Many businesses would in an ideal world have a retail presence on every street corner, so as to maximise their business opportunities with their customers, though obviously financial constraints make this impractical. Having some form of relatively local presence is pretty important though, as customers generally feel more comfortable doing business with someone they feel to be just around the corner, rather than on the other side of the country or world. The costs associated with running satellite offices though can also be prohibitive, as they only make sense, if they are actually making money.
Piggy Back
Many businesses around the country could benefit from having a base, or address in another region of the country, which can deal with phone calls, business meetings and incoming and outgoing mail. Real estate costs and staff of your own can be a barrier to being able to fit it in the budget, unless of course, you are able to share some of the costs with other companies in the same situation. This doesn’t mean that you have one super crowded office with all manner of things happening from multiple diverse companies, rather that you can avail yourself of ready to function office space and staff, in place already within the marketplace.
The Virtual Office
A virtual office is essentially a multi-functional business centre that can provide you with a physical location for mailing purposes, a local phone number, as well as all of the other necessities, but because the staff there also provide similar services for other companies, with the resultant costs being shared, it becomes affordable for everybody. Many firms with standard nine to five business hours have employed a virtual receptionist to answer calls when their office is closed, so taking the next step to having the entire office taken care of is just a natural progression. Many firms are finding that a virtual address in Sydney provides the answers they have long been looking for.
Perfectly Flexible
It may end up for some companies that their business grows to the extent where it is profitable enough to bring permanent staff in and set up a full physical presence in due course. The virtual office in the meantime can handle all of your needs, however simple or complex. It can expand in an instant, with additional resources allocated to you, and shrink back again just as quickly, especially important if your business is seasonal. If you need office space for meetings, seminars or any other purpose, you pay for what you are using, without having to commit to a lease, and your costs cease the instant you are finished.
Future Growth
It is never easy to accurately gauge how well your business will be doing and how much it will have grown in two, three, five years or longer. Many a firm has got it wrong and banked on strong growth, which when it doesn’t happen, leaves them with a financial albatross and unwanted floor space dragging profits down.
A virtual office makes the most sense for opening new territories, as the costs involved are wholly predictable, making planning a much simpler process. Everything is waiting, right down to the kitchen and coffee making facilities, leaving you to focus solely on your business.
