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Post Tagged with: " remote locations "

Virtual Offices: Helping Small Business Owners Achieve Work-Life Balance Virtual Office Work.Balance.Life

Spending too much time on meager tasks when you should be growing your business? Want to spend more time with the family? Running a business is tough. But happily, today’s small businesses have a whole host of time-saving tools at their disposal, and a virtual office is one of them.

“Too much work, not enough play” – sound familiar? We all strive for an effective work-life balance. Small business owners are particularly under pressure, as they are the driving force behind the business and feel they have to be switched on to “work mode” every waking minute. This can lead to unhappiness at work and stress, which can spill over into family and home life.

Happily, small business owners have an arsenal of tools available to help make their working lives that little bit easier. And a virtual office is one of them. How, do you ask? The answer is not limited to one solution, but rather, several solutions that work together to help streamline business processes, reduce workload, and keep your clients feeling like they are number 1.

Let’s start with streamlining. With a virtual office, you could opt for a professional live answering service through our team of trained, experienced receptionists. When you’re busy growing your business – whether that’s strategizing, meeting clients or marketing your brand – constant calls from your cell phone can be an unwelcome distraction. Particularly when it’s an unwanted sales call or a wrong number. At Executive Office Suites, our professional receptionists can take that distraction away from you by answering, screening and handling calls to your requirements. Just think how much time this could save!

There’s another benefit to our live receptionist service, and it’s all about image. Having calls answered by a professional receptionist can go a long way towards improving your business image. No more important missed calls, or feeling like you’re on the spot when a client calls and you can’t remember their name. Leave it to our receptionists to make sure your clients feel like they are always number 1.

Of course, signing up to a swanky business address is another way to boost your business image. You might spend most of your time working from home or on the road, but as far as your clients are concerned, that skyscraper on Avenue of the Americas is your business home. And it’s not just an address on your business card either. With Executive Office Suites, you can benefit from on-demand meeting rooms and day offices too – perfect for meeting (and impressing!) clients, and having somewhere to land when you’re in town.

Executive Office Suites at Lafayette Village is all about helping you to streamline your tasks, boost productivity and grow your business. After all, you deserve it. And with less time spent fire-fighting and more time spent focusing on the things that matter – like family – you’ll soon be well on the road to work-life-balance success!

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Written by Joanna Republished with permission by Alliance

 

How a Virtual Office Can Help Workers Beat Distractions

“The average American worker has fifty interruptions a day, of which seventy percent have nothing to do with work.”

So says the late, great William Edwards Deming – American statistician, professor, author, lecturer, consultant and all-round business brain.

Here’s another statistic that’ll grab your attention: Around 50% of American office workers say they work for just 15 minutes before getting distracted, while 53% feel that an hour or more is wasted every single day because of disruptions.

Are you easily distracted at work? Can’t stop browsing Facebook? Time for another gaze out the window? You’re not alone – in fact, it turns out that quite a few of us are plagued by distractions that keep us from reaching our productivity potential. From constant background chatter and phone calls to feeling tired or frustrated, there are plenty of reasons to stop you from getting on with the job.

So how do you deal with distractions at work?

Step one: Go virtual. At Alliance Virtual Offices, we can vouch for the disruption-busting benefits of a virtual office, and how flexible working methods like telecommuting and working from home can cut down on distractions, and boost productivity too. Think of making a presents in a different state or even needing an office close to home? Executive Office Suites offers Virtual Packages that offer the connivence to you and your business.

Think about it. When you use a virtual office, you’re not tied to a physical office. So instead of working in an open-plan office and listening to inane background chatter about last night’s TV or tomorrow’s game, you can fill the gap with actual work. You know, the type that impresses your boss or brings in revenue for your business.

Step two: Hire a virtual assistant. At Alliance Virtual we have a team of professional live receptionists who can take over your call handling duties. They’ll receive calls, take messages and pass them on – making your day easier, less cluttered and ultimately more productive. If you are looking to make a Raleigh North Carolina presents Executive Office Suites has all the amenities to assist you.

Step three: Identify your distractions

  • If you get tired easily, go to bed earlier. And remember to take little breaks during the day.
  • If you can’t stop looking in the fridge, eat a better breakfast, stock up on your five-a-day and consult a nutritionist.
  • If it’s the Internet or emails that are bugging you, work offline for a while.
  • If you’re feeling stressed, you could be taking on too much work, or overdoing the multi-tasking. Try to focus on specific tasks – and make sure you finish one thing at a sensible point before moving on to another.
  • If you’re bored of a specific task, work to a specific time then reward yourself by moving on to something else.

On the subject of rewards, this can be a valuable part of the working day. Habit-changing author Charles Duhigg says that instead of struggling with distractions, you can actually make them part of your working day. If for instance, you can’t stop going on Facebook or you feel constantly distracted by Twitter, set yourself a target and then reward yourself with 5 minutes of social media time. Accommodate that need and build it into your schedule.

After all, rewards provide motivation – and a little motivation can reap huge rewards for your business.

Find out more about virtual offices and office space that Executive Office Suites has to offer! In the meantime, what other tips can you recommend for beating distractions at work?

 

Image source: Executive Office Suites

Written by Joanna Republished with permission by Alliance

Virtual Offices Are The Freelancer’s Best Friend


We can talk all day long about how great using a virtual office can be (because it really is great), and how the general, catch-all “busy business person” will benefit from the flexibility and value they provide. While this is very much the case, perhaps it is time we shine the spotlight on ourselves for a minute – take a more personal look at just how beneficial the world of virtual officing can really be.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Take me for example. I am just the person to espouse the greatness of a virtual office because 1) I am a freelancer and can benefit greatly from the use of a professional environment every once in a while. 2) I have used them before and therefore can speak (or write, rather) from experience. Without droning on and on, let me tell you a little about myself.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           I established myself as a freelance writer years ago both because I love to write and my husband’s career choice forced me to find work that I could pick up and take with me no matter where in the world we live. From Portland and New York City to Virginia Beach, Indianapolis and Lexington, KY, I have moved around an almost comical amount in the last several years of my life and I’m grateful for the existence of virtual and serviced office suites and meeting rooms. While I may not have the most geographically stable lifestyle, it is one that I love and I have the ease and flexibility of virtual offices to thank for some of that. I know I can take my business with me wherever I go, so I never have to worry when another move is looming on the horizon … like next summer, when we’ll move to Washington DC …
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            While no two freelancer’s journeys are ever the same, perhaps you can find a common bond or two between my story and your own? Ultimately, the point is that virtual offices, unlike traditional office space, have the unique and incredibly valuable power to mold and shift to your ever-changing, and expanding, needs. Whether it is a more impressive (i.e. legit) environment that your business needs or, as in my case, the ability to create this type of professional setting in multiple locations as your own geography changes, virtual offices provide the perfect solution, every time.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Image source: Executive Office Suites

Written by McDuffie Republished with permission by Alliance

 

We are excited to welcome Midtown Medi-spa, Inc. to Executive Office Suites at Lafayette Village!

ElizabethPaner

 

Elizabeth Paner, Licensed Aesthetician and Owner of Midtown Medi-spa, formally trained in Cary, North Carolina in the field of aesthetics.  She extended her aesthetics training with several post-graduate courses with emphasis on skin rejuvenation.  Elizabeth has been working in this field for 7 years and has managed, consulted and launched several successful business operations.  She has served as a consultant with area Medi-spas, was a regional make-up artist with Estee Lauder, and has been featured in area women’s magazines. 

Elizabeth loves to pamper her clients. “If my clients are happy and seeing results, then my technique speaks volumes.”  Her approach is customized to the individual and delivers fantastic results.  “I love what I do and love to see my customers’ smiles.  It’s my passion, not work!”

Services include

-Customized Facials/Peels

-Firming/Circle Eye Treatments

-Vi Peels

-Dermaplaning

-Dermal Needling

-Waxing and Tinting

-Permanent Make-up

 

We can not wait to have Midtown Medi-spa at Executive Office Suites.  Make your appointment today by calling 919.622.2281 or emailing Elizabeth@midtownmedispa.com

What’s Trending: Workplace Trends to Watch in 2013

Executive Office SuitesWith the beginning of each new year comes the unique opportunity to both reflect on events, trends and “happenings” of the previous year while also looking ahead to what new and innovative trends can be expected in the twelve months ahead.

2012 saw significant positive growth and expansion in the virtual officing world, and here at Executive Office Suites we have been enjoying the increased attention that the world of the virtual office has been receiving over the past couple of years. So, with the limelight shining ever brighter on our industry, what then can we expect to see when it comes to workplace trends in 2013? Here are a few things to watch out for this year:

1) A virtual office boom: Savvy companies around the world will continue to utilize virtual offices to expand into new arenas and maximize their global presence. With offices around the world, offering impressive addresses and top-notch services and amenities, Executive Office Suites is always at the ready when it comes to serving the busy mobile professional.

2) Increased disaster preparedness: The devastation caused by super-storm Sandy has increased the attention that is being placed on disaster preparedness and how we can better equip our businesses in times of trauma. The flexibility afforded to virtual office users is unmatched by traditional, static office spaces and allows mobile entrepreneurs to move locations when disaster – or simply their mood – strikes.

3) Work options galore: From hot-desking, home-working, co-working, virtual officing, telecommuting and much more, the days of sitting in a cubicle from 9 – 5 are long gone. While some may still continue to work that way, the good news is that you don’t have to! Choices are never a bad thing. What’s more, when it comes to office expenses, the price of office space ranks just below payroll costs. Look to see companies utilizing temporary and virtual work options more than ever before as a way to increase their flexibility in work styles while decreasing their monthly office space expenditures.

With Executive Office Suites’s extensive list of flexible virtual office space options, we will always keep you on the cutting edge of workspace innovations – keeping you right in line with today’s latest and greatest trendsetters.

Image source: Executive Office Suites

Republished with permission by Alliance

Virtual Mobile OfficeTexting while driving can be dangerous – and can even get you pulled over in some cities. But a man in Germany took remote work to a whole new level.

According to The Associated Press, German police say they nabbed a driver who had wired his Ford station wagon with an entire mobile office, creating the equivalent of a virtual office space.

“Built on a wooden frame on his passenger seat they found a laptop on a docking station tilted for easy driver access, a printer, router, wireless internet stick, WLAN antenna, and an inverter to power it all,” the AP reports. “A navigation system and cell phone mounted to the windshield completed the array.”

If this doesn’t show the mobile workforce trend is catching on, what does? As business center owners and operators are well aware, mobile workers are on the rise. But hard statistics drive the point home. By 2015, the world’s mobile worker population will reach 1.3 billion, representing 37.2 percent of the total workforce, according to IDC.

“Despite recent market turmoil, mobility continues to be a critical part of the global workforce and we expect to see healthy growth in the number of mobile workers,” said Stacy Crook, senior research analyst for IDC’s Mobile Enterprise Research program. “Our forecast shows that the worldwide mobile worker population will increase from just over 1 billion in 2010 to more than 1.3 billion by 2015.”

What’s more, Forrester Research estimates 66% of information workers in North America and Europe already work remotely. Over time, Forrester predicts this trend will have profound implications for everything from the location and design of offices, to IT’s provisioning of technology, to how business leaders marshal expertise.

Is your business center ready to accommodate the demands of the mobile workforce? With a mobile workforce working from remote locations, business centers should expect more foot traffic – but business centers that market their serviced office space as mobile worker friendly will lead the charge.

Many mobile workers may be yet unaware of the availability of day offices and meeting rooms. Savvy business centers are commuting the message to large corporations and entrepreneurs alike. How do you do this?

For starters, be sure to include language on your website – preferably an entire webpage – dedicated to marketing your services to mobile workers. Use keywords like “mobile workers” on those web pages so you will come up in the Google search results. Show mobile workers that you understand their needs by listing services that appeal to their pain points. Treat the mobile workforce as a niche – a niche that’s worth plenty as business evolves.

Image source: Saarland State Police, Germany

Republished with permission by Mike Sullivan