Office Space News
Forbes Features Davinci Virtual Offices
Published February 17th, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
Forbes magazine is extolling the virtues of virtual offices. You gotta love this subhead: “Fire your secretary and terminate your office lease. You can still have a Park Avenue address without the headache and overhead.”
I’m not sure how much traditional office developers would like this article, but virtual office providers are probably celebrating from Manhattan to Los Angeles and from Seattle to Miami to get what amounts to a nod from Forbes magazine.
Forbes tells the story of Rob Shelton. It seems the young financial adviser had a problem: He wanted to expand his presence in Utah without the cost of setting up two physical locations.
Shelton chose Davinci Virtual, paid a one-time set-up fee of $600 and is now paying $100 a month for a premier address 10 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. The result: He can meet with clients in both his home office in Provo and in Davinci’s conference rooms in Salt Lake City.
Shelton’s Savings
What does Shelton have access to with his virtual office provider? Beyond the prime business address, he also gets mail and package receipt, a business support center, a lobby greeter, a client drop off and pick-up point, a lobby directory listing, mail forwarding and shipping services, and a conference room.
Some of those amenities, like the conference room, come at an extra cost. But Davinci says its monthly packages are all-inclusive. In other words, there are no additional charges for long distance, toll free minutes, call patching, voicemail, faxes, conference calling, etc. The scheduling, order processing and outbound sales and customer service calls are also included in the base rate.
The only additional costs Shelton might incur are charges for additional call volume. The charges are based on minutes, so if he goes over consistently he might need to upgrade his service. Shelton could also opt for additional voicemail boxes. The second box is $29.95 a month, and additional boxes after that run $19.95 a month.
The Virtual Office Concept
If the concept of virtual offices is new to you, you should check out Davinci’s FAQs. These do a good job explaining how it works, from using existing numbers to how forwarding features function and from set-up times and payment issues.
Whether you choose Davinci or one of the many other virtual office providers, be sure to investigate the company’s track record. There are brands that have been around for many years that are reputable and accountable. There are other virtual office brands that are much newer. Some are solid choices, others are too new to judge.
Always check customer references and don’t base your decision on the cheapest price. Like anything else, look for the overall value the virtual office provider brings to your business. You may spend a few dollars more a month for a well-established virtual office vendor, but the value could far exceed the additional cost.
What’s more, reliability is critical with virtual office providers. Without reliability, your company could lose sales, lose customers and end up with a poor reputation in your marketplace. If there is a free one-month trial available, take it. Even though virtual offices are inexpensive, the set-up fee isn’t worth wasting with a vendor that doesn’t have a proven track record.
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About the Author
Rob Zeus February 17th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Wow. Forbes is a great mention. Congrats to the entire virtual office industry. Some of the other brands must be chomping at the bit to see Davinci get this great publicity. This will definitely drive greater awareness of the value of virtual offices.
Maggie Correta February 17th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Drive awareness is right. I agree with Rob. Obviously the editors at Forbes have been watching all the new virtual office companies spring up in a down economy. I’m glad they picked a recognized brand name that does business nationwide. That lends more credibility, which is probably why they chose this virtual office provider to highlight.
Melanie Jones February 17th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I like the advice on checking out virtual office providers at the end of this article. This is helpful. You sort of know what to expect from a brand like Davinci. It’s sort of like a virtual office franchise. It’s fairly standard from city to city. But so many new virtual office companies are coming out of the woodwork that it’s nice to remind people to check references.
Marcus Hester February 17th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
This is great exposure for the virtual office industry. It seems during the last downturn I recall some executive office suite operators getting some bad press. Does anyone recall that? I am not sure what the issue was. In any case, it’s great to see virtual offices in a positive light. This really is a great solution for companies of all sizes.
Bill Brookshire February 17th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
The FAQs Davinci offers on its web site sort of give you the skinny on how most virtual offices work. Yes, there are nuances to consider among providers but much of the offering is the same. It’s just a matter of set-up fees, monthly minute allotments and those extra services. This post is a good educational primer. Thanks.
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