business Support Centre
Virtual offices also come with administrative services that can be leveraged in any number of ways, such as…
- Photocopying
- Color printing
- Faxing
- Mailing
- Shipping and receiving
- Office supplies
- And more
The availability of a business support centre enables solopreneurs and businesses to remain focused on their work, client meetings, interviews, training sessions, and other business-critical activities.
Boost to Website SEO
Most solopreneurs and businesses do not realise it, but listing a professional business address on your website is advantageous when it comes to search engine optimisation. A physical professional business address listed as your place of business helps boost search ranking results. Of course, to do so, a business must ensure they have a business profile on Google.
Virtual Offices Enabling Post-Pandemic Business Transformation
Businesses literally catapulted 5 to 10 years ahead in their transformation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adoption of hybrid workspace strategies and recognition that remote work is advantageous—from recruitment and retention of workers to higher productivity—has been an important part of this transformational dynamic. A critical enabler to this transformation for solopreneurs and businesses is virtual offices.
For more information about a Virtual Office Solution and Serviced Offices for Rent Barnet, North London contact Highstone Business Centre.
The original version of this article was published in www.davincivirtual.com.