Switching to a virtual office might be a good idea to save cash and foster flexibility for your small business. However,, a recent article, Switching to a virtual office? 6 things to consider by Jim Annis says that before you give yourself into it, here are some things to think about.
- Going virtual can be a challenge. A virtual office can give a positive or negative effect on your business—your productivity might increase or decrease, your customers might appreciate it or dislike it, too. This is one of the things that need careful and thorough analysis from your key personnel as to whether it is the right thing for you to do.
- Staff communication and collaboration. Meeting in a virtual setup may take more pre-planning as you cannot actually get everyone together around a desk in just a few minutes. You may need to book meeting rooms for rent with wireless high-speed internet access, teleconferencing and real-time video conferencing capabilities, to help conduct seamless meetings and retain significant connections with the people who help your business grow.
- Leadership will need to adapt to a virtual setting. Try patting someone on the back from miles away is impossible, but you can set up a virtual whiteboard where everyone shares their insights/ideas and live chatting and allowing everyone to comment are great ways to encourage and motivate everyone.
- Your staff will embrace telecommuting. Allowing your staff to work from home or from a coworking office space at least once a week for a dry run will help you identify who is efficient and who is not at this kind of work arrangement, and from there you can make decisions if you can go virtual in whole or in part.
Conclusion
Careful analysis, the nature of your business, company culture and employees will guide you in the right direction. If you are looking for the best workspace solutions for your business in Philly, YourOffice Philadelphia offers you a wide choice of office and workspace solutions: small office space Philadelphia, executive suites Philadelphia and meeting space Philadelphia. You’ll have access to a complete array of office support and concierge services as well as state-of-the-art business technology.
Can your business go virtual? Let’s see your comments below. Feel free to visit us also on Facebook and Twitter.