Hoxton Mix explains the pros and cons of establishing virtual offices
Virtual offices: pluses and cons
Everything tends to develop and improve. This does not bypass the conduct of business, in general, or in its specific activities.
Modern technologies have long allowed us to perform a significant part of the work remotely. Obviously and indisputably, it is convenient and profitable.
For companies, it is an opportunity to save on renting and attract specialists from other cities, and countries to cooperate.
For employees, it is saving time on the road to the place of work, and the opportunity to cooperate with several companies.
And many more benefits for both parties.
Yet, if you are interested in the cost of virtual office, keep on reading. In this article, we will also discuss situations when it is worth transferring a business to a virtual office and how to do it correctly.
When a virtual office is really needed?
A virtual office is a single information space, which usually consists of several remote workplaces equipped with cloud applications for full-fledged business. In what cases and which companies may need to organise such an office?
Small enterprises with limited budgets
Virtual offices are a godsend for young enterprises because, in this case, you do not have to spend on the rental of premises, the purchase of necessary furniture, and expensive equipment.
At the same time, you can also save on maintenance staff: administration, maintenance of equipment, and other planned work are performed centrally by virtual office operators.
Activities in regional or international markets
Suitable virtual office for those companies that have branches in other cities and countries, or only plan to open representative offices. Through this solution, you can hold online conferences, and presentations and stay connected at all times anywhere in the world.
Companies with remote staff
As the Hoxton Mix says, remote work has recently become increasingly popular, so today you can increasingly meet with companies working outside the office.
It also happens that the firm uses the services of freelancers. The creation of a virtual office in such cases will allow you to effectively set up communications with the central office, hold meetings, and even if you want to organise online training.
Entrepreneurs in constant travel
The virtual office service will also be relevant for entrepreneurs who often travel and are rarely in the workplace.
Call forwarding from the company’s landline phone to the mobile employee will allow you to take calls anywhere outside the office and always be in touch.
Urgent business opening
It is also possible to use the virtual office service in cases where it is necessary to quickly deploy the enterprise, and there is no time to search for a room, connect telephone lines, or purchase servers and personal computers.
You can deploy a virtual office within a few hours. This is especially true if the company plans to further expand and open offices in other cities and countries.
In this way, all remote offices can be integrated into a single infrastructure.
Benefits of virtual offices
Labour efficiency. Employees do not spend time on the road to work and back, which eliminates them from additional stress, gives them additional time, and improves their concentration on work processes.
Comfortable environment. Working at home, the employee is comfortable and can pay more attention to the family, and better plan their leisure time. This increases work motivation and reduces stress from permanent employment.
Job satisfaction. Employees of virtual offices are much less likely to resign, which reduces staff turnover and thus reduces the cost to the business of recruiting new staff.
Reduction in the number of sick leave forms. Working from home, staff members use less public transport and consequently have fewer colds.
Saving office space. By owning real office space, a company can save on its maintenance or lease them, making additional profits if its employees work in a virtual office.
Hiring people from all over the world. In the virtual office, people can work from different countries, which significantly expands the ability to search for the right specialist.
Saving money at the initial stage of business development. Start-ups usually have insufficient funds and are forced to save, and the cost of maintaining offices is significant in their budgets. Moving to a virtual office solves this problem.
Saving on workplaces. The cost of equipping workplaces is greater the more staff. Virtual offices allow you to hire new specialists and provide them with everything they need to work.
Staff professionalism. Only dedicated and organized people can manage their responsibilities with flexible schedules, so virtual office employees are more professional in general.
Cons of virtual office
Less likely to have a career. With virtual collaboration, it is more difficult for managers to assess the professional characteristics of employees, and their career progression is slower than in companies with traditional offices.
Technical problems. In case of network problems, it is difficult to contact the manager or employee to find out about an urgent issue.
Reduced social interaction. Working with everyone in their home, employees do not develop friendly and social ties, and teamwork in a virtual office will be weaker than in a classic office.
Privacy risks. The probability of hacking a virtual office is higher than the intrusion of intruders into the physical office.
Possibility of poor communication. Lack of face-to-face communication can lead to poor mutual understanding between colleagues.
Conclusion
Organising work in a virtual office with the Hoxton Mix is no more difficult than in a real office.
To do this, there are several basic activities, with the help of which it is not difficult to do.
Consider each of them in more detail.
Scheduling: As in real offices, it is important to divide any project into certain tasks, each of which is assigned to a specific employee, to determine the optimal period of its implementation.
Monitoring the progress of tasks: In teamwork, tasks are most often interconnected. Information on their implementation should be available to all participants of a project. Otherwise, a possible delay in the completion of certain tasks would delay the completion of the project.
hrough the virtual office, every employee of the company at any time can see at what stage a specific task is and to whom it is assigned. Planning and control are then performed using CRM systems.
Constant communication during working hours: An important factor in the work is the communication of employees involved in the current project or the enterprise as a whole.
The methods of communication in the virtual office can be calls (between two subscribers and conference calls), correspondence in chat rooms, etc.
