A Better Virtual – USA Virtual Offices

Servcorp is one of the most respected names in the virtual office space industry and the company tends to run 50 percent off specials on its virtual office space intermittently in various markets around the world.

Case in point: Servcorp is currently offering a 50 percent discount on its virtual office packages for the first month in Mumbai and Hyderabad, India. That means you pay only half the regular costs for your first month of virtual office use in those locations.

“That’s great, but I’m not in India …” I hear you. But remember, Servcorp tends to run this special all over the world. There’s a good chance that if you call up your Servcorp virtual office provider in any city and ask them to apply this discount so you can try their services that the company will oblige. If not, the famed Servcorp 50 percent discount will probably be coming to a virtual office near you soon enough.

What do you get with a virtual office space from Servcorp? It’s a fair question since many virtual office providers offer varied services. As Servcorp defines it, a virtual office is a combination of professional office services and facilities including a premium business address, mail forwarding, telephone answering services, meeting room and day office, full business and IT infrastructure without the physical office space, and all with no long term commitment.

With a Servcorp virtual office, you can choose a single service from the package, such as mail forwarding service, day office/meeting room, phone answering services or opt for a fully functional virtual office. That gives you the ultimate flexibility to mix and match your needs—and even change your virtual office service suite as your needs shift.

As for the Servcorp presence in India, it’s a high quality operation. You can tap into fully-managed, fully-furnished service office space, accessible-anywhere-and-anytime virtual office solutions and CBD suites at a prime location. One can enjoy their serviced office suites and virtual office packages at BKC, Mumbai and Mindspace, Hyderabad.

LOS ANGELES—You’ve probably already heard that the FCC is fighting to prevent bill shock for mobile consumers. The FCC has mandated overage alerts for voice, data and international roaming charges. The deadline: now.

Now consider this: 70 percent of small businesses have come to rely more on mobile in the past two years, according to a recent survey from eVoice, a virtual phone system. As eVoice sees it, small business owners can still feel lost with spikes in mobile phone plans and increasing pressure for small businesses to go mobile.

Mike Pugh, eVoice small business expert, can offer insight on how small businesses can outsmart their phone carriers by using a virtual phone system. Here are five top tips for virtual office and mobile phone users:

1. Know Your Plan. Make an informed decision and stick to the contract timeline before making the decision to switch carriers. This will save you about $350 per line. Make sure you do your research a few months before your contract is up and find the best phone plan that fits your budget, Pugh says. If you’re in the middle of a plan and think you’re paying too much, then figure out if you’re paying for minutes and data that you’re not actually using. Look into downgrading your plan instead of switching.

2. Negotiate. Use your negotiation skills as a small business owner and apply it to your cell phone bill. Carriers are aware of their customers’ frustrations and the recent press around increasing service plans so they’re keen to keep you if you give a good argument, Pugh says.

“Pull together at least three of your past bills and highlight rising cost concerns from unexpected fees to taxes. Then, call customer service and ask for a better deal,” Pugh says. “It costs companies less to negotiate than lose a customer all together so cell phone companies most likely will have retention departments for the purpose of offering perks, deals, and additional discounts. Don’t forget to also mention competitors’ deals.”

3. Love VoIP. This is where eVoice comes into play. See, most virtual phone systems like eVoice offer VoIP apps. Therefore, consider adopting a virtual phone service for your business. That, says Pugh, means that whenever your phone is connected to WiFi your calls are transferred from your network to the Internet—and that means free minutes. Pugh is right when he says VoIP can drastically reduce the number of minutes used on every billing cycle and is a great solution to keep mobile costs at a minimum.

4. It’s a family business (when it comes to your phone bill). Pugh suggests evaluating your plan and deciding if a family plan is more cost effective than having separate plans for each employee. He says most likely it is. Family plans can also be less expensive than business plans.

5. Know Your Budget. Pre Pay. Pay-as-you-go phones typically cost 10 cents per minute plus a small daily access fee each time the phone is used. It’s like a cell phone in training wheels and a smart option if you’re on a budget, Pugh says. Just make sure the plan you choose allows you to roll over any minutes you don’t use to the following month.

MILWAUKEE—Is the virtual law office trend still gaining momentum? You bet. The virtual office concept has now spread to Milwaukee’s legal scene.

The latest example is Michael F. Brennan Law Offices. The firm is the first known virtual law office serving clients in the tri-state area of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

What does this virtual law office look like, practically speaking? A licensed attorney operate the virtual law office, which offers an alternative to online legal document sites by offering state-specific legal advice and direction at much lower costs than a traditional law firm.

“People today are very comfortable using technology in their everyday lives whether it’s to buy clothes or pay a utility bill,” says Brennan. “I don’t think that the delivery of many legal services needs to be any different.”

Brennan’s virtual law office offers unbundled legal services in the estate planning and business law fields, including services such as the drafting of wills, trusts, articles of incorporation and LLC agreements, contract drafting and negotiation and powers of attorney.

In the context of estate planning and business law, a virtual law office means that a client pays for document drafting and review by an attorney knowledgeable in state-specific laws as well as detailed instructions to follow to ensure that the documents are properly executed and filed, if necessary.

Thanks to modern technology, the virtual law office can provide quality legal services to a client base that is increasingly comfortable using the Internet to purchase goods and services. Virtual law offices set the stage for attorneys to provide exceptional legal services that are convenient and accessible while keeping costs reasonable.

SAN ANTONIO—The virtual assistant career path is so alluring that one teacher has walked away from a 15-year career to launch her own virtual assistant company.

Michelle Gutierrez, a former teacher and mother of two, just launched Ms. Hoverfly in San Antonio. Guitierrez can now work from the comfort of her virtual office as she provides administrative assistance to clients around the country.

Guitierrez’s launch is a good time to review the benefits of using a virtual assistant, which include:

Customer only pays virtual assistants only for time on task
Virtual assistants don’t take up your office space, equipment, furniture, or supplies
A virtual assistant is available to handle seasonal or special, one-time projects
A regular virtual assistant gets to know your business and brings that knowledge to each and every assignment
A virtual assistant is available when a business’ current staff gets overloaded
A virtual assistant is self-employed
You don’t have to pay virtual assistants medical, dental, and vision care benefits
Virtual assistants don’t get vacation, sick, and holiday time to pay

Do you work from a virtual office? Need a virtual assistant? There are many independent virtual assistants looking for business, as well as companies that provide you with the virtual assistants you need. Word of warning: get referrals. I’ve used virtual assistants for years and they are hit and miss.

LAS VEGAS—Have you ever heard of Alice? No, not the 1970s sitcom. The virtual receptionist technology from WinTech …

ALICE is a virtual receptionist system. ALICE stands for ‘A Live Interactive Customer Experience. Mike Yoder, Chief Technology Officer at WinTech, explains how it works:

“ALICE Receptionist is an exciting new way for businesses to manage their office lobbies,” Yoder says. “ALICE uses motion detection technology to greet visitors as they enter a business building so visitors aren’t left to wonder. ALICE then notifies employees of the visitor’s arrival and facilities two-way video or audio communication between the visitor and the employee sitting at his or her desk.”

WinTech is running a contest called “Who’s Alice?” The winner will receive a “front desk makeover” featuring the new ALICE Receptionist system. ALICE Receptionist trades the “self-service” approach for a custom video greeting from one of your employees. When the customer enters, ALICE connects them with a live employee immediately.

“Businesses in the past had to choose between an unmanaged lobby or pay a full-time receptionist,” says WinTech CEO Vernon Rodriguez. “Now with ALICE, they have a high-tech option in which they can continue to personally greet visitors, but at a fraction of the cost.”

Want to enter the virtual receptionist contest? Visit www.WhosAlice.com. The contest ends on May 31, 2012. The winner will receive a complete ALICE Receptionist system, including hardware, software and the first year’s support and maintenance licenses. If you don’t win, don’t worry. WinTech says ALICE is available in a variety of affordable packages, with most business reporting a 100 percent return on investment within the first four months. The firm estimates a typical business will save tens of thousands of dollars year over year by using ALICE Receptionist to manage their office lobby.

QUEENS, NY—Virtual offices are gaining momentum all over the world—and Queens is no exception. The Executive Office Center at Fresh Meadows is helping to lead the virtual office charge.

Jack Blumner, executive director of the Executive Office Center at Fresh Meadows, says his low-cost concept has attracted more than 100 virtual office tenants since it opened in Oct. 2011.

“I am a personal believer in the virtual office business model for businesses. It is such a practical and cost-effective alternative to traditional office space, it is just a matter of time before it changes the office rental marketplace forever,” says Blumner.

“Queens is a latecomer to the virtual office concept. It’s somewhat surprising, considering the fact that the idea has been around for a while, and that it’s such an important component of the marketplace for office space in Manhattan. I believe that the economy of Queens, which consists primarily of small businesses, makes the virtual office model particularly relevant.”

Blumner says nearly 40 percent of the firms that have signed up for its Queens virtual offices are attorneys—and he says this is an ideal candidate for virtual office space because many don’t need full-time office space. Blumner also points to social workers and accountants as strong tenants, as well as real estate brokers.

“The beauty about affiliating with the Executive Office Center is the bang you get for your buck,” said Blumner says. “When I started out in business 35 years ago, I wish I could’ve opened an office in Queens for $39 a month, and look like the consummate professional.”

At $39 a month, Executive Office Center at Fresh Meadows offers perhaps the lowest priced virtual office solution on the market—at least the lowest I’ve seen. Of course, there are many different definitions of what a virtual office is. So make sure you are comparing apples to apples while you shop around for virtual offices in Queens and beyond.

LOS ANGELES—I didn’t think we’d be saying this so soon, but the mortgage industry is seeing a mini-boom—and virtual office technologies are helping brokers keep up with the influx of new loans.

Indeed, as many as 6.9 million borrowers could fit the new Harp 2.0 broad requirements for refinancing fixed rate loans. That could mean a virtual onslaught of customers and applications to process in the coming months. Virtual office technologies could help brokers get their jobs done by streamlining paperwork.

Virtual fax providers like eFAx are trumpeting their services. eFax is a reputable brand—and one that “gets it” when it comes to handling complex loan documentation efficiently. Mortgage brokers who tap into this virtual office technology can potentially process mortgage loan and refinance applications more quickly. There are also other benefits for mortgage brokers that leverage virtual office technologies:

You can keep an audit trail: eFax offers unlimited lifetime storage and securely archives faxed documents online. That gives mortgage brokers a digital audit trail.

You can find documents more quickly: Rather than spending time manually searching through file folders with paper forms, you can search electronically using names, topics or other keywords.

You can encrypt confidential data: eFax offers secure encryption alternatives to traditional fax machines. This means no more confidential faxed documents sitting next to a fax machine.

You can share large files: Tired of getting bounce backs or clogging up your e-mail? If you opt for a paid account, you can upload and share files up to 1 GB without those hurdles.

You can annotate faxes: You can even annotate faxes online. You don’t have to print or mark up contracts in the margins and then scan or refax them with a traditional machine.

You can sign digitally: That means you don’t have to print, sign and scan a document. Just use a digital signature and eFax it back.

BOCA RATON, FL—You’ve heard of Spring Cleaning, right? Well, how about a Spring renewal? How about a Spring dream? If you are an aspiring entrepreneur who has always wanted to start your own business, why not do it this Spring? Likewise, if you are a veteran entrepreneur and you need to make some adjustments, how about now?

Virtual office provider Opus Virtual Office is making it easy with a Spring promotion that aims to help fledgling and established entrepreneurs alike pick up their game. The virtual office company is making an online offer that you may not be able to refuse. You can choose any Opus virtual office location around the world and have the set up fees waived. That saves you $100 out of the gate.

“The Opus VO system is already the best value in virtual office solutions and we want to make it easy for a business owner to obtain a location and get up and running quickly for very low cost,” says Yori Galel, CEO, Opus Virtual Offices. “Our exciting new promotion saves a client $100 immediately. Visit our website, enter the promotion code SPRING, and all set up fees will be waived.”

Virtual offices can be a boon for companies of all sizes. Virtual office technology eliminates much of the need for physical office space, and virtual office providers offer access to meeting rooms when you do need to meet a client face to face.

Prices for virtual offices vary from vendor to vendor. Some are as little as $50 a month and others are several hundred dollars a month. Be sure to understand what is being offered for that monthly fee, because it varies widely. Although the virtual office concept is mainstream, the definition of a virtual office is not standardized.

For Opus’ part, the virtual office provider charges $99 a month. You get an impressive corporate mailing address with dedicated phone and fax number, personalized voicemail conversion to email that transfers to smartphone, tablet or other device, and personalized live receptionists answering phone calls.

PORTLAND—I’ve been following Ruby Receptionists, a live virtual receptionist service headquartered in Portland, for a couple of years. The company continues to impress me—it’s one that every virtual office users should consider when looking for a virtual receptionist company. And it seems like many are.

Ruby Receptionists just announced the financial results for the first quarter of 2012—and it’s impressive. The virtual receptionist company posted a 47.4 percent increase over the year-ago period. Specifically, revenues totaled $1.74 million in the first quarter of 2012 compared to $1.12 million in the first quarter of 2011.

What’s all the growth about? New clients. The virtual receptionist company points to a 14.3 percent increase in the number of customers. But call volume is also rising. Ruby Receptionists says call volume per client climbed 3.5 percent, which it says signals improvements in the overall economy. The virtual receptionist provider’s growth has been steady. In 2011, Ruby Receptionists posted a record $5.22 million in revenue, which represented a 32.5 percent increase over 2010 figures.

“Ruby’s dramatic growth comes from our unique ability to help businesses develop meaningful relationships with their customers, in spite of the inherently impersonal nature of today’s technology-driven world,” says Jill Nelson, Ruby Receptionists founder and CEO. “Our friendly, professional receptionists provide a much appreciated respite from the impersonal voicemail, pre-recorded menus and other examples of poor customer service that have become the norm in recent years.”

Ruby Receptionists currently provides live virtual receptionist services to 1,500 businesses and entrepreneurs in 49 states. The virtual receptionist company has also created new jobs for the local economy, adding 16 new employees and increasing its workforce by 23 percent in the first quarter of the year.

SALT LAKE CITY—The virtual office industry is much older than six. But one six-year-old virtual office company has helped perhaps more than any other to drive virtual office space into the mainstream. That company is Davinci Virtual Office Solutions.

That’s right, Davinci Virtual is celebrating its sixth birthday this week. A Better Virtual offers this virtual office brand a hearty “Happy Birthday!” Davinci Virtual has managed six years of successful business operations and profitable growth.

“We were thrilled to celebrate six years of innovation, growth and success. Davinci Virtual Office Solutions has met every milestone it has set out to achieve while creating a new way to work for businesses,” says Bill Grodnik, CEO of Davinci Virtual. “We are so proud of our staff and partners and we very excited about our continued profitable growth.”

More than 25,000 companies and entrepreneurs across the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America, Asia and Australia have tapped into Davinci’s virtual office solutions. Altogether, Davinci has virtual offices in 850 locations, including major metros like New York and Los Angeles and smaller suburban locations.

Davinci Office Solutions offers clients a prestigious business address, live receptionist services, meeting spaces and business support and much more. I don’t think anyone offers a more complete virtual office system than Davinci Virtual Office Solutions. So, Davinci, thanks for helping to pioneer this model and happy birthday!