Virtual offices, telecommuting and telework all mean essentially the same thing:
employees work from another location outside of the traditional office or use
the services offered by a virtual service provider. Virtual offices and
telecommuting have become immensely popular for some employers, and met with trepidation by others. The concept is a relatively new one, which makes it
working outside the traditional office environment. However, understanding the
concepts, efficiencies and cost savings can allow a start up, small or medium
sized business to realize the tremendous benefits of a virtual office.
Let's take an example of a newly formed attorney partnership. Two attorneys form an LLP and have leased two offices in an executive suite or within a larger firm. As with any business the first contact a potential customer/client will have is
the front office. Business owners often spend a great deal of time and resources
on keeping their existing clients, by cultivating good relationships and
maintaining a high standard of customer service. Consistently making a strong
first impression is essential to gaining new customers and clients, what every
business must do to succeed.
Newly formed and working within a tight budget, the partnership must provide their prospects with the image of a fully staffed professional front office. Now,
they can hire a full time receptionist, pay $1500 to $2500/mo in salaries, plus
payroll taxes and employee benefits. They will have to cover the phone line
during the receptionist's lunch break and of course there is sick time and
vacation time to cover. As a new practice their monthly call volume is not high
and so they were faced with the possibility of answering their own lines to
save costs.
After learning about the benefits of a virtual receptionist, the answer was clear.
With a virtual receptionist, they were able to provide that image of a fully
staffed professional front office. The virtual receptionist was trained to
answer all calls live, screen for solicitors, assist the caller with all faqs
about the practice, consultation fees, office location and even attorney bio
information. The virtual receptionist was able to develop a customer intake form
to capture prospect information and to schedule appointments as well. There are no lunch breaks, no down time and payroll taxes because someone is always there to take the calls. Best of all they were able to use this full time service for $150.00 a month!
By thinking outside of the box of traditional office solutions, they were able to
save thousands a year, provide the image they need and offer their clients the
highest quality of customer service.
As Sales Manager of Intelligent Office, a leader in virtual services, I have seen
the tremendous benefits of helping our clients by providing the services that
they need at a fraction of the cost.
Vicky Acevedo
Intelligent Office of San Diego
858-964-2300
