What’s the Difference Between a Virtual Office and a Physical Office?
Nothing is better than running your business from the comfort of your home. With advanced development in virtual technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, many business owners are relying more on virtual office spaces to meet with clients or host events. However, some companies thrive better in a physical office instead of a virtual space. If you’re stuck between signing the lease for a physical office or renting out a virtual office, here are a couple of things to consider before making that decision.
What Is a Virtual Office?
A virtual office is a physical address businesses use for office-related services, such as phone answering and mail delivery, and meeting room and videoconferencing space. Due to the fast development of videoconferencing apps and messaging services, the popularity of virtual offices has grown, especially among small businesses and startups.
What Is a Physical Office?
A physical office consists of a traditional office setting in a commercial building with rows of desks or cubicles, meeting rooms, closed-off offices, and a break room for lunchtime.
Virtual Office vs. Physical Office
Keep the following differences between virtual offices and physical offices in mind when deciding what you want for your company:
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Cost
For small businesses, the expense of a virtual office costs less than spending money on the lease for an actual office space. A physical office requires allocating funds for furniture, equipment, supplies, and other overhead costs.
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Flexibility
Virtual offices give employees the flexibility to work from any place. Conversely, a physical office restrains workers to one central location. With a virtual office, a business can easily expand to and retain talent from other cities and states.
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Collaboration and communication
A physical office helps companies foster a work culture that inspires bonding amongst its workers and strengthens the organization’s goals. While businesses that run online have fewer conflicts happening between employees, the lack of face-to-face collaboration can sometimes make communication difficult. However, virtual offices allow for digital interfacing that makes collaborative brainstorming and the exchanging of ideas just as efficient as a physical space.
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Commute
A virtual office allows employees to save time by not having to commute daily to an office. The extra time employees get from not fighting traffic every day can help increase their productivity level at work. However, many businesses still opt to have a physical office because some employees prefer to separate their workspace from home to better focus on their work. That’s where coworking spaces come in handy.
Orlando’s Premium Provider of Virtual Office Spaces
Located above Marketplace at Avalon Park, The 5th Floor Orlando offers businesses a virtual office with flexible coworking spaces and concierge-level services customized to our tenants’ needs. Our modern virtual offices have lockable cubicles, hot desks, private offices, and high-tech conference rooms where you can host meetings or events with your clients. We have everything needed for ambitious individuals and collaborators to foster a productive work environment.
To reserve one of our modern, high-quality virtual offices or coworking spaces, contact us online or call us today at 407-730-3493.
