If you’re just starting out in the business world and are looking for office premises, you have two options in front of you: A Serviced Office, or a Virtual Office. You can choose either option, but it’s best to know which one is best suited for your business before you take the plunge.

A Serviced Office

A serviced office is an actual office that’s rented out to a tenant by a serviced office provider. The provider might have a bunch of such offices in the same building. Such an office gives you all the advantages of having your own office space, without actually having to own one.

Along with the office, you get office furniture and equipment such as a Megapath business phone system and even qualified staff. A serviced office is perfect for your business if you require the following advantages:

• A full-fledged office at a prestigious address where you can meet your clients
• An office with workstations where you can hire employees to do your work
• An office where you can set up complete branding including signage, so that people know you operate from there.

Who Needs a Serviced Office?

If you’re looking for office space but are not ready to commit to a full rental or purchase yet, a serviced office is ideal for you. You can enjoy all the benefits of working out of an office, without having to bother with the day-to-day management of it. You can work at the office daily, hire people, run your campaigns, conduct meetings and conferences and expand your business as you see fit.

A serviced office provider will require a lease sign-on and charge you a monthly rent. A basic office space, office furniture, telecom services and internet will be included in the package. You can negotiate for extras and pay for add-on services like meeting rooms as and when required.

A Virtual Office

A virtual office is exactly that – an office that’s mostly for establishing a presence, but not present in real terms. A virtual office provider can run a virtual office from a large room, and manage multiple clients from there.

Such a provider can offer you call forwarding services, call answering services, virtual assistant services, and even workstations and meeting rooms upon request. A virtual office can give you the following advantages:

• An office address for communication and correspondence
• Receptionist service (if required) to talk to walk-in prospects
• Secretarial services to manage your work when you’re not there
• Call handling services including message taking

Who Needs A Virtual Office?

A virtual office is perfect for you if you need to establish a presence in a particular city or country. You don’t actually have to be present in the office. If you need to travel a lot for your business, you can leave instructions and follow up with enquiries remotely.

You can meet clients at the virtual office instead of at your home, to convey a sense of professionalism. A virtual office provider will charge you only for the services you use, for example, call handling. You’ll have to pay for any additional service you require from time to time, such as a workstation.

About The Guest Author: Aruna Ram works as an expert freelance content strategist and writer for CEO Suite, leading provider of fully-furnished serviced offices in Asia.

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