TIPS TO TURN YOUR HOME INTO A VIRTUAL OFFICE! What is that one thing that you as an entrepreneur hate doing every month? Your answer may probably be opening up the expense sheet and looking at the expenses done and not finding ways to control it. There might be many categories that may involve you in making regular investments that does not ensure a good return such as renting a Bangalore office space that is extremely expensive to manage when you are running a start-up company. And the irony is that your clients are based in different locations and do not visit you regularly for discussions related to work. How do you manage your expenses in such situations? The answer, experts suggest, is move to a virtual office instead of an actual physical office.
Technology has revamped the entire management system when it comes to running a company. Computers, laptops and tablets have replaced physical documents and internet helps in staying connected with each team member and client without being physically present in a single location. You can stay connected with your colleagues and partners with the help of exchanging emails, engaging in group chats at a convenient time, discuss issues and ideas through video chats or voice conference calls. Your office can be the place where you want it to be, may be your home, your study or even your garage, if that is the place you want to work from. The idea of having a virtual office service may sound interesting and cost effective, however, it also requires the company team members to be disciplined enough to maintain the basics. There may be times when your client may be required to send physical documents such as legal documents, contracts, etc. at a particular address. Make sure to mention a single address with a proper pin code so that there is no confusion as to which team member receives the document and keeps them. Also, inform your client about the person who will be receiving and exchanging such
documents so that they can keep a track and credibility is maintained properly. In case, there is an issue with sharing an address with the client, get in touch with a person who can receive your documents and can handover to you at the earliest. It can be a friend working in a business centre or a relative in the same location. Depending on the number of team members that you have, make sure that each of you have the same set of equipment that is required to set up the virtual office at each location. The basic equipment is a laptop which should have a proper memory back up, able to run all the required programs and have a fast processor. In case you are required to travel and meet clients, opt for tablets or light weight laptops to avoid any hassle. Other equipment that should also be considered include laser printer cum scanner, portable media storage device, DVD writer and burner, a modem or Wi-Fi router and digital camera in case you need to put real life images in your presentations. If getting a particular place in your house is difficult to set up a virtual office, try looking for places in office spaces that you can hire or rent for a specific time frame and pay for that only. At other times, you can
continue working using your laptop at the comfort of your home or any other place.