Creating a Cheap Virtual Office
Written by Bryon Stewert on December 11, 2009 – 7:28 pm -Creating a cheap virtual office is the smart way to run a new business. If you’re a small business owner like me, chances are you don’t have a lot of money to spend on fancy offices, high priced receptionists and swanky furniture. Even if the economy were to pick up, it’s still a prudent idea to keep expenses low and avoid spending money on unnecessary items.
A cheap virtual office is truly an idea whose time has come. Cheap technology has really helped to create an environment where you can truly have a “virtual company.” I can attest to that because I am in the Internet marketing business and my team is literally in northern and southern California, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Costa Rica. The team is made up of personal assistants, webmasters, graphic artists, audio specialists, and business development people.
Some of the necessary tools of a cheap virtual office include: a computer(s), Internet connection and a phone or phone system. The computer and Internet connection are pretty obvious. But the phone system may not be for the uninitiated. What do I mean?
After investigating about 10 different solutions, I finally settled on RingCentral. I feel that it is not only cost-effective, but also incredibly flexible and expandable. The cost? The cheapest version is only $9.95 per month. For that you get 100 minutes and 5 extensions. More on extensions later. I personally have the $49.99 subscription for unlimited monthly minutes, 10 extensions and a dedicated fax number that sends faxes to my email.
In our case, we implemented a virtual PBX solution that is really inexpensive, yet incredibly flexible and expandable. This system allows us to have one 800# that all customers call into and a live or automated attendant who answers the call. The call can then be routed to an “employees” extension, which can be either a mobile #, landline # or just directed to a voice mail box.
The extension can be set up to call a mobile number, a physical landline number or go directly to voicemail. And, the person it’s dialing can be in Timbuktu, if need be! I have many more RingCentral tips at my blog.
As I explained I’m an Internet Marketer and yes, I am an affiliate for this product. But, I am also a huge small business proponent and want to help other small business owners become successful. If you visit my site, I share more tips with you about how to create a cheap virtual office and plan to reveal even more tools that we use to keep expenses low, stay competitive and make money.
Utilizing what the technology has to offer can really help you build a cheap virtual office. You can find more tips and tools to grow your business and save money on David Chan’s blog at http://davidkchan.com.
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