Virtual Office Management Means Effective Communication

By David Javitch of Entrepreneur.com



Bob Dylan had it right when he penned his lyrics "The times, they are a-changing." In today's highly competitive world, if entrepreneurs don't catch up or keep up with the latest advances in technology and management, they're doomed to fall behind.

A smart move that can save entrepreneurs money -- and at the same time implement the latest in technology and management resources -- is the virtual office. Very simply, a virtual office is one where employees may no longer be housed on site; in fact, they could be spread across the U.S. or even the world.

The term "virtual conversations" illustrates the idea perfectly -- conversations that take place via instant messaging or on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and chat rooms.

In a virtual office, employees work out of their own homes, a rented office space or a larger, shared office building.

The virtual office contains a computer, printer and fax machine, among other equipment. Often the computers have Webcams, which allow video conferencing.

For meetings, many employees use software such as GoToMeeting that enables them to see each others' computer screens without leaving their own desks, even if the meeting is taking place thousands of miles away. This way, an individual can work with others and actually share their screen. This helps members linked in to the meeting to view slides or software from various sites.

Webinars use this process to reach out to a large number of participants at the same time. In Webinars, meeting attendees can also use their telephones to talk to the presenter or moderator and sometimes to each other. The cost of this equipment is more than offset by the savings realized by not having to pay travel expenses, site rentals or office space rent.