Modern technology enhances virtual operations
Have you ever wondered how a business could start up and suddenly have offices in several countries? Of course with the new technologies, virtual operations and ‘serviced offices‘ do not have to be in the same location as your company head office; in fact, they can be anywhere in the world.
Many companies use serviced offices extensively to expand their operations nationally, indeed internationally.
Common services might outsource
- Physical address
- Quality remote offices
- Receptionist
- Phone answered
- Meeting rooms
- Office equipment
- Communications
- PA services
- Warehousing
- Distribution
- Appointment setting
- What do you want?
Some businesses will still want to continue along the traditional paths. However, at some point along the way, you will reach the appropriate level of understanding where everything will start making sense.
Others do not have the time or resources to sit down and talk about what is needed because they do not have the luxury. Why not let someone take care of the technology so you can focus on your success?
Whatever the issue, you need to address the causes of your reluctance to become involved and eliminate them to better support your customers. You need to address the worrying wants and needs of your customers, by assisting them to make the transition to continual improvement utilising virtual operations.
The reality is, if a customer continues to deal only with specific discrete processes based on their understanding, they will be left behind. They will more than likely be stuck in a place they do not want to be. You should be talking about a framework to enable your company to improve its services and grow to meet customer wants and needs.
Change is often difficult. When you have to change it becomes more difficult when you have to change the culture. It will not happen overnight, even if you plan for a staged program. You do not need much in a modern office with virtual operations. Perhaps a right place to start might be to look at all the activities you can outsource.
How to plan a move to virtual operations
The easiest way to start is with a simple audit of your week. List every task your team performs, then mark which ones need a person in your office and which could be handled by a remote provider, a cloud system or a serviced office. Most businesses are surprised by how short the first list is.
Next, pick one or two low risk activities to move first. Phone answering, mail handling and meeting room bookings are good candidates because they are easy to measure and easy to reverse if the fit is not right. Early wins build confidence across the team and make the bigger changes feel less daunting.
Once the first changes are bedded down, document how each outsourced process works. Who is responsible, how requests are made, how quickly they should be handled and how problems are escalated. Clear written processes are what make virtual operations reliable rather than chaotic.
Keeping customers and staff on side
The biggest risk in any shift to virtual operations is not the technology. It is the people who feel left out of the decision. Tell your staff early what is changing, why it is changing and how it will make their work easier. Invite them to point out the tasks they would happily hand over.
Customers need reassurance too. They care that their calls are answered promptly, their questions are handled by someone who understands the business and their orders arrive on time. If those things stay consistent, most customers will never notice where your team is physically sitting.
A few practical habits help everything run smoothly:
- Use one shared system for customer records so nothing falls through the gaps
- Hold short regular check-ins with remote providers and staff
- Set clear response times for calls, emails and enquiries
- Review the arrangement every few months and adjust what is not working
Virtual operations are not about cutting corners. Done well, they free your best people to focus on the work that actually grows the business, while trusted partners take care of the rest. Start small, measure the results and expand at a pace your organisation can manage.
