Virtual Office

happywarmgun

I'm looking to sign up with a virtual office provider in Birmingham. For me - I need:

- pro sounding address
- Human telephone answering (not an automated system)
- Sensible cost
- Mail forwarding
- The ability to make my mail address my registered company address

Lot's of people offer the above (though the last one rules some out) - so two questions:

- Anyone recommend anywhere in Brum
- Does anyone know if any of them let you bring your own phone number to the service or does it have to be theirs? I guess that is the one lock in you have when you leave - don't mind changing postal addresses but changing phone numbers seems a bigger deal....

olly300

If you have an accountant can't you use them as your registered company address?

happywarmgun

It's one of those 'perception' things that also has a practical point in dealings with certain parts of the public sector.... I want my postal address to be the same as my registered office address, and I want that to be the same address that in very rare circumstances, I could meet and greet clients - without it being obvious that I am, for the moment, a one man band who spreads his load by working with associate companies. I'm very aware that this kind of thing is of marginal interest to 99% of clients - but the 1% who are bothered by such things (e.g. public contracts who have a check list of risk assessment flags to go through when setting up a new vendor) are going to be the bigger contracts that I care about most. It is just not worth falling foul of their risk assessment checklists if I can legally get myself set up to avoid doing so.

Horace

Although Birmingham based myself I am not aware of any virtual offices, however, I am aware of one called JAM which is based in another part of the country but how they work I haven't got a clue.

I also work from home but have changed my address slightly so it looks posher (I no longer live in a flat but an apartment), any business meets are conducted either at the clients' home or in an hotel.

olly300

happywarmgun wrote: »

It's one of those 'perception' things that also has a practical point in dealings with certain parts of the public sector.... I want my postal address to be the same as my registered office address, and I want that to be the same address that in very rare circumstances, I could meet and greet clients - without it being obvious that I am, for the moment, a one man band who spreads his load by working with associate companies. I'm very aware that this kind of thing is of marginal interest to 99% of clients - but the 1% who are bothered by such things (e.g. public contracts who have a check list of risk assessment flags to go through when setting up a new vendor) are going to be the bigger contracts that I care about most. It is just not worth falling foul of their risk assessment checklists if I can legally get myself set up to avoid doing so.

It's quite easy to work out if someone works in a virtual office.

Office buildings where there are multiple companies list the companies names and logos on a permanent sign in reception with the floor the company is on. Those who are use virtual offices aren't listed or the signs are temporary.

The facilities i.e. board rooms don't fit with the companies turnover.

happywarmgun

olly300 wrote: »

It's quite easy to work out if someone works in a virtual office.
.

No doubt - but "Jim Bob the council procurement clark" isn't checking if someone has a virtual office - he has a simple checklist he has to put ticks on before you can be set up as a vendor, if he can't tick the then you have to be reffered up the chain for closer scrutiny before you can be set up as the vendor - by which time you may miss out on the business or delay payment by months!

MORPH3US

Hi happywarmgun....

Check out https://www.unitedbusinesscentres.com

(My o/h works for them though not in the Birmingham area. If you want someone to give you a call about this then pm me and I can ask my o/h to get someone to talk it through. Its all on the website though apparently.)

M

Horace

Regus have an office building at 3 BrindleyPlace - they rent out offices and have a virtual office. Also I seem to recall that there is a similar system run by a different company in Baskerville House (near the War Memorial).