A Better Virtual – USA Virtual Offices

NEW YORK–There’s fine print in just about every contract these days. And virtual offices aren’t automatically an exception. But at least one virtual office provider is bucking that image with its no-fine-print motto.

Opus Virtual Offices is reporting the results of its first client satisfaction survey. And guess what tops the list of reasons entrepreneurs and business people are choosing Opus? (Listen up, virtual office industry.) You guess it. It’s the no fine print policy. Opus Virtual Offices’ no fine print policy means there are no annoying extras and add-ons to your monthly virtual office fees.

“Opus continues to impress by maintaining its low $99 package for unlimited calls, faxes, call transferring and voicemail,” says Yori Galel, CEO, Opus Virtual Offices. “
“Our regular surveys make sure that our virtual office solution stays at the top of its game, and clients tell us loud and clear that nothing turns them off more than unexpected charges at the end of the month.”

Opus Virtual Offices points to reports from Forbes and Business week that indicate more and more businesses are avoiding the high cost, long-term commitments that come along with traditional office space by tapping into virtual office technologies. At the same time, home-based businesses are also turning to virtual office programs.

All virtual office programs are not created equal. An Opus Virtual Office package comes with a prestigious corporate address and a dedicated phone and fax number, as well as live, professional US receptionists taking calls and messages during business hours. Opus Virtual offices also offers technology that converts voicemail and fax to email that can be accessed by smartphone. It’s a great solution for mobile workers.

And, again, Opus does it without all the fine print. Opus offers all of these services for one price rather than offering a la carte services that can rack up a big bill in a hurry.

NEW YORK—Now this is cool! There’s a new iPhone app that lets you sign documents right from your smartphone via a digitized signature feature. This is an ideal innovation for virtual office users.

eFax rolled out the app, which lets mobile professionals who use the cloud-based fax service to sign, approve or initial important business documents, from contracts to invoices, right from their smartphone without ever needing to print it out. The app also makes it easy to manage your electronic faxes without the need for a computer or printer.

“eFax users expressed the need to provide approvals and authorizations in a simple and quick way when away from their desks,” explains Mike Pugh, vice president of marketing for j2 Global, the parent company for eFax. “For our customers who spend time in airports, taxis, conference rooms, and customer sites, the app now includes the ability to add their digitized signature to documents right from their iPhone.”

This is certainly one way to drive more efficiency and productivity from your road warrior, virtual office work style. Instead of holding up business momentum while on the run, you can just drop digitized signatures into time sheets, expense reports invoices and the like with a few keystrokes. Documents that need a signature can be faxed to a user’s eFax account to add a digitized signature in a snap.

Beyond the super cool new digitized signature feature, the upgraded eFax iPhone app also offers a slew of other features. You can create and send faxes, taking photos of documents and allowing the app to enhance the images, combine them and fax them. You can also view and search all received faxes. Faxes are converted to searchable documents using optical character recognition technology.

Want to use a cover sheet on your iPhone fax? No problem. You can create customized cover sheets and use the iPhone contact list to populate them. You can also add search tags to individual faxes and archive them for convenient access later. Finally, you can send or forward stored documents directly from the app as e-mail attachments.

Virtual office providers these days have to compete on more than just virtual office space alone. Although it’s not true that all virtual office space is created equal—there are varying qualities of facilities and packages—savvy virtual office providers are expanding their ancillary services.

Alliance Virtual Offices is one of those savvy virtual office providers. Indeed, as a direct result of the firm’s commitment to providing a complete virtual office for its customers, Alliance Virtual Offices just rolled out what it’s calling a “virtual” accounting service in the United States.

“We are extremely excited about this accounting services product launch, as we see it as yet another way to add immense value to our growing industry,” says ABCN Chairman Frank Cottle. “It is our mission to show the world that the virtual office is, in fact, as valuable as the traditional, full-time office, if not more so.”

Alliance Virtual Offices isn’t trying to roll out virtual accounting services on its own. Rather, the virtual offices and meeting rooms provider turned to a national services provider called ISN Corporation to fill out its services list. The partnership with ISN will work to bring core services back to the business center revenue stream. ISN’s core competencies include technical and professional services utilizing organized teams of experienced professionals with diverse, highly specialized skills.

With this new virtual accounting service, Alliance Virtual Offices hopes to transform the way many mobile workers and entrepreneurial companies run their businesses. Research shows that businesses are traditionally very loyal to their accountants, and Alliance views this new product as a strategic way to improve customer loyalty.

Similar to the way many of Alliance Virtual Office’s existing services are conveniently structured, the new accounting service will provide certified, professional, U.S.-based resources to close the books each month. Alliance Virtual Offices is offering several options, with price points starting at $595 monthly.

Alliance Virtual Offices provides premium virtual office solutions and meeting rooms for companies all over the world. Alliance combines three central components necessary to service mobile and work-from-home professionals: People, Place and Technology. This unique combination of products and services offers businesses significant flexibility and savings while allowing them to present the image of a prestigious, full-time office.

NEW YORK–Establishing business credit can be tough for an entrepreneur or new small business owner. You have to get a Dunn & Bradstreet number to build a credit rating, and that takes time. What’s more, Small Business Administration loans aren’t a given and getting a business credit card requires you to put your personal credit on the line.

Opus Virtual Offices is working to help small businesses establish credit with a new program. The virtual office program aims to give small business owners a complete corporate presence without breaking the bank. Of course, it should be noted that any reputable virtual office provider can help you accomplish this goal. But Opus is the first to connect the virtual office dots, so to speak.

“Opus Virtual Offices wants to make sure that its clients have success in building solid business credit and a corporate presence that impresses is essential,” says Yori Galel, CEO of Opus Virtual Offices. “Obviously, our virtual office solution fits the bill beautifully since for a nominal fee, one can be fully operational and meet the requirements needed to facilitate the credit building process.”

Entrepreneur magazine has called out the need to create a separate entity by incorporating or forming an LLC to limit personal liability before applying for credit as the first basic step. Setting up a corporation in many states requires a corporate address. The bank or lender will also want to see a corporate address.

Of course, a corporate address is not the only benefit to a virtual office. Virtual offices tap into advanced technology to offer an A-to-Z business system that enhances the productivity and image of a small business. Virtual receptionist services, for example, can forward incoming calls to smartphones and professional live receptionist services can take calls. The cost: $99 a month.

“With a strong business credit report you can stop relying on your personal credit to qualify for the financing your company needs,” according to the SBA blog. “Since a creditor, lender or supplier can now easily determine your company’s risk level with a business credit check qualifying will be a much easier process.”

PALO ALTO, CA—Have you heard of LiquidSpace? It’s a mobile application that helps you find the right workspace for you. LiquidSpace just rolled out an Android app and an enhanced Web search interface to cater to the more than 1 billion mobile workers around the world.

With the update, LiquidSpace now gives you real-time access and the ability to immediately book spaces at more than 100 venues in the San Francisco Bay area and more than 1,000 workspaces across the nation. The venues on LiquidSpace let you rent space by the day or even the hour, and you can choose from coworking cafes to business centers to private offices to city libraries and local hotels. It’s a perfect supplement to the virtual office user’s world.

“We’re not only thrilled at the volume of spaces, but also the unique types of spaces we’re bringing on board,” says Mark Gilbreath, CEO and co-founder of LiquidSpace. “Workspace should be a personal choice. We all thrive in different professional settings, and there can be a great space for each and every individual. Now more than ever, our users have the freedom and resources to choose their ideal work environment right when they need it.”

Here’s how it works: You can browse based on various parameters, including location, venue, meeting space size, and availability—and you don’t even have to sign in to do it. The results include venue details like ratings, photos, location, hours, amenities and pricing. With the mobile app, you can zero in on the space that best suits your needs based on your current location. Once you find what you are looking for, you can book your space immediately with a credit card and get directions.

“With our latest platform improvements, you can book with confidence—confidence that the space you saw and chose is yours and will be ready and waiting for you,” Gilbreath says. “No one else offers that real-time functionality right now.”

BOULDER, CO—You want to be successful, right? Sure, but if you are like most people you really don’t want to be a corporate executive. So says Intelligent Office’s first WorkIQ Survey. The virtual office provider surveyed more than 1,000 people. More than half waned to be an entrepreneur—not one of them wanted to be a corporate executive.

The WorkIQ Survey also set out to discover if people are working in traditional ways or moving to a more flexible work style. The result: there is an evolution of work styles underway and the birth of what the virtual office provider is calling the “New American Worker.” The New American Worker is defined by both mobility and flexibility and looks more like an entrepreneur or an independent business owner than a corporate executive.

“We believe there is a paradigm shift happening in our culture as it relates to work style,” says Tom Camplese, COO of Intelligent Office. “We have been watching this shift take place over the course of the last few years at Intelligent Office by talking with entrepreneurs, business owners, and mobile executives on a daily basis. The Work IQ survey put this into hard numbers.”

Here are some more interesting tidbits from the survey:

• Nearly 65%of survey participants desire to work as an entrepreneur or independent
• 61% of people surveyed desire more flexible work hours than the traditional 9 to 5 p.m.
• Nearly half of the respondents want a work hard/play hard work life balance.
• Technology remains an invaluable resource to more than 45%of the respondents
• Overwhelmingly, people aspire to have more mobility in their work life
• 66% responded aspire to have a laptop or tablet that affords them freedom and mobility

“What we continue to hear from people is that they increasingly need and expect services that will help them grow and be more successful, but they want those services to match this new work style—flexible and mobile,” says Camplese. “Overall, they are seeking more balance and freedom in everything, including the services that support their business efforts.”

TORONTO—You often see virtual office promotions in January as the competition heats up for small business owners making New Year’s resolutions. But one virtual office provider waited for the dust to settle on your typical January virtual office promotions and is now launching a February offer.

Innovative Professional Offices just announced a Virtual Office and Mail Plan Promotion. Here’s the deal: Any clients that sign up for a virtual office or mail plan automatically receive five hours of day office use for free.

This is a smart way to plant the seeds of transition from virtual offices to day offices and is an attractive incentive if you need a day office every once in a while or just always wondered what it would be like to have that luxury.

Innovative Professional Offices helps companies establish a professional presence and image with their clients. The virtual office provider is targeting both home-based businesses and larger organizations looking to establish a presence in Mississauga, Toronto.

Virtual office clients can also tap into preferred rates for other services at the executive office suites facility, including day office use, meeting space, training rooms and administrative and IT support. Virtual office plans start at $89 a month and a mail plan starts at $30 a month.

NEW YORK—How fast is the virtual office industry growing? Although there hasn’t been any major study released, we do have some clues from reputable vendors in the industry. One virtual office provider that’s sharing some data is Opus Virtual Offices.

So far this year, Opus Virtual Offices reports that more than 100 home-based businesses have taken the virtual office plunge with its brand. From lawyers to plumbers, Opus reports that home-based businesses and solo entrepreneurs are turning to virtual office services to help increase visibility, image, and income.

“Premier customer service is key, but Opus finds many home based businesses are missing potential clients by using personal phones and voicemail,” explains Yori Galel, CEO of Opus Virtual Offices. “If a single operator is busy or out on a job, potential customers often don’t leave messages and simply call the next company which will speak to them live. Our virtual office solution insures this won’t happen because it includes live professional receptionists, business quality voicemail and call forwarding all in the $99 a month cost.”

Opus Virtual Offices has clearly hit on a nerve—the same nerve other reputable virtual office providers have hit on the home-based business front. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than half of small businesses in the U.S. now home-based businesses. There are good reasons for that, including low overhead, extra family time, and being your own boss. But there are also limitations with home-based businesses that virtual office space can help you overcome.

For example, many home-based businesses don’t operate with a full range of tools you come to expect in a standard office, according to an Opus Virtual Offices study. One example is telecommunications. Home-based business owners can be difficult to reach as personal home and cell phones do double duty. Virtual offices can help by offering an inexpensive complete business system that taps into modern virtual office technologies.

NEW YORK-Ever thought about hooking up a virtual phone service to go along with your virtual office space? Robin Feltner did–and she’s glad she did! Using a virtual receptionist has been a real boon for business.

Feltner is the founder and CEO of Supernatural Botanicals, an eco-friendly, all-natural bath and body product line. Over the past four years, she has built a thriving business that has seen sales increase more than 325 percent since she opened her doors.

While most of her success has come from hard work, trusting her gut and an encouraging family behind her, she has also benefited from advice and support from business and professional associates. To pay it forward, Robin shares key advice for growing a business.

When summing up her path to success, Robin lists these three non-negotiables: know how to analyze the numbers before you start counting your profits, figure out how you are going to build your brand awareness before you spend, and rely on the right technology to support your growth.

One of the potential obstacles to success is not having a comprehensive understanding about what it actually costs to make a product or deliver a service. It’s surprising how many entrepreneurs don’t understand or know how to determine profit margins. It is imperative to know more than formulas or how to be the best at producing something.

In Robin’s case, she had already figured out all of the costs she would incur before making her first sale. Her calculations included everything from the cost of ingredients, to advertising, packaging and shipping, and the outlay for a business phone.

Growth doesn’t require hiring an MBA or veteran CFO. There are classes available to anyone who wants to start their own business. Community colleges, SCORE and Small Business Development Centers are cost effective avenues to gain the information needed to run your business just as effectively as the most successful big enterprises.

Robin also suggests looking to your community and network to plot the path to success. Create relationships with potential mentors. People are excited to share their knowledge but they’re not going to knock on your door. You need to bang on theirs. Find your advisers through LinkedIn, local business associations and proprietors of businesses you respect.

Once Robin made the decision to produce and distribute Supernatural Botanicals, she needed to figure out a way to announce to the world that her all-natural bath and body product line was available. In 2008, adult consumers were just beginning to communicate through social media platforms. Working from her gut, she chose to develop her brand through free social media tools instead of allotting budget for traditional advertising.

Robin credits social media as being a major factor in her success. Through Twitter, Facebook and word of mouth, her business took off. By tweeting, Robin’s product was featured in Everyday with Rachael Ray. Today, she continues to use social media as the primary way to build her brand. She recommends it as a   great way to advertise without spending any money upfront, especially before there is income to cover the cost.

She cautions fellow entrepreneurs not to spend too much time fretting over what to write. You don’t have to be a great writer. Your third grade teacher isn’t grading you. It’s about getting the information out quickly and continually. For instance, while you may want to stay away from sharing what you had for lunch, tweeting who you had it with may be of interest to your audience.

Once Robin determined how she wanted to run her business, she needed to figure out how to run her office in the most professional manner without eating up her profits. One of Robin’s recurring themes in business is that the more people you rely on, the less control you have. Rather than hiring a receptionist for her business, she chose a virtual assistant tool provided by eVoice. The virtual receptionist is there 24/7 at a minimal cost. All of her employee cost could be devoted to delivering green, pure and gentle products to customers.

Like everything she does, Robin investigated the various ways to help organize her calls and appear like a larger, more professional business to her customers. Robin cut the cord on her landline and switched from a local Cincinnati area code to an eVoice toll-free 800 virtual phone number. She estimates saving at least $70 every month since dropping her landline.

eVoice offers multiple extensions that are routed to her cell phone and has set up multiple extensions with special greetings for specific audiences. She has an extension for shoppers with questions about a product, another for general customer service issues and created an extension for her wholesale segment for salons, spas and retail businesses.

In the end, it’s all about the numbers. Just remember not to cut corners without considering the repercussions on your success. The key to that is all in the knowing.

NEW YORK—247VirtualAssistant just rolled out brand new service plans. The new plans offer more than virtual assistant services—they include web development, SEO and social media management.

247VirtualAssistant aims to give business owners the tools they need to move away from bricks and mortar and go completely virtual with its new services under a single plan structure. The idea is to create a one stop shop for virtual office users that lets clients pay only for what they need when they needed it. This makes 247VirutalAssistant one of the most versatile virtual assistant programs in the market.

“We’re very proud of this program. We’ve been able to combine the cost saving benefit of a virtual assistant with the efficiency and necessity of a web development or SEO team,” says Thomas Shajan, CEO of 247VirtualAssistant.com. “We love the fact that now the client doesn’t have to wait to hire a programmer or an SEO expert, they just need to let their virtual assistant know and it’s done. I feel that this is what puts our service above the rest.”

Ellie Maddox, CEO of ChargebackNation.com is one of 247VirtualAssistant’s satisfied customers. Maddox says she’s delighted that the virtual assistant company has launched the new service.

“We have used 247VirtualAssistant.com for over four years now and 247 has helped us go from a two-man operation to over 35 employees, while still staying completely virtual,” Maddox says. ‘The business applications of the 247 product for small businesses have a lot of appeal in today’s economy.”

What’s next for 247VirtualAssistant? Thomas hinted that his virtual assistant company’s next project is virtual assistant software aimed at standardizing the virtual assistant industry.