Choosing Virtual mail and office services

E-Mail and the internet have virtually freed us from our desks and offices, not quite though and especially not for small business owners and freelancers. It is often precisely these people though who need to be here, there and everywhere: even all over the world and never in one place. The idea of being able to do this is great but people have to be able to call you and send you post as well as e-mail and some jobs you need an assistant in an office to do for you.

The extra cost of getting in an assistant for a small business is huge: most leave it as long as possible: way beyond where someone would be useful even if just occasionally. You can’t afford though to get someone in to make sure calls don’t get missed though as they would need to be there at least five days a week 9-5: longer if you serve more time zones. You would also need to have an office for them to work in which you may not need for any other reason and you would have to take on extra payroll costs too and employer’s liability insurance. Maternity leave or paternity leave, sick pay and then the headaches of things like contracts and health and safety mean that it is easier to just try and find time to do admin yourself and to make sure you check in to your office everyday and always have your phone diverted to you if you are out.

Virtual Offices are so much more practical than either option, you don’t employ anyone or need to house anyone: another company has the office and the highly trained assistants there for you to use when you want but not having to be paid in between. When your calls go to them and they answer them you pay but not the rest of the time; if you send them work to issue some invoices you just pay for the time it takes. All of this is very useful if you spend most of your time in your own office and go out to occasional meetings. What if you travel all over the country though or all over the world? Being virtual they can offer exactly the same services to you and they can even check e-mail and mail when you can’t. Your mail can go to a virtual office where an assistant will deal with it: they can then scan some letters and get them to you electronically, some they will reply to for you, others they can keep hold of for you and if needed they can forward items to you wherever you may be.

The address and the phone number for your virtual assistant which you use as your main address may be for a local virtual assistant but could equally be for a virtual office somewhere prestigious like Manhattan or the City of London, this can really impress clients and suppliers. You can of course just go for the address option and either collect mail or have it forwarded to you and you may choose to have several addresses in the different markets you serve.

Virtual Office is a great way of managing your day to day communication without much effort. To learn more about getting a private mail address, click the above links.