What the- is a Virtual Office?

It isn't quite the hot topic of the month being shouted from every street corner, but it certainly is a question that we hear being asked.

A Virtual Office is, to put it simply, an absolutely fantastic way for small businesses, sole-traders, freelancers and the self-employed to further their business at a fraction of the cost.

Here's the lowdown; say you're a small business or a one-man-show, and you're having difficulty keeping up with your phone calls. You're out at meetings, or doing jobs, and clients are going through to your mobile's answer phone all the time... Not a good image. This is where a Virtual Office comes in. For a very low price, you can have any regional number set up (an 020 for London, for example) and use this number for your business. Clients can then call this number, and will be put straight through to a 'Virtual Receptionist,' who will answer the call in your company name, and then either direct the call as necessary, or take a message.

Cool, huh?

Well, that's not just the end of it... There's a whole range of other features that Virtual Offices provide. For instance, you can pretty much 'set up' at a complete new location for the price of a cup of Costa coffee per day! OfficeFront, a Virtual Switchboard Service provider, offer a Virtual Office package that contains call handling, a London office address and a lot more for under £2.50 a day!

It's definitely worth considering, especially if you're a smaller business...