There are a number of features companies can benefit from when using virtual office services. Listed below are some features, along with their associated benefits, of why a business should use a virtual office:
Telephone Answering
A phone answering service provided by a virtual office enables companies of any size to have their calls redirected to the virtual office and answered in their company name by professional and experienced PA’s. For any size company, this service provides great peace of mind as they can be sure that every call is answered promptly and professionally. Calls can then be forwarded to the relevant staff member in the same way as a receptionist would do. Alternatively, a message can be taken and forwarded by text or email to the relevant staff member or department. This allows staff to work undisturbed, thus increasing their efficiency and productivity.
Daily, weekly and monthly reports analysing the calls taken by the virtual office can be a very useful service to companies, but in particular to marketing departments who may wish to track the performance of their marketing projects.
24/7 Call Answering
Some companies, due to the nature of their business, need their calls answered 24/7. Some virtual offices provide a telephone answering service out of office hours and at weekends. This can be particularly useful as it can be difficult and expensive to have staff working these rotas.
Once the personal assistants in the virtual office become familiar with the call handling procedures, they become a valuable resource for any size company. Using a virtual office for telephone answering means that companies never have a problem covering sick leave or holiday leave.
Business Address
A virtual office provides a professional business address which can be used by clients on their website and marketing material. In addition, any post received for clients at the virtual office can be forwarded to clients or if the client is living locally they may prefer to call to collect their post. In some cases, clients may request that their post is opened and scanned and emailed to them. Another service which can be provided by a virtual office is that cheques received in the post for their clients can be lodged at the bank. The business address service is of particular benefit to business owners who do not need a business premise as part of their business operation. It is also very cost effective when compared to the cost of renting a premises. Finally, the virtual office address gives a small business owner the benefit of a professional address for their business and thereby enhance their business image.
Telephone Numbers
Virtual offices can provide companies with a virtual phone number for their business. The types of numbers which can be chosen could be a geographic number such as 01 for Dublin. Alternatively, a non-geographic number could also be chosen which may be a 1800, 1850 or 1890 number. The virtual number can be programmed so that calls can be answered either by the virtual office personal assistants or ring through to the company landline or a nominated mobile number.
Personalised Voicemail For Out of Hours Calls
A personalised voicemail facility is a feature which is very beneficial to companies. A personalised voicemail greeting message is recorded announcing the company name and asking the caller to leave a message. The message which the caller leaves is then emailed to a nominated employee in MP3 format and they can then listen to the callers’ message. Any calls which are urgent can then be returned.
Administration Services
Businesses sometimes require an additional administration resource for project work. Some virtual offices will provide this service. This may involve copy typing, audio typing, data cleansing, outbound calls or customer care follow up calls.
