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The Virtual Office Group
P R E S S R E L E A S E 28th May, 2010
TOP TEN TIPS FOR THE PROSPECTIVE VIRTUAL WORKER
The Virtual Office Group Shares Top Ten Tips for a Successful
Virtual Office
With many start-up entrepreneurs and corporate entities
considering the benefits of establishing avirtual office to enable
them to attract quality business and staff, the Virtual Office
Group in Piccadillyhas compiled a comprehensive list of useful tips
to facilitate the decision-making process. Some ofthese
recommendations are the result of feedback from existing clients of
the Groups Virtual Office
Services, many of whom have been with the company for over a
decade. Please visitwww.voffice.com for more information.
1/ Are youthe right type to work from home?Do you have what it
takes to work successfully from home? Many start-up entrepreneurs
andhome workers admit it can be more difficult to maintain a
healthy work/life balance and findthey work longer hours. Research
suggests that out-going, socially oriented and
experiencedprofessionals are more likely to be successful working
from home as they are more committedto keeping in touch with
clients and colleagues and tend to be better organised.
2/ Decide if the advantages of a Virtual Office will benefit
your business from the outsetHow do you feel about clients knowing
where you live and having access to your homenumber or mobile? Do
you need to meet your clients face-to-face occasionally? Is
animpressive address going to help secure important business from
the outset, i.e. do you needto project an image from the start or
is this an aspect that can be deferred until your businessis more
secure? For a relatively insignificant financial outlay, the
benefits of presenting animpressive business address via a Virtual
Office (incorporating mail forwarding and a central0207 telephone
prefix) may be a crucial component of a start-up business plan.
3/ Research virtual office contenders for the most suitable
optionIt is not wise to compromise on the selection of the Virtual
Office Service provider. Althoughseveral providers have W1
postcodes, the location may in reality be more obscure and
lessimpressive than the one promoted so it is important to visit
the actual address advertised.
4/ Inspect the premises and meet the staff who will be your
clients first point of contactSeveral budget virtual office
companies outsource their address services from other
officebuildings and in reality occupy a negligible area in the one
advertised. Subsequently businesspost is often in the hands of
casual employees and there is no direct access to the
personhandling client mail. In some cases, call centres are also
outsourced to areas outside thecountry. Be sure to request a
thorough inspection of the call centre and all areas of theserviced
office providing the virtual office services advertised. Examine
the reception area,meeting rooms and hotdesk facilities and make
sure these are well maintained and of asufficient standard to suit
your business needs.
5/ Go through the virtual office provider charges carefullyCheck
for hidden costs as it is not uncommon for virtual office service
providers to surpriseclients with costs for hidden extras such as
itemised mail forwarding or additional callforwarding charges, and
registration fees.
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Top Ten Tips for a Virtual Office Workercont/2
6/ Dont compromise on quality supporttechnology servicesMany
start-up entrepreneurs have discovered that the discipline of
making things happen on ashoe-string is invaluable. Research is the
key. Make sure that the technology purchased isgenuinely needed and
up-to-date as it is essential to spend sensibly on office
supportequipment. It is important to buy quality premium equipment,
preferably energy-saving. Inaddition, many professionals who
routinely work from home rely to a large extent on email and
mobile phones, and may not be aware of the diversity of low-cost
support technologies suchas web-conferencing and remote computer
maintenance and problem solving.
7/ Promote your new green credentialsAre you environmentally
aware? Is cutting down your corporate carbon footprint important
toyou? This is another good reason to consider going virtual as
working from home not onlysaves on fuel energy such as heating and
lighting costs, but can comprise significant savingsin capital
expenditure (for office equipment) and home to office
commuting.
8/ Attract quality talentProspective employers are discovering
that by adapting existing business operation modelsto offer
flexible working solutions, they are able to attract the most
sought after staff. It isimportant to identify the technology and
services best suited to enabling employees to remain
productive and effective. Decide to what extent you need support
staff services.do youreally need to employ in-house or can a
virtual office service take on some of the load?Additional factors
such as maintaining operating efficiency in the face of possible
pandemicsand seasonal absenteeism should also be considered.
Corporate agility separates thewinners from the also ran these
days.
9/ Promote flexible cashflow management practicesSophisticated
telecommunication tools these days can enable business owners to
managecashflow on a daily basis from wherever on the move while
killing time in a taxi or at the busstop, for instance. In
addition, some quality virtual office service providers, such as
the VirtualOffice Group - are able to assist SMEs with elementary
accounting and book-keepingservices on behalf of their clients.
10/ Outsource sensibly and monitor performanceMake sure that you
have researched suppliers and are aware of standard market
charges.Always select companies with a proven track records and
testimonials/credentials and go forquality. Have clear benchmarks
and expectations and monitor performance.
- Ends -
About the Virtual-Office Group:
British businessman Richard Nissen established superior serviced
offices in prestigious Piccadilly in1980 to provide flexible
business accommodation and support services to an expanding SME
market.In 1992, in a similarly challenging economic climate, he
pioneered and registered the Virtual Officetelecommunications
solution allowing non-resident city professionals to project a
central Londonaddress and telephone prefix with a selection of
reliable support services. The same year Nissen co-founded what is
known today as the ABCN (Alliance of Business Centres Network) to
provide accessto over 600 locations in over 42 countries worldwide.
In 1996 the Group became a certified ISO 9001company by the BVQi
the British arm of the prestigious global standardisation
association in order toensure premium service standards. It is
believed that the VOG is the only serviced office
providerinternationally to be the holder of this coveted industry
benchmark of excellence. Please visitwww.voffice.com
For more information:
Sally-Ann Mannas,Group Operation and Marketing ManagerThe
Virtual Office GroupEmail:
[email protected]
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