Did you know that IT consultants could benefit from having a virtual address? The type of work you do every day is very well suited to working from a virtual office. If you’re not totally convinced, then here are ten reasons it makes sense for IT consultancy firms to have a virtual address:
#1 Improve your professional image
The consultancy business revolves around professionality. You have a very responsible job, and people will pay you well to do it. The decisions you make will directly impact the success of an organisation. Therefore, companies will only hire the most professional and trustworthy IT consultants. With a virtual address, you can give your image a massive boost. When prospective clients are looking to contact you, they’ll see an impressive address for your business, in a prime location. It makes you seem more authentic, which instantly builds trust.
#2 Work remotely
With a virtual office, you don’t actually have an office to work out of every single day. But, this fits an IT consulting firm perfectly. You don’t need a physical office space because most of your work is done on-the-go. You have to visit clients to assess their IT requirements and analyse their network systems. A virtual address lets you work wherever you want without giving up the professionalism of your firm. With a standard office, you waste lots of time moving back and forth between jobs.
#3 Reduce your operating costs
The benefit of not needing a physical office is that you lower your operating costs. A virtual office is much cheaper than a physical one. This is because you’re not really paying for space, you’re just paying for the virtual address. Could you afford a good office in a prime business location in one of Australias biggest cities? The chances are you couldn’t, not during the early stages of your business anyway. But, you could afford a virtual address in the same location, saving you lots of money.
#4 Get access to impressive meeting space
With a virtual address, you often get access to the meeting rooms and office space in the building itself. For an IT consulting firm, this is so advantageous. You can impress clients by bringing them to one of the meeting rooms. Now, they see you’re in a prestigious office in a phenomenal location. It certainly creates a better impression than meeting them in a coffee shop. You rent out the meeting space based on when you use it, which makes it highly cost-effective as well.
#5 Improve productivity
We spoke about this earlier, but a virtual office frees you from the shackles of traditional offices. They can be hard to work in, particularly if you don’t have a good one. There’s noise from other offices, the work environment might be distracting; it all leads to a dip in productivity. When you have a virtual address, you can improve your productivity by choosing when and where you work. Find somewhere that makes you comfortable and productive, allowing you to get through more work and do a better job.
#6 Easier to expand your business
As your IT firm gets bigger, you may find it hard to handle this growth. When you work out of a regular office, you need to go through the stress of finding a bigger place to work and moving everything over to it. But, if you have a virtual address, then growth is easily catered for. You can upgrade your package to include more services - like virtual assistants or receptionists - and your company can expand without going through the usual growing pains.
#7 Improve client communications
Communication is essential for IT consultants. You need to always be available whenever your clients need you. This is really where a virtual office comes into its own. You can add a virtual receptionist to your virtual office, meaning someone will answer calls for you as soon as they come through. Not only does this make your business look more professional, but it also ensures you never miss a call. As soon as clients come calling, they’ll either be forwarded to you, or a message will be taken. Either way, it stops clients from calling multiple times and going straight to answerphone!
#8 Offer more competitive prices
Companies understand that IT consultants are quite expensive. However, one way to stand out from the competition is by offering lower prices. People are always keen to save money, and you can promote your service as professional and affordable - all thanks to a virtual address. It goes back to the idea of lowering your operating costs. By spending less money on an office, you can afford to offer your services at a lower price. You can still make a profit, but it means you can undercut other IT consulting firms and lap up more clients!
#9 Take on more employees
If you really want your IT consulting firm to be a success, then you need to hire talented individuals to work for you. The benefit of a virtual address is that it lets you take on more employees. The money you save on office rent - along with other operating costs - can be put towards hiring talented individuals. As a result, you can theoretically work with multiple clients simultaneously. While you’re looking at the IT setup of one client, you can have your employees working with others. If you paid for a normal office, you couldn’t afford to do this.
#10 Find more clients in new locations
Lastly, a virtual office gives you the chance to expand your business into new territories. By working remotely, you can hire people all over the world. So, you may have a consultant working in Sydney, one in Canberra, one in New Zealand, and one in the UK! Everyone can work remotely while using the virtual address to show the authenticity of your business.
The IT consultancy industry is highly competitive - particularly as IT becomes a more dominant force in the business world. So, anything you can do to give your business an edge will be beneficial. With that in mind, perhaps it’s time you considered getting a virtual address for your IT consulting firm? As you can see, there are plenty of benefits!