The cost of starting a new business can be very high in Birmingham and other cities out there. You have to consider the cost of getting a new office location for your business, it is a well-known fact that these things don’t come cheap. Most people are deterred by the high cost of renting a commercial building for their office.
A viable option is to consider virtual offices, which gives you the option of working from any location of your choice. A virtual office service provider in Birmingham can provide you with all the necessary services to run your business. Things like email forwarding, call handling and meeting rooms. When using a virtual office in Birmingham, there are few things you should look for.
Online File Sharing systems
Document management systems lets you store, manage and share your documents online anytime you need them via an Internet browser. This system definitely comes in handy for a small business owner needing quick access to documents even when they are away from their personal computer.
You can create different folders to store your documents in them, share files with your employees, team members or business colleagues, post comments regarding specific files you uploaded, and set permissions for specific files and folders that you may or may not want to share. Types of files that you can upload are Microsoft office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access), PDF files, and Executable files and programs. A good virtual office service provider in Birmingham should have suitable online file sharing system available.
Printing and scanning services
Using an all-in-one printer or multifunction device that features a printer, copier and scanner for your business will surely save you lots of money. This kind of resource should be available for you use, when the need arises.
Video conferencing tools
Online collaboration and web conferencing tools allow you to work with your employees and clients in different parts of the world. With these tools, you can conduct live presentations, host online meetings, do sales presentations and conduct training right from your computer by sharing your computer screen with multiple users over the Internet.
Most web conferencing and project collaboration tools require you to download a desktop sharing application onto your computer to share your screen or send a special link through email to the participants of the meeting. After the participants have received a link to the meeting and have clicked on it, they will be able to join the web conference. Make sure the virtual office provider has full support for such feature. Google Apps is an additional resource that offers free project collaboration and online messaging tools to small business owners. You can make use of Google apps for sending free customized emails.
It is also crucial that you check the kind of call handling service provided by the virtual office. They should have professional receptionists talking to your clients, and not some automated answering machine.
