- What is a Virtual Office Provider?
- Key Features to Look for in a Virtual Office Provider
- Comparing the Top Virtual Office Providers
- Why Alliance Virtual Offices is the Best Virtual Office Provider
Q: Why is Alliance Virtual Offices the best virtual office provider for small businesses?
A: Alliance Virtual Offices combines comprehensive services, prestigious locations, flexible plans, and exceptional customer support, making it the best choice for small businesses looking to enhance their professionalism and support growth.
The past few years have seen the rise of virtual offices from a subject of contemplation to a necessity that small businesses, freelancers, and remote workers are leveraging to meet their office needs without renting physical office space.
Spurred by an increasing demand for a flexible work environment that establishes a balance between professional and personal life, the global virtual office market size was pegged at US$54.98 billion in 2023. At a fast-paced CAGR of 16.52%, the market is expected to reach US$204.53 by 2032, according to Data Intelo.
As with any fast-growing industry, there are lots of new players – including the good, the bad, and the terrible – making their way onto the playing field to tap into the virtual office market.
A quick search will bring you many virtual office providers in the U.S., all promising hundreds and even thousands of virtual office spaces alongside other virtual office services across the country.
Naturally, not all providers deliver on their promise or even make a real attempt to, for that matter. And like many others considering various small business virtual office services, you want the best virtual office provider.
After all, with your business’s growth and sustainability on the line, taking chances with an irreputable virtual office provider when setting up your virtual business is a no-no.
In this article, we’ll do a virtual office comparison, analyzing the provisions of top virtual office providers to find the best option for you.
But first, let’s see what virtual office providers are all about and the key features to look for in one.
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What Is a Virtual Office Provider?
A virtual office provider is a company that offers businesses a range of office-based remote work solutions often attached to a physical office address.
Services offered by a virtual office provider may include a professional business address, mail handling, meeting room access, and sometimes, additional services like live receptionist support and coworking spaces. Usually, a provider offers these services as a unit across hundreds of locations – in some cases, in well over a thousand prime business locations across the country.
When it comes to selecting a virtual office provider, the outcomes are generally better with those that offer a comprehensive suite of virtual office services, including live receptionist services and virtual business phone systems.
As a small business owner or remote professional, this means that you can establish a professional presence, boost your credibility as a professional, and enjoy the flexibility of working remotely while maintaining essential business functions.
A quick look at some of the basic virtual office services reveals how you can achieve all these through a top virtual office provider without breaking a sweat.
- On-demand access to meeting spaces: Sometimes landing and keeping a crucial client or partner involves a lot of courting, requiring that you do everything right to appear professional – and be professional. Hence, whenever a one-on-one meeting is requested, you must be sure you have the right environment. In this case, a professional meeting space in a prestigious business complex shows your clients and partners that you mean business.
- Professional business address: Getting a virtual office endows you with a professional business address that you can call yours, enabling you to establish a professional business presence in any state without having to empty your pockets on an office lease.
More so, what would you rather have on your business card and other marketing and branding materials: your residential address or a prestigious business address that you have a right to? The latter, of course! It’s generally acknowledged that having a professional business address adds a layer of credibility to a business’s brand image.
With digital mail handling, live receptionist services, and other small business virtual office services offered by virtual office providers, you can basically run a fully functional virtual office that helps you compete in local markets across the country – even if you are a thousand miles away.
Key Features to Look for in a Virtual Office Provider
The search for the best virtual office provider will have you sifting through a few companies to find the right fit. Plus, if you have seen any virtual office comparisons before, you’d know that this process could cause a lot of headaches
Therefore, it helps to have some relevant benchmarks on the side as your basis for comparison. Below are some top virtual office provider features to look out for.
Prestigious Business Address
You might find that some providers offer a PO box address, mailing center address, virtual address in office buildings they have no rights to, or addresses that simply don’t exist.
It’s very important that you find a provider that offers business addresses in prestigious locations, which can enhance your business’s professional image and credibility.
Now, you may be wondering: how do I know it’s a professional business address in a prime business location?
Usually, top virtual office providers catalog all the virtual addresses in their portfolio, providing pictures of the office building, their amenities/services, and the physical address. They also pinpoint it on a map for easy location.
You can peruse these details to determine if the given address is indeed a professional and prestigious business address. If you have the time, you can visit the location to confirm that the provider is present in and truly manages the address.
Providers that don’t provide these details for the addresses in their portfolio are red flags.
Comprehensive Services
The best virtual office providers offer virtual office services that provide all the virtual office benefits you need to excel as a remote business.
Hence, your focus should be on providers that offer a wide range of services, including mail forwarding, access to meeting rooms, coworking spaces, virtual phone systems, and live receptionist services.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t need some of these services now. Given the unpredictability of the overall business landscape, it’s good to know that if you ever need any of these services in the future, you can simply add them to the services you are already paying for – no need to start another search.
Scalability and Flexibility
Scalability and flexibility are core attributes of top virtual office providers. After all, small business virtual offices are meant to provide remote businesses with the room and freedom they need to effortlessly fine-tune their operations for maximum productivity and profitability as their business grows.
Here, you are looking for a provider with scalable solutions that aren’t attached to rigid commitments that leave you incredibly frustrated along the line. Your provider should not tie you down to a one-year plan or mandate that you pay for what you don’t need at the given time.
In this context, the best virtual office provider for your business is one that offers a comprehensive suite of virtual office services and allows you to add more services as needs arise.
As your business grows, the virtual office should be able to provide additional services and support without requiring a physical move or significant changes to your operations.
Bonus points for virtual office providers that allow you to scale up or down during peak seasons and off-seasons.
Customer Support and Reputation
How reliable is the provider? What are customers saying about their services? Can you count on their support team when you need them?
Seriously, the importance of selecting a provider with strong customer support and a solid reputation cannot be overemphasized. They are your ticket to having an excellent virtual office experience that promotes business growth and sustainability without hassles.
The best virtual office provider for you is one that designates a customer support agent that you can always reach out to when needed, ensuring that you are prioritized whenever you need assistance.
Also, check independent customer review platforms like Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs to see what customers are saying about the provider. Consider providers with mostly positive reviews; upwards of 4 out of 5 stars is a good place to start.
Comparing the Top Virtual Office Providers
We know for a fact that there are many virtual office providers out there. We also know that only a few live up to standards when it comes to delivering top-notch virtual office services for small businesses.
Based on the aforementioned key features of a virtual office provider, here are the top three providers to consider in your virtual office comparison.
- Alliance Virtual Offices
Alliance Virtual Offices is a name that comes up in basically every virtual office recommendation in the U.S. and one you’re probably well-accustomed to at this point.
Below is a quick breakdown of Alliance Virtual Office features:
Virtual Office Services
Alliance Virtual Offices offers a comprehensive suite of services for small businesses, including the following:
Each service has diverse features you can maximize to boost your operations.
For instance, the live receptionist service comes with over 50 features, including a national 411 listed phone number, unlimited local and long-distance minutes, appointment scheduling (with exclusive app), lead capturing and onboarding, online control panel, and scheduled callbacks, among others.
Pricing
With clear contract terms, Alliance Virtual Offices takes pride in offering plans that are transparent, scalable, and flexible. For as low as $49 per month, you can get a professional business address in a prime business location that you can use for mail correspondence, business registration, and bank account opening.
You can add your pick of other virtual office services as you need them—there is no policy that forces you to pay for what you don’t need.
Strengths
Alliance Virtual Offices offers 1,400+ prime office addresses in nearly every major city in the U.S., as well as in Mexico, Canada, the U.K., the Netherlands, and some other countries.
With nearly 2,000 reviews, the company has accumulated 4.5-star ratings (totaling 9.0/10 overall rating) from satisfied customers on Consumer Affairs and Trustpilot, a clear indication that Alliance Virtual Offices is doing everything right to ensure customer satisfaction.
If you are looking for a growth-enabling environment, you will find it with Alliance Virtual Offices.
Limitations
Although most business owners view Alliance Virtual Offices’ diverse and comprehensive services and various customizable plans as a great advantage, some prefer one basic plan with few services for the sake of quick decision-making.
To solve this, Alliance Virtual Offices assigns a designated agent to each client to ensure a customized plan that fits their unique needs.
- Davinci
In most spaces where virtual office comparisons and other related discussions happen, Davinci is usually considered as Alliance Virtual Offices’ worthy competitor. Both have been in the industry for around the same time.
Below is a quick breakdown of Davinci virtual office features:
Virtual Office Services
Davinci offers virtual office services similar to that of Alliance Virtual Offices, including virtual offices, digital mail handling, live receptionist services, meeting rooms, coworking spaces, and business phone numbers.
You can confidently go for Davinci virtual office knowing that they offer a comprehensive range of virtual office services.
Pricing
Pricing is where Davinci and Alliance Virtual Offices start differing.
For instance, although both have virtual offices starting at $49 per month, where Alliance Virtual Offices charges $3 for a one-time setup fee, Davinci charges as much as $50.
Where Alliance Virtual Offices charge $125 and $175 per month for 50 and 100 live receptionist answering minutes, respectively, Davinci charges $129 and $239 for a similar plan but with fewer features – compared to Alliance Virtual Offices’ 50+ live receptionist features.
If you want to step up and include other live answering services provided by Alliance Virtual Offices in their plans, such as appointment scheduling, you would have to go for their premium live answering plans, which cost $249 per month for 50 live answering minutes and $319 per month for 100 live answering minutes.
The gap in prices for some essential virtual office services gets wider as you explore more of their services.
Strengths
It’s inarguable that like Alliance Virtual Offices, Davinci has a comprehensive suite of small business virtual office services to get you started and going.
Additionally, with 4000+ locations, they offer nearly 3x as many virtual office locations as Alliance Virtual Offices.
Limitations
Customer perception seems to be low when it comes to Davinci virtual office. Despite having three times more virtual office locations, they don’t have commensurate number of reviews to match. Currently, Davinci has 4.35 stars (totaling 8.7/10 overall rating) accumulated across Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs.
Additionally, their services are not the easiest to navigate, making setting up a virtual office with Davinci a tad more difficult.
- Opus Virtual Office
As one of the major players in the industry since 2010, Opus Virtual Office makes the list as one of the top virtual office providers in the U.S.
Below is a quick breakdown of Opus Virtual Office features:
Virtual Office Services
Opus Virtual Office attempts to keep things simpler by placing its primary focus on live receptionist services and mail handling.
You can count on Opus Virtual Office for a professional business mailing address, but not so much for other crucial business services like on-demand access to meeting rooms, private offices, and coworking spaces.
All the features provided under Opus Virtual Office live receptionist and mail handling services include business mailing address, company phone or fax number, call transferring, fax to email conversion, and voicemail services.
Pricing
Opus Virtual Office offers one plan at $99 per month, with options for additional services such as call recording, call transfer, incoming call log, and audio conference bridging, among others available at additional fees.
Strengths
By focusing on a few services, Opus Virtual Office seems to be doing pretty well in the mail handling and phone service aspect especially when compared to newer players in the industry.
Additionally, their simple pricing might count as a plus for remote businesses established for a short-term purpose and need something to get going quickly.
Weaknesses
Although Opus virtual office has been in the business for 14 years, they only have 91 reviews on Trustpilot, gathering 4.3 stars. There are no reviews on Consumer Affairs. Most business owners might consider this a red flag.
Secondly, they offer very few services in 650 locations. Therefore, as your business grows you may find yourself out in the market looking for another virtual office provider.
Thirdly, the provider claims to be “all-inclusive” but that falls short on what could be described as the standards for small business virtual office services, their pricing isn’t very clear on what the services truly entail, and customers have complained a lot about them not being very transparent with their contract terms and setup fees.
Which Is the Best Virtual Office Provider?
With this virtual office comparison and consumers’ rating, Alliance Virtual Offices is inarguably the best virtual office provider, followed by Davinci and then Opus Virtual Office.
Alliance Virtual Offices has better pricing for a comprehensive suite of virtual office services and is also more transparent and flexible, something that Davinci seems to have good traction at but fails to hit the mark.
Although Opus does well, it focuses on providing fewer virtual office services, making it less desirable for businesses that intend to scale and be considered a strong competition in their target market.
Regus—another provider—would have been worth considering in the virtual office comparison. However, with a 3.5-star rating from its customers, it falls short as a top virtual office provider.
So, all things being equal, Alliance Virtual Offices takes the crown as the best virtual office provider for your professional business address, meeting rooms, live receptionists, mail handling, coworking, and virtual phone systems.
Why Alliance Virtual Offices Is the Best Virtual Office Provider
For starters, Alliance Virtual Offices effortlessly checks all the boxes for all the features that make a top virtual office provider:
- Comprehensive virtual office solutions: Although Alliance Virtual Offices doesn’t throw the term “all inclusive” around, it offers a complete range of services that go beyond basic virtual office offerings. This includes prestigious business addresses, mail forwarding, live receptionist services, and access to on-demand meeting rooms, private offices, and coworking spaces.
Taking things a step further, each of these services captures more features than what’s offered by competitors.
- Prestigious locations: Although Alliance Virtual Offices has been around for nearly as long as Davinci virtual office services have, it has carefully maintained far fewer locations than Davinci. This is because Alliance Virtual Offices takes time to assess and validate all the locations in its catalog, ensuring that only prestigious business centers make the list.
The goal is to guarantee that whatever professional business address you acquire from Alliance Virtual Offices goes a long way to boost your business’s professional image and help attract and retain clients and partners. This also makes it easier to assign adequate staff to maintain these locations while prioritizing client needs.
- Flexible and scalable plan: The flexibility of Alliance Virtual Offices’ plans allows businesses to start small and scale up as needed. Rigidity is not a term you can associate with Alliance Virtual Offices. You can customize plans to meet your specific needs at different phases of your business growth.
Running a seasonal business? You can add a live receptionist service to your virtual office plan during peak seasons and scale down in off-seasons. You pay for what you need when you need it.
Alongside these points, it’s important to note that with 4.5 stars (9.0/10 overall rating) accumulated from satisfied clients across Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs, Alliance Virtual Office has the highest rating, solidifying its reputation as the best virtual office provider.
This mark of quality is evident in all aspects of Alliance Virtual Offices service provision and is especially highlighted in the company’s commitment to exceptional customer service and support.
A quick look at Trustpilot data shows that, of all the providers in this virtual office comparison, only Alliance Virtual Offices replies to up to 94% of negative reviews and does so in less than two days – compared to Davinci with a lower response rate and replies in about a month.
Forward Ever with Alliance Virtual Offices
At this point, you should know what it means to be a virtual office provider and the key features to expect from one, including comprehensive small business virtual office services, prestigious locations, flexible and scalable plans, and great reputation and customer support.
Further Reading:
Technologies Powering Virtual Office Spaces
Empowering Independence: A Guide for the Modern Independent Business Owner
Maximizing Customer Value: A Guide to Customer Retention Analysis
Streamline Your Operations: Top Business Process Improvement Strategies for Success
Having these benchmarks during your virtual office comparisons will lead you to the inevitable conclusion that Alliance Virtual Offices is the best virtual office provider for you. This is a fact you’ll confirm for yourself when you take a step forward with Alliance Virtual Offices’ virtual office services.
With comprehensive services, prestigious locations, and flexible, scalable solutions that propel small business growth, Alliance Virtual Offices has effortlessly earned and maintained a strong reputation as the top virtual office provider for forward-thinking businesses.
