Preparing to transfer your business to a virtual office
So you have decided to make the switch from your traditional office space to a virtual office. This is a great way to save some money, expand your professional network, and gain some flexibility, but it is still important to prepare your company for the transition if you want to implement this change successfully. By following some of our helpful guidelines, suggestions, and tips.
Learn what to expect from a virtual office
Virtual offices offer a whole host of different features and services including:
- A professional business address and/or phone number
- Mail receipt and forwarding
- Call answering by a live receptionist and call forwarding
- Access to physical office space, including private offices and conference rooms
- Essential business services at the physical office space, including:
- High-speed WiFi
- Printing
- Fax
- Audio/visual presentation hardware
- Basic catering, such as coffee, tea, and light snacks
- Access to other office locations in the provider’s network
- Occasional networking and social events
If employees will be joining you
Change can be unsettling for anyone, especially employees of a company. That is why if you are transitioning to a virtual office it is important to keep your team and employees up to date on the office transition. When talking with them, make sure they understand all of the benefits of the virtual office.
Spend some time thinking about the implications of an office switch and what it will truly mean for your employees.
Set your virtual office structure
Most of the time when employees are hired into a company, their pay is based on the traditional time-based payment. Therefore current employees might be accustomed to the pay based on hours worked.
But, in a virtual office, expectations are not normally based on hours worked. This new structure requires leaders and employees to look at their job duties from an outcome-based perspective.
When switching towards a quality and quantity over time, it is important to make sure these expectations are set before making the switch to a virtual office.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Will this impact how your business is run, will any job descriptions change?
- Invest in the tools a virtual office needs to succeed
- Be willing to be flexible
Cloud sharing technology is great for startups and small companies
Since you will not be sharing the same physical space as your colleagues, it would make sense to set up some sort of document sharing amongst coworkers. One of the most popular cloud sharing tools is Google Drive, which has more than enough space for startups and small companies. Another one that you could also use is Dropbox.
Start with a trial period to test out your work structure (test out your virtual office space)
Virtual office spaces help your business to appear larger or more prestigious than it may yet be as well as the flexibility to base it elsewhere while you work in a more convenient location. Virtual office providers offer a range of services from receiving and forwarding your mail to professional receptionists, physical office space you can use as needed, and meeting hosting services.
Book a virtual office today!
Once you have finally come up with a strategy and built a plan to start using a virtual office, the final step before fully committing to it is to test it out.