Cutting costs? A virtual office may be the answer

Putting up and maintaining an office is getting costlier every day. If you have been working out of your home for some time now and are put off by the idea of putting up a brick and mortar office due to cost, a virtual office may be the answer.

Virtual offices have been around for quite some time now in major cities in the world like New York, London and Hong Kong. It’s great for those who don’t need an office full-time but need an office presence. Companies that are downsizing or are just starting up may also benefit from having a virtual office.

Just what is a virtual office? Tina Cuerva, marketing consultant of My Office , a Makati-based company offering virtual office services, says: “A virtual office lets the entrepreneur enjoy the benefits of having a traditional serviced office without having to physically occupy office space. This way, an entrepreneur will still have a professional image without having to spend much on capital.”

Cuerva herself has been working out of her home for several years now. But there came a time when she didn’t feel comfortable forwarding her clients’ calls to an answering machine or giving out her mobile number. That’s when she brought up the idea of putting up a virtual office with her sister, Milette Carlos, to service the needs of entrepreneurs who don’t need an office and staff full-time. Carlos became My Office’s managing director.

According to Carlos and Cuerva, a virtual office may be just what small business owners need these days. “With no end in sight to the weekly increases in oil prices, our subscribers are able to save on gas by telecommuting. They are able to maintain lower overhead costs, maximize their resources and focus on their businesses,” they say.

Since 2004, MyOffice specializes in office support services such as mail receiving/releasing, phone answering, call transfers, fax to email service, inquiry handling and others. Its facilities, like workstations and meeting room, are made available to clients either on demand or as part of their subscription. “This set up has worked very well as it gives our clients the flexibility in work hours and capability to control their expenses,” Carlos and Cuerva say.

Nina Martinez, business manager of ProAccess Business Services, Inc., says the company’s virtual office service started in 2002 as an offshoot of the services they were providing to the tenants of the Makati building they were in. “Further recognizing the need for small and starting businesses to have the option of a good corporate address without the attendant expensive costs, the ProAccess concept for providing flexible office solutions was born,” she shares.

Like My Office, ProAccess provides clients a respectable business identity with several flexible subscription options based on individual client specifications at very reasonable costs appropriate to the selected option. It also offers ready-to-use serviced or flexible managed offices, business support services, conference center, and even a concierge service.

“There is a basic cost which is inclusive of many services such as lighting, electricity, airconditioning, security, etc. If and when needed, all other services are on a “pay-as-used” basis so the client need only pay for what is required in a timely manner to save any unnecessary fixed costs. Clients receive a single monthly billing and where applicable, includes the detailed usage records such as business services utilized, toll calls made, text message transactions, etc. allowing the client to track and control costs,” adds Martinez.

The cost of all these? Very flexible, says Cuerva. “The subscription price will depend on the services availed of and our minimum is P1,000 per month. We can come up with a package having a combination of features that best complement one’s business.”

For ProAccess, rates start at P2,000 for a mail access virtual office subscription. Serviced offices go for P15,000 monthly for a shared office space.

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