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Avoid a White Out

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So, you work from a home office and love that it allows you to wear different hats throughout the day – both the “work you”, the “parent you” and perhaps the “caregiver” you.

And then it happens………. and it’s going to be one of those days.

Whether a parent needs help, kids are home sick or, like today, winter is here in a big way. Snow has to be shoveled, kids are home from school and you can’t give your full focus to anything – let alone answer the constantly ringing phone!

This is where our Virtual Offices come in!

Our Virtual Office packages allows you to maintain the benefits of working from home but shares the load on days when you really could use a second pair of hands.

Our live receptionists will answer your phone for you so you won’t miss any calls and free you up to deal with whatever the day has thrown your way.

Aside from the assurance that your calls will be answered immediately and in a professional manner, our Virtual Office packages also include perks such as:

• Prestigious Bay Street address for mail and deliveries
• Pay-as-you-go meeting and office facilities
• No leases, Mortgages and Rental Contracts

To learn more – and be ready when another one of “those days” hits – give us a call to learn how Virtual Business Offices can help.

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Working Virtually on the Holidays

Holidays are better working Virtually

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In some industries, it can be difficult to find time to enjoy the holidays. We all want to visit our friends and family, but you are needed at work. However there is a way to take the time you need for the holidays while still continuing to be productive.

The main issue with taking the holidays off is that not everyone has the same schedule. Not every country celebrates at the same time and the same events, so while you may be preparing to sit with your family about to dig in to a delicious turkey, somewhere else, it is business as usual. And they are waiting for emails and phone calls from you.

If you’re a business owner, you may have reservations about keeping your employees around for the holidays. They deserve the time off and to be with their loved ones for the season. Happy workers are productive workers, and you know that denying them that opportunity will not be beneficial to their long term prospects with you.

At the same time, you need your employees to stay active and continue to work through that season.

The solution to this is simple. You can set up a Virtual Office for your employees. So they can continue to work, while they are away for the holidays.

By running your business from a Virtual Office, you get all the same benefits as a physical location; an address for mail and a place to meet your team and your clients. But you also get the benefits of remote working, such as flexible schedules, avoiding commutes, and massive rent prices.

And with the rapid increases in technology, faster and more reliable internet connections, and more work than ever before being done on a smartphone, there is no reason why your employees can’t be with their families for the holidays.

So take a look at our available packages and select one that fits your budget, and allows your employees and yourself to take the time they need for the holidays.

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Virtually Working

Thinking about a Virtual Office?

Modern technology has allowed work to be performed in more places than ever before.

It is common within certain industries to have entire companies work “out of a laptop”. With automation and improved tech, the barriers have been broken and work can be done from anywhere in the world. This has further grown the “work-from-home” model. Many firms have their employees work remotely and save a tremendous amount of money on rent and utilities. Especially in “tech hub” cities where real estate costs are outrageously high.

Any money not spent on rent can be directly reinvested into your business to help it grow.

Not just about the money

Other benefits of a virtual office include:

When thinking of your employees, eliminating commute times and costs leads to higher productivity. Being able to stay home with their kids can make a huge difference in a child’s life. You’ll be able to recruit the best talent, regardless of location, as well as maintain a healthier work environment. Today’s employees aren’t just searching for compensation, they also seek a company with a good reputation and quality benefit plans. An incentive as simple as being able to work from home might sway their decision in your favour.

It’s also easier to expand. If you’re not concerned with the physical size of your company, then you don’t have to worry about expanding real estate, about finding desk spaces for everyone, or even if you have enough chairs to go around. Not to mention that if you have to move your headquarters, you don’t have to worry about who needs to come with you.

The Physical Address

Telecommuting, working from home, and co working spaces can all lower costs, but they do so with one issue of their own: The Physical Address. If your business is run online, and you don’t have a physical location, simple things like receiving mail may become a significant problem. You can always send mail to your home, but is that appropriate?

In business, just as in life, first impressions are everything. Do you really want to give off a weak first impression? Do you feel your potential clients and partners will be comfortable with a business owning a local residential address?

The Rostie Group has the solution:

  • Professional Telephone Answering and Live Receptionist
  • Professional Mail Handling at an Amazing Bay Street Address
  • A La Carte Office and Meeting Room Hours
  • No leases, Mortgages and Rental Contracts
  • Instantly Operational
  • Cut Overheads
  • Handle All Your sales Remotely

Start working from your Virtual Office

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Virtual Office

The Anatomy of a Virtual Office

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A Virtual Office is generally considered to be a package that allows the purchaser to use a business centre’s mailing address as if it were their own. These packages frequently also include services like live reception, a local number, and meeting room hours.

What a virtual office really is, though, is globalization writ small. How we conduct business has been fundamentally changed since our parents’ time, and the Virtual Office is a very poignant indicator of that. Companies, depending on the industry, can no longer afford to operate solely in one geographic area. In 2018, this expansion is also fundamentally internationalization, in a way that did not occur in, say, the 1950s – this presents numerous opportunities for firms; however, it also presents challenges. The Virtual Office is a symptom of this internationalization, and it arose in response to perhaps the largest of those challenges. For while, a business can be international and exist in many places at once, especially if it does not sell a physical product, its staff and its offices cannot be.

Enter the Virtual Office. They were first conceived as a way for companies to expand to other regions without having to hire local staff or leasing office space- perfect for branching out quickly into new markets. They’re still used for this today- people like seeing that the company they’re doing business with has a local address and phone number- even if that company is actually based half a world away.

So, Virtual Offices get used by companies who want to have a presence in other markets. But if you’ve heard of a Virtual Office before, it probably wasn’t being used that way. By far, the most frequent users of Virtual Offices are home business owners. With the advent of the internet, you no longer necessarily need a brick-and-mortar location for your business. People work from home much more frequently now than ever before, and Virtual Offices were enthusiastically adopted amongst that demographic.

Home business owners choose to work from home- but they may not want their clients to know that. Virtual Offices are the perfect fit for that sector; the convenience of no commute married to the outward professionalism of having live receptionists and an address that isn’t in a residential area.

Virtual Offices are the natural response to a variety of factors present in today’s business climate- they help new businesses look legitimate (previously very expensive), help others expand to new markets, and demonstrate that the business world’s borders have less and less to do with imaginary lines on a map than ever before.

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Virtual Business Answers

Virtual Business Answers

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You have questions, we have answers. We know that sometimes it’s hard to find what you’re looking for, especially in the world of virtual offices. So here at Virtual Business Offices, we’ve decided to provide some quick answers for you.

What is a Virtual Office?

A virtual office is an offsite physical location that offers all the amenities that you need when you’re running your own office. A reception to greet your guests, live reception services that answer your calls in your business’ name, and a physical address to receive and forward your email and packages from.

Why do I need a Virtual Office?

Depending on the type of business you have, it is essential. If your business “runs from a laptop”, a virtual office can give you that permanent physical location that you need to manage that business. You’ll also be able to receive guests, when you’re not available personally.

How does it help my Business?

When you’re starting your business, most of your available capital will have to be re-invested into the business. And as mentioned above, depending on the type of your business, you may not be able to invest in a prime location. The costs of setting up your location, hiring and training reception staff, running Internet, phones, desks, computers. Those costs add up fast, and that eats into your profits as surely as if you were burning money.

A Virtual Office can help save you money by taking care of all those unnecessary costs. You can focus on what’s truly important, growing your business – and re-investing your profits, rather than worrying about early debt.

What services does a Virtual Office offer?

All the services you need to get your business started, and getting it running. Professional staff to answer the phone and give your clients the information they need. Additionally, you’ll need mail reception and forwarding, as well as courier services – we have that covered too. And we personally offer coworking spots and meeting rooms that you can use to meet your clients or take calls anytime you need to. Forget the coffee shop experience, and put a truly professional face on your business!

So take a look at our available packages and start your Virtual Service today!

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How Does The Mobile Professional Or Virtual Office User Leverage The ‘Cloud’?

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Has anyone ever tried to explain cloud computing to you? Were you left feeling a little, well… cloudy?

The best example of cloud computing I can think of is an email service like Gmail or Hotmail. There’s nothing to download. All you need is an internet connection and you can start sending emails. The server and software is all on the cloud (internet) and is totally managed by the cloud service provider. All you have to do is use the software and enjoy receiving and sending off those emails.

‘Why buy a cow when you can have the milk for way way less?’ 

 Just to send an email (the milk) why should you have to buy a software /hardware (the cow) ?

The Cloud can make your business more efficient than ever!

A cloud is actually just someone else’s server. Imagine a document on your computer. It’s local, you can access it. The cloud would be someone else’s computer, with a link so you can access it through the internet.

Like Gizmodo says: ‘Cloud” is a buzzword that vaguely suggests the promise and convenience of being able to access files from anywhere. But the reality is that the cloud is hardly floating like mist above our heads — it’s a physical infrastructure, its many computers housed in massive warehouses all over the world.’

But that’s just for data storage. What about other applications?

Well, that’s where the term “SAAS” comes from: Software as a Service. There are some examples of this as well: Buffer and Hootsuite for social media, Mailchimp and Constant Contacts to send massive amounts of emails at once, or even things like Google Analytics and Adwords to create and run campaigns online. These are all run by, and based on, “the Cloud”.

Software like this tends to cost less, a small monthly fee or pay-per-service model. As well as being constantly updated with new features and capabilities, and have more uptime. As compared to maintaining your own software, and your own servers, and be prone to power outages  as well as higher costs.

And just like a good SaaS or a good Cloud storage provider can help you save money and focus on your business, so can we here at Virtual Business Offices. Get a Bay Street Address – Internationally recognized as the Business Center of Toronto – mail collection and forwarding, phone answering services and more!

 

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