As our blog about who uses a Virtual Office describes, virtual offices are proving to be the ideal flexible option for many different types of workers, from start-ups wanting a prestigious business address to e-commerce sites looking for an alternative to the call centre.
If you’ve decided to take the plunge and embrace the many conveniences of virtual offices, there are many measures for making Virtual Office effective:
- Make use of the extra services and facilities you have access to. Most virtual offices, such as Carrwood Park, give users easy access to extras like communal working spaces, professional meeting rooms and breakout spaces with Wi-Fi. If these are available to you, make use of them to get out of your home office and away from the distractions of home. You can also use the meeting rooms at a discounted price to conduct your business with new clients in the most professional manner. If all of these facilities are available in the same space, why wouldn’t you make use of them?
- Make use of reception services – and provide clear instructions about calls and mail. We noted in a blog about reasons to choose a virtual office, one fantastic feature of this type of office is that you can have a fully manned reception team receiving your virtual phone calls, mail and other correspondence. With virtual phone numbers, virtual office workers can not only take advantage of never missing a call, but also not being distracted by constant interruptions throughout the day. However, for it to work properly – you need to provide the reception team with a very clear list of instructions on what to do with calls and messages. It isn't necessarily set in stone, and can be changed later on, but you don’t want to find that you’re missing anything vital because you didn’t specify things like which callers were the most important and how frequently you wanted to receive your messages.
- If you have employees or work with freelancers, use meeting facilities to check in once in a while. This non-traditional way of working, where you don’t actually go into an office every day, can cause problems with communication. This can have a negative effect on efficiency and productivity, as well as how your team works together. Use your virtual office base to check in with everyone once in a while, making use of on-site facilities like meeting rooms and breakout spaces to have a monthly meeting with everyone who works for you.
- Be smart with software. These days, it is software and systems that can make or break a virtual office worker. If you need to collaborate and share documents with colleagues, or schedule conference calls, make sure you’re using the best (and most secure) software that also works for you. Cloud computing software is currently leading the way when it comes to virtual working, but there are many different options available.
- Use your virtual office to separate home and work. The distractions of home can often interfere with the efficiency of work, but this is another place that your virtual office can help. If you need a space to just work, without any distractions, look to the facilities at your virtual office. This includes meeting rooms – where there will be no children or pets accidentally wandering in like there might be at home, and where you can present a more professional image to clients and associates.
- Make sure you have clear cut-off times. Working at home means that work can so easily bleed into the enjoyment of your home life. Remedy this by having clear work hours and setting cut-off points where you switch off your computer and go and enjoy time with your family or a social life with your friends. Believe it or not, this will make your working time more efficient!
For information on a virtual office, Leeds based Carrwood Park provides material about our virtual office packages. You can also subscribe to the blog for the latest tips and advice on making virtual working work for you.
