how virtual offices work
virtual offices operate as one unit to serve customers but do not exist in a fixed location this type of setup is especially popular with startups and small businesses that want to minimize overhead the creation of web based office productivity software and services such as videoconferencing has helped drive the growth in virtual offices a virtual office can also lead to greater productivity as its services free workers from administrative tasks as well as commutes each employee can work from the location that is most convenient and the business is not restricted to hiring employees who live locally as more people find ways to work remotely the benefits of a virtual office are immediately noticeable however not everything is as easy as it seems some may find scheduling of virtual office space no different than the time consuming scheduling conflicts inherent in a physical office advantages and disadvantages of a virtual officethe appeal of a virtual office to users is twofold first the monthly cost of a virtual office is far less than that of a traditional office after all it has none of the maintenance and upkeep costs nor does it need to be staffed a virtual office can also be secured via a month to month lease so there is greater flexibility if a user s business changes no waiting for a lease to expire or incurring the cost of a broken lease costs for using a virtual office can range from under 40 to more than 200 per month the more services that are added on the more expensive it will be second a virtual office can provide a mailing address telephone answering and videoconferencing services therefore a small business can appear larger than it is it also can provide a physical address or multiple addresses for users to meet clients sometimes the address can lend an aura of prestige to a virtual office user such as if the address is a well known location or street a professional phone answering service can have the same effect some of the services that a virtual office arrangement offers require pre planning to utilize for example many packages come with limited use of conference rooms or limited teleconferencing and videoconferencing services virtual offices also may have restricted access on nights and weekends users may find the lack of flexibility limiting and inconvenient there is also the potential for distractions that come with working from home and therefore some workers might not be as productive when operating in a virtual office environment 