e-Newsletters: "Back to Business School" Tip:

A totally virtual office means that a company’s employees have no assigned offices. The employees may work on the road, in hotels, or from distant offices in their homes. They check in and complete work electronically through e-mail, instant messages, Webinars, video conferences, conference calls and a secure online shared server that contains company documents. Some virtual offices have a physical office for creating, maintaining and shipping inventory, but many have no physical address at all.

Why is the virtual office so popular?

According to The Anywhere Office, "It is largely due to the increase in easy-to-use, affordable technology that companies of any size can implement without the need of a large IT (Information Technology) staff - such as Web-based collaboration tools, remote access to computers and Web meeting services. These subscription services allow companies access to all the tools they need to work from anywhere."

For example, online document management services, such as those offered by Brown & Meyers, allow employees to securely access records online, anytime.

Most businesses, medical offices, government offices, law firms and other organizations can benefit from offering a virtual office to the workforce.

Let’s look at the three main benefits.

Benefit 1: Minimize or eliminate many business overhead costs.

With a virtual office, you can eliminate expenses related to leasing and maintaining office space, filing and storing paper documents, and employee relocation/travel to name a few.

Studies have shown that companies with virtual offices are saving more than $1,000 average in office space/utilities costs per employee. AT&T recently reported that since 1995, it has reduced its office space by 50% and has saved $500 million in office lease costs.

The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) recently conducted a virtual office pilot program with 120 employees and here’s what they reported.

• "The AHCCCS Facilities department estimates a savings of approximately $5,000 per year by ending its lease on one office building.
• AHCCCS may be able to further reduce the number of offices needed throughout Arizona and expects to expand its labor pool to include rural areas and persons with disabilities." Benefit 2: Retain happy, productive employees while reducing energy use.

Benefit 2: Virtual office employees appreciate a flexible work style and are likely to be more productive.

Research shows a 30% average increase in productivity from full-time employees working from home.

• AT&T, American Express, the Federal Government and many other large employers have reported reductions in turnover and absenteeism.
• One of the country’s largest virtual office workforces is in Los Angeles County. They recently reported a 20:1 benefit-to-cost ratio.*
• You can hire the perfect job candidates no matter where they live. Companies using virtual office technologies allow all kinds of workers to provide services from home, including employees with specialized skills or disabilities, retirees, stay-at-home moms and others.

Plus, virtual office employees don’t waste time, money and energy commuting to work. According to Sun Microsystems, "The typical ‘open worker’ saves approximately $2,000 a year in fuel and maintenance and is able to cut their commute time by 160 hours a year. Less time in their cars and less time on the road translates into a reduction in more than two metric tons of CO2 per worker per year." Less commuting time means there is a reduction in greenhouse gases, traffic congestion and public infrastructure.

* AHCCCS report

Benefit 3: Enhance your reputation for providing exceptional customer service.

Companies with employees in different time zones are able to serve more customers during more hours of the day. 24/7/365 service is often made possible or enhanced through virtual offices.

For example, the Brown & Meyers staff includes an administrative team of eight professionals in Portland, Maine, managing its operations, marketing and sales, customer service, and accounting. However, their 80-plus phone dictation-transcription service professionals are located throughout the United States, in every time zone. This helps us ensure rapid turnaround times and responsive customer service.

Not only does the virtual office help with access to customer support staff, companies using online document management systems can securely access customer records instantly, delighting customers with faster and more effective resolution to inquiries.

Explore the virtual office with us!

Brown & Meyers offers a number of electronic services to facilitate and support your virtual office. We can help you explore online document management, transcriptions, Web meetings, videoconferencing and other highly efficient systems.

If you’re interested in having us help you develop a cost-effective virtual office plan, please contact us for a no-obligation consultation.

In the Know:
Distance Learning Could Help Your Business

For many years now, universities and tutoring companies have been successfully using the virtual office model for distance learning. When you consider the reasons why, you can apply these to your office!

• Students sign up for courses, take classes, complete assignments and look up their grades online at their convenience.
• Tutors and teachers review work with students in "real-time," providing responsive feedback.
• There’s no paper involved in creating, filing or storing coursework. It’s all done online, saving countless dollars in document-management costs.

Check out some university Web sites to see how they do it. You may find valuable ideas for your business.

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Brown & Meyers Phone Dictation-Transcription Services

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