Finding a Virtual Office Based in London
Technology has been a godsend for entrepreneurs the world over. You can sit anywhere (in a café… on a beach…), wear anything (shorts… your pyjamas…!) and carry out your trade at whatever hours you need to, without the constraints of having to physically travel to work on a daily basis.
But there may come a time when you see the advantages of having a UK – and particularly London – office address. In other words, you need a virtual office.
What this actually is, is a business location that only exists in cyberspace – you don’t physically rent an area. But what you do get is a business address in the location you choose and, in many cases, a telephone answering service. Some virtual office services also offer other services, such as the ability to hot desk in certain buildings, or access to business lounges.
The advantages of having a virtual office are many, but include the following:
- It enables your business to have a presence virtually anywhere in the world.
- You provide your clients with a local contact telephone number
- Your business address is in the area you need it to be, providing a far more professional image to your clients.
- Any mail can be received, and signed for, if necessary – and then forwarded onto you wherever you are in the world.
How do I go about finding a virtual office in London?
Many companies offer a virtual office service, with various different London locations. Depending on the nature of your business, you might want your virtual address to be in a certain area of the city. For example, if your company is in the business of finance, you might want an address in the financial area, the City of London. Companies such as Leo offer prestigious locations in Mayfair, Knightsbridge and The City.
Another large company that provides such a service is Regus, who can provide different packages depending on your requirements. This could include a multilingual receptionist, access to over 3,000 business lounges in the UK, a virtual assistant (or VA) and a whole host of secretarial services if needed.
Other companies who offer virtual office services in London include:
- Capital Office – who claim be London’s leading virtual office provider, and provide a great address in EC1.
- City Office – a global provider with a variety of London addresses on offer.
- Made Simple Group Ltd – with a variety of packages starting from a simple mail forwarding service through to a complete virtual office package.
- i2 Office – a company offering a range of packages from bronze (mail forwarding only) though to gold that provides telephone answering, message taking and call screening.
- Hoxton Mix – where you get a business address in the heart of The City, with various different levels of service on offer.
How much will it cost?
The cost of a virtual office depends on the level of services you require.
A simple mail forwarding service can start as low as £12.50 per month, although canny entrepreneurs might be able to drive this down even further.
However, as with everything, cheapest doesn’t always equal the best. You need to ensure the reputation of the company that you’re trusting to handle your mail and, perhaps, phone calls. After all – if you’re allowing another company to have direct contact with your clients, you need to be damn sure that they’re up to the job. You work hard to make your business a success, so it’s imperative that there’s no chance your reputation might be damaged by a surly telephone answering service, for example.
On average, expect to find many smaller companies charging around £20-£25 per month for a base level service. The larger virtual office providers (such as Regus mentioned above) will charge anything from around £100 upwards. But as ever, you do get what you pay for.
Where else can I look?
There are many discussions going on in various online forums where you can get advice from others on the subject. These include forums on Money Saving Expert and UK Business Forums.
How do I know I’m getting a service from a legitimate provider?
One of the pitfalls of paying out for a virtual office is that you’re likely to never physically meet the provider of your service. And there have been issues over the years; no-one is going to deny that. However, because of the growing popularity of virtual offices in London over the past few years, legislation has now been put in place.
For example, anyone or company who wants to operate a virtual office in Westminster needs to register with the government department, and keep full records of all clients who use their services, including copies of identification and proof of address. In addition, the Metropolitan Police have produced guidelines for providers as well.
Advantages of a virtual office
There are many advantages to having a virtual office over a physical one. Probably the largest of this is the cost. You save on technology costs, overheads, commuting costs and, if you need to employ others, it’s probably cheaper to employ a remote worker over a person who physically needs to come into work every day.
In addition to this, you’re no longer restricted by location when it comes to who you hire: the world, as they say, really is your oyster.
As with any service you choose to take advantage of, let the old saying of ‘buyer beware’ hold true. There are some fabulous virtual office providers in London. Just be sure to carry out the relevant research before you sign on the dotted line.