How to Establish a Virtual Office
Physical offices can be rented that provide a prestigious address; full mail, telephone answering and package retrieval facilities, secretarial services; conference rooms; and reception areas. For most persons such facilities are expensive and provide more than is needed. With some small investment they can establish their own virtual office at substantial savings.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Home phone system
- Cell phone
- Fax machine or Internet fax service
- Laptop and preferably a base computer
- Backup hard drive
- Backup thumb drive
- Scanner
- Printer
- Office software
Instructions
-
-
1
Maintain your virtual office in your home with all the necessary applications and equipment within easy reach. Be certain that you have all electrical devices backed up to a universal power source so your computer may shut down properly while saving all documents and data when you are not home. This will also increase the life of your equipment because it protects electrical products from voltage irregularities.
The purpose of the virtual office is to allow you to access all necessary information and data from wherever you may be physically located at the moment. This requires a strong Internet connection and a quality laptop for accessing information. -
2
Know what you need to complete your tasks successfully. Let email replace faxes as much as possible. Scan or photograph documents onto your hard drive for future use. Use a voice over Internet program like Magicjack to make cheap international and national phone calls from wherever you are working.
-
-
3
Make backups of presentations onto your thumbnail hard drive in case access to your computer is not possible. In fact, it is a good idea to put a copy of the free Open Office Suite on your thumbnail hard drive with important documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations for easy access.
-
4
Install virtual computer software on your laptop. This allows access to the main computer through your laptop and substitutes for your laptop if it is lost, stolen or not working. This is especially valuable for software that cannot be easily copied or is needed only on an occasional basis. Create a separate business email with company logo and stationery design.
-
5
Employ a telephone answering service to upgrade voice mail. For overnight package delivery service purchase a service like Mypostalmail that receives packages, allows you to deposit checks at banks nationwide and provides previews of your mail delivery.
The cost of establishing your home office is usually much cheaper (usually 1/3 of commercial solution costs) and better customized to your needs.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
A good neighbor is a valuable source for package and mail receiving. Find some helpful way to reciprocate.
Always use a separate business credit card for the virtual office office expenses you incur. That way all business expenses are available at one place.
