Before the pandemic, companies were just starting to embrace the concept of remote working. At the time, only 6% of US employees spend the majority of their time working from home offices or coffee shops across the country. This all changed in 2020 as companies scrambled to find ways to keep their companies operating while minimizing risk to their teams. It’s now estimated that 1 in 4 Americans will be working remotely by the end of 2023.

This presents companies with a new challenge as they try to balance work location flexibility with the benefits of maintaining a physical office space to operate their business. More and more companies are starting to look to virtual office space as the perfect solution.

What is a Virtual Office?

A virtual office gives companies the benefits of a physical space without the high cost, while also allowing most (if not all) of their employees to work remotely from anywhere in the world. These virtual office services are typically provided by a shared office space provider or executive suites.

For a monthly or annual fee, the shared workspace location can provides their clients with a physical business address, receptionist call answering service and meeting room time as well as access to amenities that companies can get from having a physical office space. These services include mail processing and forwarding, on-site receptionists and administrative support.

Virtual offices can also be used by semi-remote teams by providing access to a private office, desk spaces, and meeting rooms in facilities equipped with professional office technology such as high-speed internet, VoIP conference phones, multifunction copiers and projectors for presentations.

Benefits of Setting Up a Virtual Office

There are numerous advantages to setting up a virtual office. This is quickly becoming a popular option for small companies and startups that want to have a professional presence without the risk and cost of traditional office spaces.

• Costs – The most significant benefit of using a virtual office is significant savings on overhead. With the flexibility to customize your own services package, businesses only have to pay for the services they need or use. A basic virtual plan can cost less than $100 a month.
• Access to Premium Markets – Since virtual offices provide a physical business address, companies can build a presence in one or several premium markets or major cities without having to physically relocate to the area. For example, a Montana-based startup can easily access the Florida market by setting up a virtual office in the Miami or Fort Lauderdale area.
• Privacy – Most business owners prefer not to share their home addresses with their clients and suppliers. A virtual office address can help protect your privacy.
• Physical Meeting Space – From time to time, you’ll likely need a physical space to host client meetings or team huddles. Virtual office spaces can provide offices and meeting rooms on an hourly, daily or weekly basis.  
• Low-Risk – Virtual offices are affordable short term agreements, so you can increase or decrease services quickly depending on the needs of the business.

Selecting the Perfect Virtual Office Space

The first step to setting up a virtual office is determining where you want your company to have a presence. This might be a large city or a geographically central location for your clients or virtual team. Next, create a package that fits the needs of your business. It’s as simple as that!

With Lakeside Workspaces, setting up a virtual office has never been easier. We provide several service packages that are both affordable and allow our clients to customize to their needs. Our most basic package provides a business address and mail services starting at only $75 a month. From here, our clients can add on receptionist services, meeting rooms, and other services. Our team is here to help you through the entire setup process. Check out our website today to find out how Lakeside Workspaces can help you establish a professional, successful virtual office.