Saving Money - Virtual Office

Henrik Klouseman, owner of Sun-Eigenschaften Übersee in Germany has a winning formula. Selling overseas properties in boom time is easy, but when times get tough, you have to change and adapt to the economic conditions otherwise you soon become a statistic and the business goes under.

Henrik noticed that property sales had started to diminish and looked for a solution that would instantly reduce costs. One of the first things that all companies look at is the “luxuries’”, such as new computer system, company nights out etc. But this wasn’t enough, the costs were still too much.

Faced with making redundancies Henrik had one last option. He set up a PC at his house, which would act as a server. He then purchased his 5 employees a laptop each and broadband USB key. He then advised them all to work from home and he closed the office. Henrik then opened a virtual office in Berlin. Because the office address was in a more prestigious address the outside world saw that he was expanding. The virtual office also offered call answering service, which allowed him to redirect all calls to the relevant staff.

This saved Henrick approx 7,500 Euros’ per month

Office 5750 Euros Per Month
Utilities 100 Euros Per Month
Server & PBX rental Cost 500 Euros Per Month
Office Water cooler 15 Euros Per month
Office Receptionist 975 Euros Per Month

This was a massive saving of nearly 90,000 Euro per Year.

Each sales person logs on and reports for work over the phone. All work is still logged through the home server and is monitored to make sure all employees are still working.

This move has been a positive one with the employees. Their performance has improved and this is possibly because there is no travel time and no expectation of dress code therefore less time is taken to get ready for work, plus there is no travel time home either. Employees feel that they can spend more time at home with their family (or more time in bed as one employee told us).

Because of this virtual office solution Henrik is looking to expand his operation. He is now considering opening another virtual office in Frankfurt. Henrik’s only complaint is that it will take him 2 months living in a hotel in Frankfurt when he sets it up. This is to ensure that he employs the correct people for the job and also makes sure he is on hand to iron out any teething problems.

Henrik is very excited about the expansion and hopes to roll this out further in the future. Henrik said, “I wish I had implemented this a couple of years ago”

Written By: Sam Wilson (Berlin Business News)

The Definition of a Virtual Assistant

If you’re looking to enhance your virtual office the ideal solution is a virtual assistant. So what is a Virtual Assistant? You've probably heard of one before and wondered what is a- 'Virtual Assistant? The best definition I could find is: ‘A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent contractor and a home-based entrepreneur who uses the Internet, phone, fax, email, and other technology to communicate with his/her clients.’ But that didn’t tell me what they do. So I did some more digging.

A Virtual Assistant is like having a PA but more. They provide Admin support, business assistance such as Meeting planning, business travel planning etc. But they also do more. When I looked into what a virtual assistant does, I was amazed at some of their skills.

- Website and Graphic Design
- Website Maintenance and Updates
- Online and Offline Marketing and Promotion
- Accounting / Bookkeeping
- Data Entry
- PowerPoint Presentations
- Advertising in Print Media
- Desktop Publishing
- Custom Ad Design for print media
- Travel Arrangements
- Writing, Editing & Researching Services
- Secretarial Services
- Word Processing
- General and Legal Transcription Services
- Database Management
- Personal Assistant Services
- Event Planning
- Technical Support
- Coaching / Consulting
- Customer Service

Most Virtual assistants are ex-PA’s or secretaries, looking to expand their client base globally. There are a few advantages of having a virtual assistant such as you only pay for what you need, you don’t need an office for them and as its their own business they generally put more effort into ensuring your work is completed to the highest standard and on time.

To become a Virtual PA all you need is some basic equipment and software;

- Computer and/or Laptop
- Cable, Satellite, or DSL Internet Service
- Modem
- Fax Machine
- Printer
- Copier
- Scanner
- CD Burner

As the virtual office arena increases the virtual assistance industry will grow rapidly, especially as the recession develops, which is hardly surprising as businesses are looking to reduce costs. PA’s and secretaries have found it increasingly more difficult to find work and have started their own businesses while being at home with their family.

Written By: William Jones (Office Entrepreneurs UK)

Virtual Office - A report

Recent research recently conducted by Doug Washburn. With the help of Christine Perkett, President and founder of PerkettPR — an organisation of all virtual employees — they studied the IT infrastructure, productivity, and green benefits of a company for the last ten years. The organisation is reliant on workers and employees geographically scattered and heavily reliable on remote access to systems and information.

The virtual focus was the main theme of the research, the initial conception began with a virtual exchange. Doug and Christine were initially intrigued by Twitter an a tweet that Christine submitted to her huge following on Twitter.

Surprisingly some of the findings in the document center on what seem to be "common sense", but are not always obvious to workers or to organisations:

• Creating a standard for computing and mobile device configuration is critical, especially when, as with users, all IT support is remote.
• Centralized administrative functions are also key; despite the lack of a physical office, an operations staff can help with streamlining processes as simple as ordering office supplies, which can stymie a virtual workforce and sap valuable time.

For all of the standardisation, Perkett is not just a virtual organisation, but one which is profitable and productive. Part of the research found:

• Virtual workers are more productive; time savings from not commuting — coupled with flexible working hours — leads staff to be 50% - 75% more productive based on analysis compared to traditional, commuting office workers.
• Virtual workers are greener; the company has calculated its CO2 savings at 4.4 tons of Carbon Dioxide per year, the equivalent of running 33 laptops 24×7x365!

The best practice document, published this week on the Forrester website includes a series of checklists and workbooks outlining critical elements for green companies, virtual organisation, and remote workers.