A Better Virtual – USA Virtual Offices

ERIE, PA—Virtual office providers are expanding rapidly these days. The latest example is Allied Offices. Allied Offices just opened a new virtual office location in Erie, Pa.

Allied Offices’ newest virtual office space is located atop the Renaissance Centre, the tallest building in Pennsylvania’s business district. Allied Offices is offering a prime business location.  But Allied Offices offers much more in its virtual office package.

Beyond virtual offices, Allied Offices offers virtual office assistants, meeting spaces, and a live virtual secretary via virtual receptionist services. Allied Offices does all of this at a fraction of the cost of a traditional office space—and you don’t have to pay for utilities.

Here’s what you get with an Allied Offices virtual office: a local or toll-free telephone and fax number, electronic fax, digital voicemail, and unified messaging. Allied Offices also includes voice conferencing, voicemail-to-email, fax-to-email, and screening and forwarding as part of its virtual office package.

If that’s not enough, this virtual office provider also folds in premier live telephone answering services, professional live receptionist services, virtual assistants, and appointment scheduling.

But the Erie virtual office location offers something even more: a TelAssistant Remote Receptionist telephone answer service. What is a TelAssistant? A TelAssistant offers professional call answering services. They screen calls, take messages, and forward callers in a professional and courteous manner.

TelAssistants also schedule appointments, process orders, and follow your specific guidelines. Business owners train professional TelAssistant receptionists to handle calls the way they would train in-house employees.

“The staff at Allied Offices is completely integrated into my company,” says George Rollins from The Rollins Co. “Now, I don’t have to worry about hiring employees because it is all done for me.”

ATLANTA—Want to get your hands on an iPad without shelling out the hundreds of dollars it’s worth? Maybe you should have entered Opus Virtual Offices’ iPad sweepstakes—or maybe you should enter the next one.

Opus Virtual Offices held its second drawing in its quarterly free iPad sweepstakes last week. The winner: Kayndria Wolfe, a multimedia marketing company owner. Wolfe wasn’t betting on winning an iPad when she decided to take up virtual office residence at Opus new Peachtree Lenox Building location in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta.

“Our sweepstakes rewards businesspeople for exploring these advantages, and I want to congratulate Mrs. Wolfe on winning the iPad. I’m also pleased her company chose our new premium Buckhead, Atlanta location as its corporate address,” says Yori Galel, CEO of Opus Virtual Offices. “I feel visiting our website should be just as exciting as our product is. The Opus VO virtual office solution, for only $99 a month, is a terrific program that gives smaller companies the presence and tools usually available only to big corporations.”

Like other virtual office providers, Opus virtual offers tools that aim to help small business owners compete with larger companies. Those tools include a premier corporate mailing address, complete with dedicated phone and fax, as well as live receptionists professionally taking calls and messages, and advanced technology that forwards all customer communications to smartphone, tablet, or other device.

Opus recently moved into its Buckhead location. The Buckhead virtual office location offers all the traditional features you would expect, plus business center amenities like a boardroom and conference room facilities. Wolfe has been pleased with the experience so far—and especially with her new iPad in hand.

But what caused Wolfe to choose Opus Virtual Offices? After all, virtual offices are abundant. In short, she found Opus Virtual Offices through a Google search and did some comparisons with other virtual office providers. Ultimately, she says she chose Opus Virtual Offices for its straightforward, unconfusing pricing structure of one low monthly fee for unlimited features with no overages. She also liked the exclusivity and convenience of the Peachtree Lenox Building address.

SAN MATEO, CA—Do you have your head in the clouds? Hopefully not, but you might want to put your virtual office there.

In fact, many small- and mid-sized business (SMB) owners are now relying on the cloud to power more than half their business. So says a new mobile survey from RingCentral, a virtual PBX provider.

Specifically, 57 percent of SMBs in the survey said the majority of their business-critical applications are currently run in the cloud. These SMBs also point to a heavy reliance on cloud services in conjunction with the adoption of tablet computers.

“We’re seeing that the cloud is fundamentally changing the way businesses operate,” says Naveen Gupta, chief product officer at RingCentral. “Legacy hardware and systems no longer fit the way modern businesses work. Small and mid-sized businesses are adopting solutions that are flexible, mobile and affordable, and the survey data clearly speaks to this trend.”

Here are some additional—and interesting—findings for virtual office and virtual PBX users:

• 60% of SMBs have no IT manager
• 14% fully rely on an internal IT manager or a third-party IT consultant
• 64% of SMB owners feel they could manage their entire business remotely this year

With the rise in both mobile device adoption and cloud service implementation, the majority of business owners feel confident that their entire business could be managed remotely from outside the office or using a mobile device. This is contributing to the rise of virtual offices.

• 62% reported owning a tablet, up from only 28% last year.
• 53% reported using tablets multiple times per day for business
• 67% of business owners use document-sharing cloud apps

For business owners, document sharing in the cloud is critical in supporting a mobile, remote workforce, allowing workers to access documents and collaborate with team members from anywhere. Other leading cloud applications business owners report relying on most include online meeting collaboration, payroll, and document creation and sharing.

If you are a virtual office user, it’s likely that you are already tapping into cloud-based services and don’t know it. What’s also more than likely is that the number of cloud-based services, cloud software users and tablets will rise again by this time next year, supporting virtual office users everywhere.

LOS ANGELES-I’ve watched Regus, the executive office suites provider, ink strategic deal after strategic deal to add value for its members. Now, one player in the virtual office industry is taking a page from that playbook.

Opus Virtual Office just inked deals with National Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The deals give virtual office users free Emerald Club and makes these two companies the preferred rental car suppliers for Opus Virtual Offices. This is a great deal for virtual office users, who are many times road warrior in disguise.

“Opus is proud to offer this discount program to all our members, from long term clients to new entrepreneurs looking for a top virtual office solution,” says Yori Galel, CEO of Opus Virtual Offices.

“I want to emphasize how remarkable this opportunity is. Smaller companies now have Emerald Club benefits comparable to companies spending $100,000 a year with National or Enterprise. And rental rates are capped during peak season for Opus clients.”

As an Emerald Club member, virtual office users get special recognition and speedy service every time they rent a car from National or Enterprise. Of course, you have to be an Opus Virtual Office customer to get the deal. Opus Virtual Offices start at $99 a month.

For that price, you get a corporate mailing address for privacy and image, a live receptionist who professionally answers calls and takes messages, and technology that offers amenities like a dedicated corporate phone and fax, premium call transferring, and voicemail to email conversion forwarded to smartphone, tablet, Mac, or PC.

This is the first time I’ve seen a virtual office provider step out and make a strategic alliance like this that aims to meet the felt need of its customers. I would not be surprised to see other virtual office providers follow suit, especially if this drives new memberships for Opus.

MEMPHIS, TN—What do Elvis, barbecues, and the Peabody ducks have in common? They’re all part of that southern flavor that is Memphis. And the virtual assistant world is about to get its fair share of this southern hospitality.

On April 17-20, 2012, virtual assistants from across North America will leave their virtual office space and get together in the City of Blues to learn, share, network and grow at the International Virtual Assistants Association annual Live Summit conference at the historic Peabody Hotel. The theme: “Rockin’ Your Business.”

C. J. Hayden, author of Get Clients Now, will kick off the conference with a keynote. Sandra Martini will teach a workshop entitled “Increase Your Bottom Line & Credibility with Extreme Client Care.” Other virtual assistant topics include everything from marketing, project management and productivity, to the latest trends in technology and social media.

Established in 2001, the International Virtual Assistants Association bills itself as the only industry trade association for virtual assistants. The association is dedicated to the professional education and development of its virtual assistant members. It is also committed to educating the public on the role and function of the virtual assistant.

I’ve always wondered why the virtual office industry doesn’t target these virtual assistants more directly. Think about it for a minute. Most virtual assistants are working from home. A virtual office would greatly enhance their business image. Having the International Virtual Assistants Association logo on a web site is good for credibility, but it doesn’t beat a professional virtual office set up with a professional business address, a live receptionist and other amenities.

It’s not to late for virtual office providers to send a representative to the International Virtual Assistants Association annual Live Summit to mingle with virtual assistants. Registration for the three-day conference can be made online at http://live.vasummit.org.

NEW ORLEANS—It’s official. March Madness is in full swing. If you are a college hoops fan you are in basketball heaven. And if you are a small business looking to build a professional image without breaking the bank, the virtual office world has something special for you, too.

Opus Virtual Offices is offering a March Madness virtual office promotion that many would consider, well, a slam dunk. Here’s how it works: Just visit the Opus Virtual Offices web site and enter the promo code “Final Four.” When you do, you’ll have all virtual office set up fees waived. And that means savings that will help you compete in the marketplace.

“I’m a huge NCAA basketball fan every March. I have my bracket and am ready to go,” says Yori Galel, CEO of Opus Virtual Offices. “I don’t pick the top seeds because it’s great to see an underdog compete with the big boys and triumph. It’s the same in business. So Opus is tying in its special March promotion with the excitement of March Madness to help its clients compete successfully against the business big boys.”

In case you aren’t familiar with March Madness, 68 teams start the college basketball tournament. As the competition continues, teams are pared down to 64, then 32 and then the famed Sweet Sixteen and finally the Final Four. Those final four will compete for the championship, which is held in New Orleans this year. It’s the perfect platform for college students to show the NBA what they’ve really got.

On the virtual office front, Opus offers a platform to help small business owners and entrepreneurs show the marketplace what they’ve got. Small business owners, consultants, independent professionals, contractors and the like can tap into a corporate mailing address with a dedicated phone and fax via this virtual office platform. Larger companies can also get in the game by opening multiple offices regionally or nationally without taking on typical expansion fees. Opus virtual offices start at $99 a month.

Apps are all the rage these days, and virtual office apps are no exception. Following up with its popular iPhone app, Davinci Virtual Office Solutions has introduced an Android virtual office app.

This virtual office app is more like a communication client. The mobile app lets you make VOIP calls from your Android device over Wi-Fi, send, receive and view faxes on the run, and listen to voicemail messages and make conference calls. The Davinci Virtual Android virtual office app works with tablets and smartphones—and it’s free.

“By launching our Android app shortly after our iPhone app release, we now enable most of our client base to interact with the Davinci Virtual Communication Services from their mobile devices—no matter if Android or iPhone,” says Bill Grodnik, CEO of Davinci Virtual.

This is one more way that Davinci Virtual is setting itself apart as a leader in the virtual office field. Davinci Virtual is well known in the industry, serving more than 1,000 companies with its virtual office solutions in over 850 locations around the world,

Whether you want virtual offices in New York, virtual offices in Miami, virtual offices in LA, virtual offices in Denver and any other metropolitan area throughout the world, Davinci Virtual Office Solutions has you covered.

And it’s not just virtual office space—hence the name virtual office solutions. You can also tap into live receptionist services, prime business addresses, voicemail to email, fax to email, voice to text, virtual assistants, video conferencing, and flexible meeting spaces through an easy-to-use online reservation system.

ATLANTA-Looking for a video conferencing service in Atlanta? Look no further than one of Atlanta’s newest virtual office providers.

Accurate Video Services just rolled out what it deems an “affordable” and high-quality video conferencing service in Atlanta. The idea is to open up the world of communication and collaboration. Accurate Video Services partnered with Opus Virtual Offices to drive this video conferencing service forward in Atlanta.

Opus Virtual Offices is located in the Buckhead district of Atlanta. Opus Virtual Offices calls the Peachtree Lenox Building at 3379 Peachtree Road home. You can tap into video conferencing services there for $99 an hour on a high-bandwidth connectivity network.

“In an era of rising fuel prices and increasing airport delays, Accurate Video Services offers an affordable alternative for businesses that want the personal touch of face-to-face meetings without the overhead and waste associated with physical travel,” says Mark Levy, president of Accurate Video Services.

“With videoconferencing from Accurate Video Services, Atlanta businesses and professionals now can conduct small group, quality business meetings with remote locations conveniently, reliably and at a cost-competitive price–avoiding the limitations sometimes associated with desktop videoconferencing applications.”

Here are some practical examples of how companies are using video conferencing services in Atlanta: legal depositions, sales meetings, executive recruiting, and medical and corporate events.

“Accurate Video Services complements our approach to providing professionals with a world class virtual office experience,” says Dave Zimet, COO of Opus Virtual Office Suites. “Accurate Video Services’ valued-based videoconferencing service will have a strong appeal in today’s business climate, where businesses demand the highest quality at the best price.”

Beyond Atlanta, Accurate Video Services also offers video conferencing centers in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach. The company is a founding member of MIVNET, a free directory of international videoconferencing facilities available for rent by the hour.

BOSTON—Everybody might not know your name in Boston, but at least you can get a prestigious business address at a well-known building in Boston.

Indeed, Boston just got yet another virtual office space provider. Opus Virtual Offices is saying “cheers” to virtual office users in Boston with the grand opening of its newest location.

The Boston opening marks the virtual office providers first entrance into Beantown. Opus Virtual Offices chose the historic neighborhood of Beacon Hill for its virtual office space, giving it yet another strategic location in the Northeast United States.

“Opus is proud to offer its clients the exciting opportunity to acquire a corporate address in one of Boston’s most desirable neighborhoods,” says Yori Galel, CEO of Opus Virtual Offices. “Our virtual office solution features everything businesses need to operate beautifully and succeed for only $99 a month, including a powerful market presence in the Northeast.”

Boston is not only steeped in history, it’s also an international center for higher education, medicine, research, culture and finance. The Greater Boston area has the sixth largest economy in the United States and the 12th largest in the world. Major corporations are headquartered here, and it claims the nation’s third largest high-tech sector.

More businesspeople than ever are aware of virtual office benefits. Yet others don’t fully understand what a virtual office program can do for them. So Opus is still in education mode. Although all virtual office systems are not created equal, the Opus system comes with the following:

• A corporate mailing address
• Dedicated local phone and fax
• Mailing services
• Premium call forwarding
• Voicemail to email conversion
• Live trained receptionists take calls and messages during business hours

All this means Boston entrepreneurs have one more virtual office option. There’s no need to use your home address or phone number, and you won’t miss any calls. It also means large companies can extend their reach into Boston with a virtual office that eliminates heavy expansion costs.

NEW YORK-What do you get when you cross a provider of virtual office telephone services with a cadre of virtual office users? A picture of productivity.

And that’s the anticipated result of a new marketing partnership between Phone.com and FlexJobs. FlexJobs is offering Phone.com’s award-winning phone services to telecommuters and employers of virtual office users to whom FlexJobs caters.

“As we continue to move into a highly distributed information economy composed of large numbers of contracted individuals, there needs to be a place for these people to find work. FlexJobs helps to meet that need,” says Ari Rabban, CEO and co-founder of Phone.com. “At the same time, those people also need the most cost-effective, feature rich, and high quality phone services available to communicate with customers and managers.”

In case you aren’t familiar with FlexJobs, the company is on a mission to make the search for telecommuting, part-time, freelance, or flextime jobs better, easier, faster, and safer. One thing that was missing, until now, is a virtual office telephone service.

With this new partnership, Phone.com provides the missing link for FlexJobs members, offering a discount for virtual phone service once afforded by only larger companies. What’s more, Phone.com promised to provide discounts and a continuing stream of new and innovative features to FlexJobs subscribers.

”FlexJobs knows the companies seeking telecommuters, part-timers, and freelancers. We understand the professionals looking to fill those roles and yet continue to enjoy the flexibility of working remotely and at all hours,” says Sara Sutton Fell, founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “The fact that we at FlexJobs embrace job flexibility allows us to truly understand our users, the type of quality jobs they are looking for, and the many benefits that can be had from a job that fits into their lives rather than the other way around. We welcome our partnership with Phone.com, as this will further empower the people that FlexJobs set out to help.”