What is a virtual office space?

Virtual office space refers to all of the elements, tools and procedures that companies use to enable employees to telecommute while still maintaining a single cohesive team. Entrepreneurs who want to build a new digital company and established business owners who want to shift their operations online both use virtual office spaces to streamline their operations and facilitate communication with clients and employees.

Related: 4 office layouts: Pros and cons for your business

Elements of a virtual office space

You can register with a virtual office service that provides you with a full suite of digital and physical office tools in exchange for a monthly or per-service charge, or you can create your own virtual office space that is personalized to meet your unique business needs. Whether you set up your own custom virtual office space or purchase a plan from a third-party company, a comprehensive virtual office space includes these key elements:

• Online phone systems
• Company domain name and email system
• Text and video chat servers
• Digital storage
• Cloud-based software and apps
• Mailing services
• Access to conference rooms and shared workstations
• Printing services
• Virtual assistants or receptionists
• Physical storage

Benefits of having a virtual office spaces

Virtual office spaces expand workspace options for business owners and managers who want to adapt to an increasingly digital society. Building the infrastructure for a virtual office at your company allows you to develop important assets for your company culture and workflow:

Flexibility

Virtual offices provide flexible workstations for you and your employees, allowing you to instantly connect to a work environment whether you are in a physical office for the day, travelingto meet with clients or working from home. With more employees telecommuting to work, giving people the option towork remotely from a virtual office space can make your company more appealing to new hires and enable current employees to access business resources whenever and wherever they need.

Legitimacy

Virtual office spaces provide clients and business contacts with a simple point of contact that they can use to interact with your company, whether they are sending mail, emails or calls. Your virtual office space can make your business more searchable, giving potential clients access to reliable contact information when they look for your registered business.

Continuity

Your virtual office space can become a central location for everything that happens in your company, including workflows, human resources activities, client communications and business records. Having established tools for your virtual office makes it easy to access information as your company grows or migrates business data to new applications in the future.

Productivity

Employees can use a virtual office space to ask questions, receive feedback and collaborate as a team regardless of their physical location, allowing them to be more productive. Virtual office spaces give employees the option to customize their work environment in a way that optimizes their personal productivity. For example, being in your own space and getting to work with your pets in your own home while listening to your favorite music can boost your mood and improve motivation.

Related: Office Pets: Pros and Cons of Dogs in the Workplace

Tips for establishing a virtual office space

If you want to build your virtual office space from scratch instead of outsourcing to a flexible workspace company, try implementing these key strategies:

Register an address

Most places require you to have a physical address listed in order to register your business as an LLC or corporation so that you can receive legal and tax documents by mail. Small entrepreneurs may start off by using their home address, but as their business grows, they may want something that provides more personal privacy like a business mailbox at a mailing institution. Avoid using a post office box through the USPS, because most banking institutions will not accept P.O. box addresses for financial communications.

Identify physical resources

Perform an inventory of all of the physical resources you may need at your business. The amount of physical storage and meeting space you need will vary based on the size and industry of your company. Understanding what your physical needs are ahead of time can help you budget for the appropriate amount of rental space.

Provide employees with the appropriate equipment

To successfully run a digital business, make sure that you have a way to provide your employees with all the tools they will need to succeed, including laptops, desktop monitors, high-speed internet connections, webcams and other tools. Select software that is easy to use and gives everyone access to the information they need to assess their success.