Virtual Assistants Offer Economic Advantages To Business Owners

Posted by admin | Orange County Virtual Assistant | Sunday 30 November 2008 6:30 am

Orange County Virtual Assistants Offer Economic Advantages To Business Owners

This article discusses the economic advantages of hiring a virtual assistant over a temp or regular employee.

Building a successful business can turn into a nightmare of headaches, frustration and exhaustion, if you aren’t careful. Unfortunately, the more successful you are, the more administrative tasks you have; the more time you spend on administrative tasks, the less time you have to generate new revenue.

It’s a vicious, vicious cycle.

So what’s a business owner to do?

Hire a virtual assistant.

What’s a virtual assistant?

Virtual assistants (VA’s)are professional office assistants who provide office services and support without actually being physically present, by using the Internet, fax and telephone. Virtual Assistants also complete work through the use of online collaborative workstations. And since much of their work is done online, they can work locally or globally eliminating the need for you to search for local qualified help.

In a nutshell, the virtual assistant takes the traditional role of the temp worker and elevates it to the status of entrepreneur. Because the virtual assistant is self-employed, bills only the hours work or by tasks completed, and is dependent on referrals and steady work flow from existing clients, she can be the perfect solution for a growing business.

A virtual assistant offers several distinct advantages over a paid employee. When you hire a virtual assistant you get all the benefits of outsourcing - no employee tax and benefits issues. Yet, you still get the loyalty and reliability of a company employee.

How practical is a virtual assistant?

As more and more businesses move their marketing and communications to the Internet, virtual assistants become more and more the obvious solution to staffing problems. For an hourly fee of $25 to $35, less than the cost of temps or employees.

However, it should be pointed out, VA’s with specialized skills and backgrounds do charge higher rates. By using a virtual assistant, businesses can take advantage of professional assistance and a variety of skills at the click of a mouse.

Orange County Virtual assistants are already computer trained, and can assist with your specific needs from traditional office support services to highly specialized areas including web page design. Virtual assistants also provide basic word processing, phone answering, bill paying, appointment scheduling and calendar maintenance. You can even custom-train your virtual assistant to go beyond administrative support to client development and marketing support.

As cable Internet, wireless Internet, and other broadband solutions continue to grow at an amazing pace, virtual assistants will become even more vital to business owners.

If you would like more information regarding hiring a virtual assistant, contact Rosalind Harris at:rharris@instantassistant.net or visit http://instantassistant.net/

   By Dale King
Published: 11/4/2006
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Project Management Tools for Virtual Offices

Posted by admin | Orange County Virtual Assistant | Saturday 29 November 2008 6:30 am

Top 10 Project Management Tools for Orange County Virtual Offices

A handy compilation of the best project management tools that a virtual office cannot do without.

With the concepts of remote offices, telecommuting, and working from home, a.k.a virtual assistants gaining momentum, it is imperative that we come up with a governance model that best suits our needs to manage projects within the team, and with the clients.
If you are a part of a large organization (lets assume it’s an MNC) which approves telecommuting and the remote office framework, then there is nothing to worry. The office will take care of custom management tools and will inform you about it. This post is not for you.

On the other hand, if you are an independent virtual assistant then my guess is you will be relying on your mail threads to keep track of conversations and using spreadsheets to keep track of the project status. If you are a bit smarter, you will be using labels (as in Gmail) or folders (as in Yahoo and Hotmail) to sort mail threads for easy access. Mail attachments may be stored on your desktop. Again, if you are smart, you will share the documents rather than mail them.

Being a freelancer, means all of your work will be online. You may be handling more than one project for the same client, or you have more than one client at any given point of time. Perhaps you might be interested in some of the online project management tools. Most of these are free (with limited features for a single user), and comes at a reasonable price (if you want advanced features). The list below is my top 10 recommendations for online project management systems.

Top 10 Online Project Management Systems

Do check out the sites to see the difference for free users and paid users

1. ProjectInsight

They have all the "required" features for a Project Management System. Try their demo. This is a little more than basic, and little less than advanced. So if you are a virtual assistant with average working knowledge of how a project management system works, then chances are you might get to like this. Strangely though, I could not locate the pricing page. If you can locate it, please pass me the link.

2. AceProject

The best project management system I have encountered so far.
They have about 22 features out of which I rate the discussion forum, task dependencies, and Multiple Project and Task management to be of the greatest value. They offer web-hosted and self-hosted option if you want it in your business’s intralink. You might be overwhelmed initially, but once you get to know it, things are a breeze. I would say this is a "complete" system for single and multi-user (e.g.:- Virtual Staffing Agencies) alike.

3. CoMindWork

I would say that this is the second best project management system on the web based on the features like project-specific Wiki and project-specific blog that are being offered. They allow integration with other PMS such as Basecamp and Salesforce, and also integrate with Gmail and OpenID. So with so many "dream features", why I rate this as second best is because free users have only one project. ( I need at least 5). Maybe a paid service will suit your business needs

4. MyClientSpot

The Project Management system has been designed for freelancers who operate independently. Short, small, and sweet. It is a very intuitive interface and up to 5 users sharing enables better interaction with team or client. If you handle 2 projects at a time (20MB space), then this is certainly for you. Otherwise, you might want to go for the paid version.

5. BaseCamp

A very clean dashboard that gives Project overview of things, without any frills and fireworks. The tabbed interface places message board, files area, milestones and to-do lists are just a click away. Try the free account to get the feel of things.

6. VirtuaAssistantManager

The demo gives a fairly good idea about what to expect when you actually signup. The list is lined up according to existing clients, giving you a picture of project status regarding a specific client. This is a paid service starting from 39$ /month for one virtual assistant. Their clients include Pepsi, Time Warner, and Comcast, among others. Personally, I think they are charging a premium. Certainly not fit for freelancers, unless you are minting money.

7. EasyProjects

This is especially good if you have a team, and want a single command center for all the client’s projects and also for in-house projects delegated to the team. The Employee Timesheet and Hierarchical Role Based Permissions are noteworthy features. Again, this is a paid service. (sorry, no freebies here )

8. Project.net

This is a complete enterprise edition of project management system. The demo gives an overview of features from the Project Manager’s point of view. However, it remains to be seen how this can be modified to suit a single user with multiple clients. They do offer customization of tabs and form fields. But you never know until you try.

9. IdidWork

I will not call this a project management tool, but if you are a part of a team that requires you to submit regular work updates as long emails or shared spreadsheets, you can make use of their Twitter like interface, to communicate your work status. Moreover all accumulated "status messages" can be emailed to the manager of the team. This also allows a performance overview over a period of time. Worth a try, though individual preferences might differ.

10. SmartSheet

If you are extremely comfortable with using spreadsheets, then this Project Management System is definitely for you. The concept of workspace is used to aggregate sheets for the same project and the likes of it. You can collaborate with clients and upload files for discussion. It does take a bit of time to get used to the system. This is free and they have the beta version underway.

The Magic Of Outsourcing
Read about work life balance, productivity tips, entrepreneurship ideas, outsourcing, virtual offices and more.
By Ishani Mitra
Published: 9/26/2008
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Virtual Assistant: Questions and Answers

Posted by admin | Orange County Virtual Assistant | Friday 28 November 2008 6:30 am

Orange County Virtual Assistant : Questions and Answers

What’s A Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant (VA) is an independent virtual office assistant who provides clerical, administrative, technical and personal support to clients from the VA’s remote virtual office. VA’s are very disciplined and able to work autonomously with minimal supervision. Virtual nature of business allows for flexibility to deliver products and services across a wide geographic area.

How Can A Virtual Assistant Help Me In My Business ?

In a nutshell, VA’s free up your valuable time. By outsourcing routine office administration and personal tasks, you are able to focus on what you do best…marketing and growing your business - or simply enjoy the extra time to spend with family and/or pursue personal interests and hobbies.

How Do I Know If I Need an Orange County Virtual Assistant?

Are you disorganized or overwhelmed? Missing out on business opportunities? Not networking or marketing your business? Drowning in paperwork? Feeling frustrated trying to do it all? Procrastinating because you don’t know where to begin? Suffering from "analysis paralysis"? Unable to spend time on strategic planning or business development? Do you end each day feeling as if you have not accomplished important tasks?

If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, you need to partner with a virtual assistant.

What Types Of Tasks Can A Virtual Assistant Help Me With?

Services offered vary from VA to VA due to specialized backgrounds. Consult with a professional VA and communicate your specific needs.

I’m Not Sure What Type Of Help I Need Or If A Virtual Assistant Will Work For Me.

A consultive needs assessment will help determine which tasks can be delegated and identify your communication and work style preferences. A good VA will work with you to ensure that you are comfortable with all aspects of the partnership.

How Will We Communicate?

Anyway you like. VA’s communicate via phone, fax, e-mail, internet, US Mail, and overnight mail. For local clients, in-person meetings are available. Remember, a VA service is designed for your convemience - to help you streamline and outsource administrative, clerical, technical and personal tasks.

Are Virtual Assistant Services Expensive?

Virtual Assistant rates vary based on specialized skills and background. VA’s are independent contractors and not an employee. They maintain and are responsible for their own office, equipment and software. Clients are only responsible for hourly, project or retainer fees plus any additional miscellaneous expenses (i.e. supplies, materials, postage, etc.). All fees are agreed upon in advance. And since clients pay only for the actual time VA’s spend working on a task or project, the overall cost of hiring a VA is significantly less than hiring a full-time office assistant with benefits.

What About Confidentiality?

Ask the VA that you’re considering if they will sign a confidentiality agreement, prior to commencing work. A written agreement will help protect you from anyone selling or disclosing your proprietary information or using information obtained during the course of business for personal gain.

Want More Information?

If you would like more information regarding hiring a virtual assistant, visit http://InstantAssistant.net

About the author:
Rosalind Harris is a professional virtual assistant (VA) with more than 25 years experience supporting C-Level Executives in the banking, insurance, retail, financial services and not-for-profit industries. She is the owner of her own professional VA service - http://www.InstantAssistant.net

By Rosalind Harris
Published: 9/26/2008
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Working from home as an Orange County Virtual Assistant

Posted by admin | Orange County Virtual Assistant | Thursday 27 November 2008 6:30 am

Working from home as an Orange County Virtual Assistant

Starting your own home business as a Virtual Assistant may be the right option for you! This article will help give you an insight into becoming a Virtual Assistant and what it takes to get started.

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent individual working remotely to provide much needed and valued services to clients located all over the world. These services can fall into the categories of clerical, administrative, technical or creative. With the engaging of virtual assistants by companies becoming more and more common, their services have even spread into areas such as graphic and web designing, IT support, marketing and even translations.

Many companies are most likely to hire orange county virtual assistants to save money. The client doesn’t need to provide equipment and office space, taxes, training, healthcare and insurance benefits when hiring a virtual assistant. Also some companies may only need an assistant for temporary projects.

A virtual assistant may work "on call" or may setup a work schedule with the client according to the time convenient for that individual. The nature of work carried out by a virtual assistant will depend on that person’s area of expertise. It could be appointment & reminder service, meeting and travel planning, billing and book keeping, database and contact management, desktop publishing, business writing, data entry, document preparation, website creation, market research, etc.

Virtual assistants work from their own home and the client would outsource the work on a contractual basis. The communication and data delivery between the virtual assistant and the client is carried out via phone, fax, email and online instant messaging. The virtual assistant and the client may even coordinate the work through online intranets and special software which allows them to access each others computers.

Since the virtual assistant is stationed at home, this facilitates more time to spend with the family and the decrease of many costs involved with working at an office. Also the profit potential in this profession is very good. As a result this profession is fast growing and becoming extremely popular.

In the modern era, many women strive very hard to achieve a work/family balance in their life. Due to work overload at office, office functions, heavy traffic congestions on roads while commuting to and from office, they rarely have time to spend with the family. So many of them now prefer to stay at home and start their own virtual assistant business. There are many advantages in becoming a virtual assistant. For example, more time to spend with your children, saving on day care costs, having more flexibility, cutting down costs of traveling and office attire, performing work which you love and investing more time for your betterment are to name a few.

It doesn’t involve a high cost to start up a home-based business. But before starting, a person should evaluate herself and see whether she could make a good virtual assistant. Computer literacy is a must and you should have good administrative skills as you would have to organize, plan and schedule your work. Self motivation, a willingness to learn new things and good communication skills are required when working as a virtual assistant.

You should decide what type of service you would want to offer your clients and determine how much time and energy you have, to commit to your business. A business plan and a marketing strategy are essential for your venture when managing and promoting your services to clients. By putting your best effort into it you can build up a very successful virtual assistant practice in a matter of months.

Bizymoms has been helping women start home business for over 10 years. Their Bizymoms’ ExpertVA career kit includes everything you need to start your VA Business including a basic business start up guide and an easy start program, which provides step-by-step guidance on how to build up your VA business within 29 days!

By Susan Hutson
Published: 2/27/2008
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How To Furnish An Orange County Executive Suites

Posted by admin | Orange County Executive Suites | Wednesday 26 November 2008 6:33 am

How To Furnish An Executive Suite

The first impression one gets of an executive suite is through its furniture such as fine bookcases and desks and chairs that decorate the office. In a highly competitive environment, every edge one can use in cultivating and building a client base is crucial. Nothing makes an immediate impact as the top quality and fine furnishing in an executive office. In addition, an executive office offers an immediate insight into the inhabitant’s personality and taste.

To tap into this subtle but crucial marketing technique, one must be deliberate in furnishing an executive suite. The quality of the desks, bookcases, chairs and other interior dcor should be top notch and must match with each other. They should speak of stability and yet at the same time be open. The furniture and the dcor should offer comfort, a feeling of trust and yet at the same time be exciting and new.

In addition to the need for top quality and expensive-looking furniture, the need to be customized to show the executive’s individuality cannot be overlooked. Even before the first hand-shake, a potential client has already formed some sort of an opinion about the executive the second he walks into the office. It is absolutely essential that a potential client feels at home, is comfortable, finds the office warm and inviting and feels the air of confidence and trust in the room.

When so much depends on just a few seconds of impact, the decisions to properly furnish an executive office are crucial. But then, an executive is in the business of making decisions. Add to the many decisions an executive makes, also the decision he or she must make about their own suites’ furniture. The choices are as varied as there are types of executives. Perhaps one is in the financial industry and looking for conservative and expensive looking furniture. There are others who require flashier furniture like those in the music industry or the movie industry. The executives in the automobile business may be looking for more sleek and modern looking furniture. The choices are endless.

To locate a reliable furniture dealer, all one has to do is Google for discount office furniture. One will find that there are now specialty online discount furniture dealers who offer free lifetime warranty on the furniture. A hefty investment is well-protected with such a warranty. By adding free delivery and other post-sale services, these rare specialty dealers are making their mark in the furniture business.

It behooves an executive to spend the time, effort and money to showcase himself through his office furniture and dcor. The ability of an orange county executive suites furniture to begin the process of making a deal with a client cannot be ignored. Nothing else makes a lasting first impression than a great set of executive suite furniture such as fine bookcases and desks.

By: Freelance Writer -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

By a freelance writer for www.officefurniture2go.com/ who sells quality office furniture such as bookcases, office chairs, file cabinets, desks: www.officefurniture2go.com/ and more. Please link to this site when using this article.

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The Advantages Of An Executive Suite Over A Home Office

Posted by admin | Orange County Executive Suites | Tuesday 25 November 2008 6:33 am

The Advantages Of An Orange County Executive Suite Over A Home Office

Choosing the right executive office suite can be the solution you are looking for when your home office no longer supports your business’s success. The benefits of a home office may soon be over shadowed by staff growth or the need to branch out to more prominent city locations. The natural progression of your office needs may also complete the image you have of your business.

Executive office suites can offer your business completely furnished amenities, the perfect image, and a professional support staff. Leasing an executive office suite from a reputable office space leasing agent may provide you services that your home office isn’t able to support. For instance imagine having a cordial receptionist to greet clients in a furnished waiting area, or an office manager to take care of administrative tasks. Having a technical staff on site would surely allow you to spend more time generating business than trying to fix a copier or printer.

A prestigious address in your area can add convenience and growth that your home office may limit. More than likely your home office is just a spare bedroom with a computer and phone. This spare bedroom office may be all you need to conduct your daily business however, are you sure you want to see your potential clients traversing residential streets trying to locate your home office? Your business’s image will benefit more if your office is located in a professional environment.

Branching out your business to different locations may be the answer to achieving success in an unfamiliar area. Consider having an executive suite located in the same city as your primary supplier. This option could act as your distribution center as opposed to your garage. Think about the shipping costs you could save and the extra space you’ll gain.

Entrepreneurship is the foundation of the American dream and your home office is just the starting point. Don’t lose sight of your ultimate goal by limiting success to your spare bedroom. Contact a local office space leasing agent today and discover the possibilities having an executive office suite.

By: Mark Stone -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Mark Stone writes for various websites including Meridian Business Centers a provider of executive suites, shared office space and virtual office solutions in the Dallas and Fort Worth Texas metroplex.

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Avanta Launches First Business Centre In City Of London

Posted by admin | Orange County Executive Suites | Monday 24 November 2008 6:33 am

Avanta Launches First Business Centre In City Of London

Based in the heart of the City of London at 23 Austin Friars, London EC2A, the building has been comprehensively refurbished to provide 55,000 sq ft of high quality Grade A office space. The building is already two thirds let, with Avanta expecting occupancy to rise to near capacity in the near future.

The business centre was launched in style with an Austin Powers-style party hosted by Avanta and letting agents Jones Lang LaSalle. Guests enjoyed champagne, cocktails and canaps, and were entertained by disco dancing divas and plasma games.

Avanta has agreed a leasehold on the building with Exemplar Properties and GE Real Estate UK to develop flexible serviced office suites of varying sizes to suit the demands of occupiers looking for space at a high profile address in the City. The building combines an elegant historic faade with a spectacular interior, offering five levels of office space around a central atrium.

As with all Avanta London business centres, the service office space is complemented by a wide range of facilities on offer, including meeting and training rooms, wi fi equipped communal areas and unbranded reception area. The meeting and training rooms at this prestigious address are also available to hire for outside companies.

Avanta’s team can tailor space to meet the individual requirements of the occupier, from two-person executive suites to entire floors of 9,000 sq ft. Organisations also have the opportunity to enjoy the prestige of the address, but without actually renting space.

Companies can boast an impressive postal address, without the cost of rent, and with no mention of Avanta, whose team will handle all mail, forwarding it the same day to a postal address of the client’s choice. The address shares the same postcode as the major players in London’s financial community including Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, ING Barings, BP and the Bank of England.

The property brings Avanta’s portfolio of business centres to eleven, based in the West End and across London, and including properties in Reading and Birmingham. The company now manages over 380,000 sq ft of office space.

Managing Director David Alberto said: ‘This is the latest milestone in the company’s on-going growth strategy. We are well established in London’s West End and midtown, and now we are making our mark in the City with the opening of our latest business centre.’

For further information, please contact:
PR agency contact:
Richard stocks
FD Tamesis
Tel: 020 7269 9355

Avanta contact:
Chris Taylor
Avanta Management Services Ltd
1 Hammersmith Grove
London
W6 0NB

Tel: 0203 008 6000

By: Avanta

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Avanta, an emerging name in the serviced office market with a rapidly growing portfolio of office suites in prime locations across London, the Thames Valley and Birmingham. Avanta can offer highly flexible, unbranded office space, with advanced and competitively priced technology, tailor made to meet the requirements of the occupier.

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10 Myths About Office Business Centers

Posted by admin | Orange County Executive Suites | Sunday 23 November 2008 6:33 am

10 Myths About Orange County Executive Suites

Office Business Centers (OBCs) are rapidly adapting to new realities in our working environment, but their image is rooted in the industry’s inception several decades ago. In order to help executives properly evaluate the OBC option, we have compiled a list of 10 commonly held myths about the industry.

1. OBCs Offer an Alternative to Renting Commercial Space

This fallacy represents one of the key misconceptions our industry struggles against every single day. Today’s OBC provides administrative services, electronic infrastructure and a working environment ready to go from day one. In doing so, it frees clients from the time and responsibilities required to install telecommunications systems and copiers, select and train administrative staff, and monitor maintenance items such as cleaning and painting.

2. Office Location is Unimportant in Today’s Global Marketplace

As industries become more competitive, differentiation among rival organizations often hinges on intangibles. An office in an impressive building with beautiful grounds, in a prestigious location, speaks volumes about a company’s success and ability to satisfy its clients. Prospects can be overwhelmed by plush interiors, an accommodating staff and a professional atmosphere. Proximity to other successful organizations affects the impression of your own.

3. OBCs are Too Expensive

Some executives are impressed by the services offered by OBCs and think it would be cheaper to start from scratch with empty commercial space. This viewpoint ignores the economies-of-scale employed by Orange County Executive Suites to provide services infeasible for singular use such as videoconferencing. OBCs also offer meeting spaces for large gatherings, avoiding the need to find and rent space for a yearly event. Considering all the costs necessary to transform traditional commercial space from an ‘empty box’ into a working office environment, the OBC option can actually be less expensive.

4. OBCs are Primarily for Start-Up Companies

This myth views OBCs as a stepping stone to a commercial office. While some companies using OBCs benefit from administrative services, especially if they do not have enough work to hire a full-time employee, OBCs serve small, medium and large-sized firms in a wide variety of fields including law, finance and business-to-business. Larger, well established companies open satellite offices in new locations and utilize OBCs as their regional headquarters. Some clients are so happy in their OBCs, they stay in them for decades.

5. Office Business Centers are Only Staffed from 9 AM to 5 PM

In today’s 24/7 world, this limitation would sound a death knell to our industry. OBCs offer customized solutions for their clients including flexible hours for staff, telecommunications and other specialized needs. In fact, when a traditional employee in a commercial office is unavailable, OBCs offer full staff and administrative support to help a company meet deadlines in any time zone.

6. The Luxury and Amenities in High-End OBCs are an Anachronism Today

Clients, prospects and employees today, especially Gen X’ers, expect certain perks. Sometimes winning that big account may be achieved through a workout in an on-site weight room, or a basketball game in the company gym, instead of a PowerPoint presentation. People do business with their friends, and winning a person over involves becoming one. A walk outside on well-kept grounds with fountains and gardens in the background can be very persuasive.

7. All OBCs are Alike

Like every industry, there are high-end and low-end OBCs. Some were founded over 20 years ago and deliver a level of expertise suitable for high-paying clients. These OBCs generally stay on top of the latest technological innovations, with fiber-optic networks and electronic packages for their clients including website administration. Other OBCs focus on volume and deliver a less personalized approach.

8. The OBC Industry is Well Known in the United States

OBCs were considered a vital option for businesses in Europe well before the start of the OBC industry in the United States, where they are still relatively unknown. Terminology creates a fundamental misunderstanding of our industry. In Britain, we are recognized as a service industry, and instead of executive suites, our colleagues use the term ’serviced office.’ Instead of referring to ‘leases’ and ‘tenants,’ they talk about ‘clients’ and ‘contracts.’

9. OBCs Provide More than My Company Needs

Yes, OBCs provide packages to save companies money including an electronic package, virtual office services, worldwide business access, concierge services, etc. But some OBCs also offer an ‘a la carte’ menu with basic items such as word processing, document creation, graphics and more. OBCs provide customized, flexible service solutions for clients to fit their needs.

10. OBCs are Insulated from the Negative Effects of Economic Downturns

While many OBCs benefit from increased occupancy rates during economic downturns, their clients may be overly cost-conscious about services designed in the long run to save them time and allow them to focus on their core competencies. As a result, the revenue per office declines. However, on the upside, companies may use OBCs more when they renovate their own location instead of moving to a new commercial space. OBCs specializing in renovation interim-workspace service benefit from this additional source of revenue.

Executives must be aware of all these myths when considering the OBC option. They should talk to colleagues in their industry and analyze the costs and benefits of all alternatives. However, they should be aware of the many intangibles in the OBC industry and evaluate each OBC company based on both its history of service and current capabilities.

By: George Russell (2)

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

George Russell, President of The Private Office, founded the company in 1985 after 17 years at the International Paper Company where he served as general manager for land and timber. He opened the organization’s current headquarters on a 54-acre site in Rye Brook, New York, in 2006. For more information, contact The Private Office at 914-697-4700 or visit www.theprivateoffice.com.

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Orange County Executive Suites Explained

Posted by admin | Orange County Executive Suites | Saturday 22 November 2008 12:30 am

Orange County Executive Suites Explained

There has been much ‘buzz’ about Serviced Offices, Executive Suites, Virtual Offices, or combinations of any of these catch phrases with even more confusion about what exactly these businesses provide. This article will boil down the mass of information to a few simple concepts that will clarify much of the confusion.

Although the Serviced Office and Orange County Virtual Office concept has been around for decades, there have been few changes in the basic service offering with the exception of the technology offered. Communications systems and IT are generally a step above what you would expect to find in a normal corporate office and is updated more frequently. product more viable today than ever.

A serviced or virtual office facility provides companies and businesses, irrespective of size, with complete office facilities. These facilities incorporate benefits such as prestigious addresses, high-tech communication access, office / meeting room facilities and receptionist services. Specifically, the services you would find within this industry are broken down as follows:

Serviced office provides the client with access to immediately available, fully furnished, serviced offices globally meeting business needs for new market entry, special project, temporary office expansion, regional or branch offices in high quality prime positioned office sites.

Virtual office provides clients with everything but a physical office: the complete business infrastructure package. A dedicated telephone number answered in the company’s name, a prime city address for corporate materials and communications, use of office facilities, secretarial services and access to other business services as needed.

The Benefits: The benefit for users of either a Serviced or Virtual Office is a decreased cost of real estate, human resources and communications. In short, a reduction of a companies overall operating costs.

In addition to a reduction of operating expenses, Serviced and Virtual Office clients realise an increase in quality of resources as well. You see, in effect Serviced and Virtual Office organisations function in the same way co operatives do. Serviced or Virtual Office operators function as the organiser and management of the cooperative, with each client contributing to the cost of the pool of Office resources, rent each month and for services as they need and use them. The big benefit here is higher quality real estate, technology and staff than they would be able to afford if they were to lease or purchase these facilities on their own. They have no infrastructure costs, no staff to pay or manage and no maintenance cost.

Since more often than not the use of an address in a Serviced or Virtual Office presents an image that suggests perhaps that they are larger, or indeed more successful than they are in reality, some would argue that the use of a service provider as a company’s address and identity paints a fraudulent image to the general public. The true reality is that the company’s who use a serviced or Virtual office, are just plain smart businesspeople. Why would you pay for an office if you didn’t need to have one? Why would you hire someone full time when you really only utilise them half the time, but you can’t pick which half? Really now, why would any of us pay more than we need to for operating expenses when we don’t have to?

I fully endorse the use of an Orange County Executive Suites and Virtual Offices. Personally I think they are just coming into their own in the current and immanent business environment. Competing with the ‘big boys’ at the big end of town is tough business. One of my companies is run from a Virtual Office now. I was immediately able to reduce my operating costs and liabilities in making the change. The result? The business is in a better position to deliver our core service to the marketplace at the highest level of cost efficiency, and a more competitive price.

Tammy Palmer
International Marketing Consultant

By: Tammy Palmer

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Ms. Palmer was the International Marketing Manager of the largest International Virtual Office Company in Australia and Asia having developed Virtual Offices in 11 countries during her tenure. Tammy now operates several businesses including a Marketing consulting company which she operates from home using the services of www.GO-Virtual.com.au at the historical Rocks area of Sydney Australia.

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