Virtual Offices
Virtual Office Company Offers 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Published June 10th, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
What do you do if you try a virtual office service and, within a few weeks, you decide that (1) the service doesn’t provide the benefits you expected, (2) the service isn’t as reliable or dependable as advertised, or (3) you really just need to rent a serviced office space and leave the virtual offices to the home-based business owners?
If you are a Singapore Virtual Office customer, you simply ask for your money back.
Singapore Virtual Office is offering a 30-day money-back guarantee on all its service plans. That makes it the only virtual office provider in Singapore to go out this customer acquisition limb. Singapore Virtual Office is billing the marketing promotion as a way to assure clients its service is high quality and to eliminate the risk of enrolling in its service.
Thanks to attractive tax incentives and the ease of setting of businesses in Singapore, office rental prices there are among the highest in this Asian region. That’s driving virtual office companies into the market to serve the needs of entrepreneurs who don’t have the budget for a full-time office. With the current economic downturn, more and more entrepreneurs are utilizing virtual offices to start their businesses to defray business costs. But the competition is stiff in Singapore’s virtual office market.
A Virtual Office Test Drive
Singapore Virtual Office is offering more than just a test drive of its service – and it should do well to drive some traffic through Singapore Virtual Office’s virtual doors. By offering the guarantee, Singapore Virtual Office is hoping to send a message to the marketplace – and to the competition – that it’s service is more reputable than some others in the local market.
It appears to be working. Singapore Virtual Office reports a spike in the volume sign-ups for its virtual office packages.
This won’t help you if you are trying to choose a virtual office company in the United States. But it may raise some awareness of clever marketing practices here and in other parts of the world. I have yet to find a virtual office provider that offers a 30-day money back guarantee stateside. I do, however, see that most virtual office providers charge a set up fee in addition to the first month of service up front. That means you could be out up to $200 or more depending on the service package you choose.
If any virtual office company would be so bold as to offer a 30-day money back guarantee – or at least waive those set up charges – they could be the recipient of the same sort of registration spike Singapore Virtual Office reports. Ultimately, the fee waivers or the money back guarantees are a low-cost customer acquisition tool in the grand scheme of things. So, why not ask your local virtual office company if they’ll match Singapore Virtual Office’s guarantee? It can’t hurt, and it might just set off an industry trend.
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About the Author
Rob Zeus June 10th, 2009 at 9:38 am
I think this is a great idea. What do they have to lose? Few people are going to go through the hassle of signing up for a virtual office service just to get 30 days for free. In other words, this will attract people who truly need virtual office services and are concerned about choosing a quality provider. This shows that Singapore Virtual Office is confident in its product.
Elizabeth Sanchez June 10th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I don’t expect any companies in the United States to follow suit, at least not any of the big ones like Davinci Virtual. I do think the smaller players should do something like this to raise brand awareness. Companies are hyper focused on issues of reliability in the virtual office space. Major brands like Davinci Virtual have the market cornered in that regard. It’s all about competition. This 30-day money back guarantee is a great marketing tool.
Maggie Correta June 10th, 2009 at 11:21 am
You might get a few stragglers looking to get something for nothing, or a few folks who are just curious about how these services work. But even then, Singapore Virtual Office might convert some of those into full-time users. The risk on this is low for everybody involved. Some people may never even try the virtual office set up if it wasn’t accompanied by a free offer. This could actually open up a new market for the virtual office industry there.
Bill Brookshire June 10th, 2009 at 11:29 am
I’m sure I’ve seen some virtual office companies offer a seven day free trial. That doesn’t compare directly to a 30 day money back guarantee, but it’s something. I just went to Davinci Virtual’s website and I didn’t see any sort of special pricing or trial offers there. Even though this virtual office provider is in Singapore, it seems there are lessons for the industry to learn in other parts of the country about marketing in a competitive environment.
Marcus Hester June 10th, 2009 at 11:35 am
We seen money back guarantees in many other industries. Why should virtual offices be any exception? My answer: they shouldn’t. If companies are confident in their virtual office reliability, then they shouldn’t be intimidated by an offer like this. What’s more, it’s a known fact that folks usually forget to cancel in the first 30 days anyway. This might be what they are betting on.
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