Small businesses in Birmingham may benefit from establishing a virtual office over a physical office space. Not only is it a fraction of the cost, your company has an address at the reputable business centre of the city, adding further legitimacy and professionalism.
However, as a relatively new concept, not everyone is fully aware of what a virtual office is or how to set one up in Birmingham. Thankfully, the process couldn’t be easier to get started!
Choose a Location
There are many locations in Birmingham offering a virtual office address, so to start off you should research possible areas in the city to host your address.
This may in the affluent business district of the city or more low-key location – consider what looks the best and what you can afford to pay for. Keep in mind that the address reflects on your business, so be mindful of choosing somewhere that may reflect badly on your company.
Also, remember that virtual offices often allow you to rent out conference rooms for the day should you need to meet with clients in person, so keep this in mind when choosing a location in the city.
Think About the Services You Require
When establishing a virtual office, the business leasing the address will also offer a range of other services that you may find useful or even necessary. For example, a phone line is still the main point of contact for your business, so it may be worth hiring a virtual receptionist to answer and forward calls relating to business inquires.
Common services offered by virtual office providers include mail collection and forwarding, virtual phone lines, 24/7 voicemail etc., so be sure to consider what services you require now and may need as your business grows.
Hire Freelancers
Because you are using a virtual office, make sure you have thought about hiring freelance employees, as running the entire business yourself may be difficult if not impossible. By using a virtual office, you are opening your reach of potential freelancers that can work remotely for your business.
For example, even if you are using a Birmingham-based virtual office, you can hire freelancers from across the entire country to work as part of your company. There is a freelancer offering almost every service you could require – make sure you think about what you need when establishing the office!
Setting Up a Phone Line
Anyone with a virtual office will require a phone line, otherwise you’re limiting how clients and possible customers can contact you. So, you should always look to set up a phone line, which most easily done by hiring a virtual assistant through your office provider.
You can hire a virtual assistant and phone line from most virtual office providers in Birmingham, and it’s highly recommended you do this unless you plan on answering everything yourself!