When it comes to business, presentation and simplicity is everything. Customers will be more inclined to buy your products or services if you radiate an aura of professionalism – which isn’t always the case if you don’t have a permanent office solution.
A Possible Solution
Virtual offices can enhance the functionality of your business and better the general user experience. Unlike traditional office spaces, you won’t have a physical working address, but rather a mailing address and telephone number that can be used for all of your business correspondence. The purpose of this is to boost your corporate identity and allow you to establish your business in a prestigious location without excessive costs.
How do Virtual Offices Affect Customer Experience?
Virtual offices can provide access to services and facilities that would otherwise be too expensive. Some operators will provide office equipment, workspaces and even employees on a “pay-as-you-use” basis. This allows you to provide customers with more services without having to pay unwarranted overheads. In addition, most virtual office operators are more than happy to tailor their service to your business needs; therefore you can offer a more bespoke service to clients.
If you rent a virtual office and have a customer that wants to have a meeting in person, you don’t have to ask them to journey to your home and conduct business in your living room. This could not only be an awkward journey for your client, but doesn’t look professional. Instead, you can hire a room in the building where your business is registered and meet them in person in a professional “corporate” environment.
How does Mail Forwarding and Telephone Answering Work?
If you hire a mailing address, all of your letters and packages will be collected by the operator and forwarded to you via post or email. If you’d prefer, you could also pick up the letters in person. Most services will charge per year or month for the address, and per item for mail forwarding.
Telephone answering services are usually available on a per month basis; however, if you don’t need them permanently, you can hire them for one day or even one hour. Telephone answering can help you keep track of your calls if you don’t have a receptionist.
Mail forwarding and telephone answering isn’t all about making yourself look the part. It can significantly benefit user experience by providing an immediate personal response if you aren’t available.
As more and more people choose to run their businesses from home, the virtual office industry is becoming increasingly popular; and according to BCA.uk.com, virtual office growth is expected to double within the next five years. If you’re thinking about starting a new business but are worried about meeting customer expectations, virtual offices can help you compete against larger corporations, even if you don’t have the overheads to establish a permanent hub for your business.
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Want to learn more?
Are you interested in the managerial and strategic aspects of UX? The online course on UX Management and Strategy can teach you the necessary skills on the subject and earn you an industry-recognized course certificate to advance your career. If, on the other hand, you want to brush up on the basics of UX and Usability, the online course on User Experience might be a better fit for you (or another design topic). Good luck on your learning journey!
(Lead image: Depositphotos)
