What is a Virtual Office?

It depends on the focus, whether it be to improve individual worker productivity, hire and retain employees from virtually anywhere, reduce costs of operations, reduce travel time, or outsource functions.

Virtual Office Solutions

Improve worker productivity: Implementation of IP-based technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and computer telephony integration (CTI) technology and use of collaborative technologies for meetings and document sharing.  In particular, the implementation of teleconferencing technologies allows workers to be very productive and collaborate with other workers without the burden and expense of travel. 

Hire and retain employees from virtually anywhere: Allowing employees to work from home can give a company a certain competitive advantages including the ability to hire highly qualified individuals who may not otherwise commute to work and the ability to replicate the traditional office environment for frequent traveling employees and mobile work force.  

Reduce costs of operations: Implementation of virtual office technologies allow the company to reduce cost of operations through a variety of methods including outsourcing to cheaper labor markets, reducing expenses associated with travel.  Other methods of reducing costs include implementation of IP-based technologies such as IP-PBX and VoIP over Wireless LAN, which may provide the advantage of mobility as well as low cost communications.

Reduce travel time: The use of conference calling and teleconferencing can significantly reduce the amount of travel time necessary for meetings and collaborative work sessions.  These applications and services are largely dependent on IP-based technologies.

Outsource functions: While there are many functions that may be outsourced, virtual office outsourcing includes functions performed by a call center such as customer care, help desk, and network monitoring.  Outsourcing such customer operations and IT functions in enabled through the implementation of IP-based technologies including both CTI and VoIP.