In tough economic times, virtual office services are a viable option for small and medium-sized companies. For only $60 to $300 per month, your company’s sign will appear on the most magnificent and convenient buildings.
Mr. Tran Van Do (Hanoi) and two friends cooperated to open a law consulting company after graduating from university. With limited staff and financial resources, the three of them searched everywhere to find a place to rent an office but could not find a satisfactory place because the cost was too high. Through a broker friend, he found a virtual office.
Virtual office also known as 0 m2 office for rent. In the world, this service has been around for a long time, but in Vietnam it is quite new. Currently, the virtual office service provider chosen by many businesses is Regus, G-Office, Full-service office... When using this service, customers do not have to move furniture and equipment, but only place their company's sign and logo there. In addition, businesses do not need to have permanent employees. The virtual office's human resources department will answer the phone, receive faxes, emails and related documents as the company's secretary. Then, all this information will be sent directly to the customer.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Khue, Director of Abix Company, said that his company already had a head office of more than 200 square meters but in a hidden location, so he decided to rent a virtual office at Regus. The company's address is in a prime location (59A Ly Thai To, Hoan Kiem District) which is the fastest way to enhance the brand. "Customers cannot come to remote locations to make transactions. Being located in prime locations also means that the company's brand is enhanced," Mr. Khue shared. According to Mr. Khue, on average, renting an office of about 20 square meters, at a cost of 50 USD per square meter, each month the business also spends about 1,000 USD. Meanwhile, renting a virtual office, his company only spends about 200 USD per month, saving up to 80% in costs.
Working as an investment promotion consultant, Mr. Le Ngoc Quang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Marketlink2vnconsulting Company, has been “settling down” in a virtual office for more than a year. Due to the nature of his independent work, mainly via email and phone, he does not want to spend too much money on interior equipment. “Whenever I have a transaction or meet a client in person, I usually go to a coffee shop or make an appointment with a virtual office provider,” Mr. Quang said.
Price of virtual office The price ranges from 60-300 USD per month, depending on the service. When there is a need to use a seat, customers will pay the rental price according to the registered hour. This price depends a lot on the accompanying services such as answering customers' partners in English, making tax reports... Normally, the meeting room will include full equipment such as photocopier, fax, scanner...
In difficult economic conditions, many businesses have turned to virtual offices. According to Mr. Trinh Duc Phu, Head of the Full-Service Office Department at 101 Lang Ha, Hanoi, every day, his service has about 10 people coming to inquire about renting.
Mr. Huynh Quang Viet, Director of IncomNet Company, said that after the trial, the virtual office G-Office (HCMC) has attracted a lot of attention. His office currently has more than 300 customers, with an average of about 30 successful transactions per month. Of which, the customers asking to rent mainly belong to three groups: new entrepreneurs, companies opening representative offices or small transaction offices. Of these, businesses with headquarters in the North account for only about 3%.
In fact, Mr. Viet said, the virtual office model is more perfectly equipped than a real rental office. Because not every real office has such modern equipment. Only large enterprises have the potential to invest in projectors, customer care switchboard systems, professional meeting rooms, etc. "Therefore, in difficult economic times, using a virtual office will be a very feasible solution, creating opportunities for small and medium-sized companies to penetrate the market," Mr. Viet affirmed.
According to reviews, this service has many advantages, such as minimizing costs and being polite because it is located in luxury buildings. However, it also has some disadvantages such as customers who want to meet partners must make an appointment in advance and the time to meet customers is limited to the registered hours. In addition, some businesses are also concerned about legal issues, especially business registration procedures for virtual offices.
Talk to with VnExpress.net Regarding the legal issues of virtual offices, Mr. Dang Minh Tuan, an expert of the Business Registration Office No. 2, Department of Planning and Investment, said that virtual office is a term that is not included in legal documents but arises in practice. Mr. Tuan said that Clause 1, Article 35 of the Enterprise Law clearly stipulates that the head office of an enterprise is the contact and transaction location of the enterprise... with a specific address including house number, street name, alley... telephone number, fax number, then virtual office has met the requirements. "Currently, the form of renting a virtual office as a transaction place is still quite new. Enterprises are not regularly present at the office, but if they register their business legally and still have full transactions with customers, there is no law prohibiting it," Mr. Tuan emphasized.
Hoang Lan – vnexpress.net –February 24, 2009
