Virtual Office or Virtual Assistant

Do I need a Virtual Office or Virtual Assistant?  Well, virtual assistants have definitely been rising in popularity in recent years. The current ‘new normal’ that we are living in, the world of remote working and virtual meetings has only helped with this. Companies have had to completely pivot their businesses to allow their staff to work from home, and this has been a huge switch within the world of work.

Virtual offices have always been a great, affordable alternative for freelancers and small start-ups wanting to grow their business but without the large overhead of a physical office. They have actually been at an advantage throughout this pandemic as working from home is completely normal for them! Could larger organisations also turn to virtual offices more in the future in order to keep their staff working remotely? Let’s have a look into the difference between a virtual office and a virtual assistant, and how the two can actually work together quite well.

What is a virtual office?

A virtual office provides a service that allows you to work wherever you like, but also take advantage of some of the benefits of a traditional office. You can retain your business presence within your chosen location, whilst working miles away from there (if you choose to). By having a virtual office you will have access to your own business address that can be used for correspondence between you and your clients. This adds a much more professional feel to your business rather than operating out of your own home.

Virtual offices also provide you with a registered address. This is really important if you are wanting to keep your personal address out of the public eye. There are also some administrative tasks that a virtual office service can provide on your behalf, including:

• Mail scanning and forwarding
• Telephone answering
• A registered address
• A local or national phone number
• Meeting rooms

What is a virtual assistant?

Now we understand what a virtual office is, let’s have a look at a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant is someone who provides support to other businesses, remotely. Whether that be general administrative tasks, marketing, bookkeeping, or any other services they have experience in providing. They tend to have a specific skill set and run their own home-based virtual assistant business, helping multiple other businesses.

How do the two work together?

You may be thinking, the only similarity is the ‘virtual’ aspect of both a virtual office and a virtual assistant. Whilst both virtual offices and virtual assistants provide support for other businesses, it all depends on the level of support your business needs. For example, if you just need someone to send calls through to you, or answer them on your behalf, you will be fine with a virtual office package. However, if you need someone to be hands-on and help you with daily tasks, a virtual assistant is probably what you need.

No matter what level of service you require, a virtual office is the best first step. You can always progress onto a virtual assistant later if you decide you need more help. If you would like to know more about the virtual office solutions that we provide, please give us a call on 01205 809 222.