What is a Virtual Office

The term ‘virtual office’ was coined in 1983, when it referred to portable computing in an in-flight magazine. The first known virtual office was in America in 1994; Ralph Gregory established what is now known as ‘Intelligent Office’, but which started its life as ‘The Virtual Office, Inc’ in Boulder, Colorado. The term is often interchanged with ‘office business centres’ or ‘executive suites’, usually incorrectly; a true virtual office does not demand the expense of a conventional lease.

“Yes, yes, yes” I hear you say. “But, what is a virtual office?”

A virtual office is a blend of remote real-time communication and address services. It allows its users an inexpensive method of upholding a sense of professionalism in business. For example, a user can lease an address in a professional part of town where their mail will be collected, or their phone will be answered by a receptionist familiar with their business – although the business person in question might work from home in the ‘burbs, or frequently travel and have no real fixed ‘work space’.