Faced with the difficulties of commuting to work every day as a result of the pandemic caused by the now-famous Covid-19 virus, all business professionals have been forced to reinvent themselves and adapt to this new situation if they want to continue keeping their businesses afloat.
The imposed obligation to remain temporarily confined to our homes has led to the establishment of teleworking in a very high percentage of jobs. There is now a lot of talk about a breaking the traditional model of work, in which the employee travels to their office every day to perform their duties, observing some of the benefits of teleworking, such as convenience and savings in travel time and costs.
This has led many companies to rethink their way of working from now on. And what's the best way to achieve this? Virtual Offices. However, Are all the benefits that this way of working offers us?
This post is intended to show the advantages that a virtual office can offer to a company, but also what are the disadvantages that can go hand in hand with this new trend.
As we mentioned in a previous postA Virtual Office is a space dedicated to offering companies and professionals a series of services, of which we can point out, for example: Call reception, mail reception and messaging, Legal domiciliation (social and/or tax) of the company, Visiting services, tax/labor advisory services, website creation, and digital marketing, use of spaces to work o meetings by the hour, etc. Below, I list the positive and negative aspects that these offices offer us:
ADVANTAGES.
Advantage #1. Low initial investment cost.
One of the biggest handicaps when starting a new business project is the initial investment. Having your own office requires setting it up. It is very common for entrepreneurs to underestimate this aspect because they think the office is “ready to move in”. I have been hearing this phrase for 10 years, with invariable disappointment in those who say it. Even companies with extensive experience minimize the costs of setting up a space for their professional activity. The cost of setting up an office is around €300-500/square metre, as explained in this post. The initial investment to start enjoying a virtual office service is $0, which provides significant financial added value. In the case of our fixed office service, there's also no initial investment, but monthly expenses are higher than with a virtual office. We'll discuss this point in the next section.
Advantage #2: Minimize fixed costs.
The Virtual Office service frees you from paying for a space, as well as the associated consumption (electricity, cleaning, maintenance, internet line, insurance…). The Virtual Office will give you the flexibility that these times require. It is very important that the team at the Workspace you choose can offer you the most personalized treatment possible, because the idea is that you can consider your workspace as your own office, that is the key. Those who hire the services of a Virtual Office are those who opt for payment per use, but we insist, make sure that you will be treated in a personalized way. If you come with a client, the entire team must know you perfectly, being able to provide you with treatment according to your needs.
Advantage #3. You can work from anywhere, anytime.
This factor is truly attractive, as it breaks the structural and temporal limitations of working in a single physical space. If you have a computer with an internet connection and a mobile phone that allows you to make calls, you're all set.
Advantage #4. The convenience of setting your own schedule.
The flexibility that comes with doing your work wherever you want is unlimited. You can organise your day as it suits you best and thus take advantage of the hours when you are most motivated and therefore most productive. This new work model is very attractive to the new generations of workers, who stand out for having the most up-to-date and valuable knowledge at the time and who we are all interested in attracting and retaining in our company. We should not forget those workers who live in more remote places and for whom travelling to a workplace means a significant decrease in their quality of life and daily motivation.
Advantage #5 Savings in time and transportation costs.
This advantage can be extremely attractive for all those workers who spend long periods of time every day just commuting to work. Metro, local trains, bus, etc. Time and money are saved by working from their own homes and “establishing their headquarters” in a virtual office. For those who have to drive their own cars, the fact of forgetting about long traffic jams increases their quality of life in a very noticeable way.
Advantage #6. Improved company image.
Coworking spaces that offer Virtual Office services are usually located in very central locations, in office buildings, and have facilities that provide a strong presence. If you can find a center that offers all of this, while also making you feel special, you'll have found the ideal solution: more for less.
Advantage #7. They allow capillarity in the expansion of your business.
Workspaces that offer this service will allow you to cover multiple markets at a reduced cost. Many of them allow you to have multiple geographic numbers from different regions, or even countries.
Advantage #8. Maximum flexibility and immediacy.
Virtual offices allow you to set up a sales office in a matter of minutes, dismantle it, transform it or expand it. It is the ideal solution for these times, when immediate response is essential. Use different meeting rooms, hire customised services without any commitment, paying only for what you really need when you need it.
DISADVANTAGES.
Disadvantage #1. You have just entered the complicated world of technology.
By having your Virtual Office take care of all your administrative tasks, you can focus on the core of your business, but… Realize that your greatest ally from now on will be technology. It will be absolutely essential that you master certain digital skills that will not always be easy to handle. Agility in learning and mastering certain technological programs is essential.
Disadvantage #2. Absolute dependence on an Internet connection.
From now on, the internet will define your work rhythm. It will be practically essential for carrying out each and every one of your tasks. Cloud-based programs, videoconferences with your colleagues, web platforms, online programs, etc. Therefore, if your internet connection fails, you will be completely unable to carry out your work.
Disadvantage #3. Lack of coordination with the rest of your team.
You are free to set your own schedules throughout the work day, right? Well, the rest of the team members also set their own work schedules freely and individually. This means that sometimes coordinating all the members of the company is a difficult task. When you have finished a task that requires the work of your colleague to be completed, it turns out that this colleague has not yet finished the previous task and you are left behind and having to wait at the pace of the rest. If joint schedules are not established or very specific objectives are set to be met, your team may end up working out of sync and productivity may drop dramatically. Once again, technology will help you a lot in this regard.
Desventaja #4. Lack of interpersonal communication.
It is true that the use of mobile phones or video conferencing allows us to communicate instantly with the person on the team we want. However, there may also be cases in which it is impossible for us to engage in a telematic conversation due to wireless connections, coverage, or the simple unavailability of the receiver. Therefore, it is still essential to carry out a telematic conversation. regular team meetings to personally deal with all aspects of the business and maintain a clear and harmonious rhythm.
But don't worry, because every problem has its solution:
Solution #1. Rely on a trained professional team.
At Inspira Workspaces, we offer consulting, marketing, and online positioning services, and we'll always try to help you with any technological issues you might have missed.
Solution #2. Rely on a foolproof IT team.
This way, you'll ensure you have a good connection to the internet and your server. Our team offers you an exclusive Webex service so you can maintain the highest quality digital conversations possible. You tell us the time and which members will be attending, and we'll take care of the rest.
Solution #3 and #4: Team connection is very important: hold regular meetings with them.
At Inspira Workspaces we have been offering the service of offices and rooms for meetings for many years. Countless companies have visited our facilities regularly to hold conferences, training sessions or simple business meetings to update the entire team on the external and internal environment of the company's structure. It is essential to hold regular meetings to maintain order and coordination with the rest of the team, to discuss issues or doubts, or to think of new growth strategies together.
