How Virtual Services are Changing the Business Landscape? – The future of the office is online. Giant rooms filled with cubicles are starting to become a thing of the past. While the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the decline of the traditional office, the move online has been in progress for several years, even before lockdowns forced offices to lock their doors.

Virtual services are an integral part of what makes the virtual office work. But how are they altering the business landscape beyond recognition?

Why Virtual Services Have Grown So Quickly

Virtual services are not a new concept. They have existed for as long as businesses have had access to speedy Internet connections. Models like remote working have taken time to gain traction, but they’re no longer just a fad – rather they are the future.

There’s no doubt that the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns forced businesses to innovate. Unable to open their offices and meet customers in person, business owners were forced to scramble for an alternative.

Arguments against virtual services have boiled down to:

  • Less productivity;
  • Less effective collaboration;
  • Security concerns;
  • Difficulties in managing employees.

Corporate CEOs, who were long resistant to change, were forced to adopt virtual services they’d fought against for years. They discovered that they made substantial cost savings, continued to operate to a high level, and enjoyed more productivity.

Even as society reopens again, more and more businesses see no need to renew their office leases and bring everyone back to the water cooler.

Now we know what has spurred the sudden spike in virtual services of all kinds. Let’s look at how the business landscape has changed forever.

The Virtual Office: The Heart and Soul of the Revolution

What has led to the growth of the virtual office?

It’s about need. More and more organizations have discovered that the traditional office is a costly expense that adds little benefit to their operations. One study pegged continued remote working will increase productivity by 5% across America.

It shows that remote workers who have more flexibility are more productive than those who come into the office.

There are also cost benefits to the virtual office. Without travel costs, long office leases, and smaller teams, businesses save thousands of dollars every year.

More Internationalism

Traditional global business hubs like Los Angeles, New York, London, Frankfurt, and Tokyo became business hubs because of the concentration of talent in one area. Companies without geographical proximity to the world’s business communities struggled to attract the best of the best.

Virtual services have transformed the business landscape by opening the global jobs market. Now, companies can hire a web developer in Israel, a virtual assistant in Indonesia, and a customer support agent in Romania without worrying about physical location.

It’s intensified the battle for top talent and led to more diverse teams.

An Emphasis on Work-Life Balance

One of the advantages of remote working is providing workers with a better work-life balance. Rush-hour commuters are fast becoming historical relics. Now workers aren’t spending two to three hours per day getting ready for work and commuting there.

Studies have shown that American workers prioritize a work-life balance over a higher salary – or even employee benefits.

There’s been an increasing movement worldwide to pressure major companies to understand the need for a work-life balance. Increasing mental health issues, burnout, and general stress are significant concerns within the modern workplace.

Virtual services have enabled the emphasis to shift from presenteeism to a more balanced working lifestyle. Employees have more time for themselves when they work remotely. It also offers the opportunity for more flexible working hours.

The Rise of the Agile Company

The concept of being an agile company was little more than a mindset. Today, it’s a practical philosophy driving companies of all sizes.

Investing in virtual assistant services, for example, can help you to slash costs, boost productivity, and increase diversity. There are few services a virtual assistant cannot provide exclusively from home. Rather than hiring an in-house physical employee, virtual assistants can handle all the same tasks and get more done.

This agile approach is also allowing for more creativity among businesses. Creativity is the backbone of society. It’s the source of all innovation. The problem is creativity comes with risk. Not every idea will work. Lost time and lost monetary resources put companies under pressure.

Moving to a virtual-services-first mindset increases company agility by removing many of the expensive burdens traditional business commonly takes on.

Entrepreneurs can do more with what they have without taking on the same amount of risk. The removal of administrative tasks and financial worry empowers entrepreneurs to reclaim their creative freedom and work on changing the world in which we live.

Making the Transition to Virtual Services

Unfortunately, there’s no getting around the fact that dismantling the old systems will take an investment of time and money. Making the transition to virtual services requires the right mindset and a willingness to flip the table over.

Business owners who want to make the switch need to create a team that will make the changes necessary to become an organization that prioritizes virtual services. All stakeholders must accept the desire to change. A plan must be implemented to ensure that the business’s day-to-day operations are disrupted as little as possible. A clear business proposal must highlight the project benefits in productivity, cost savings, and innovation.

The transition itself isn’t something that’s going to occur overnight. On the contrary, it can take months to change a company’s culture and establish a system that works for everybody. Keep in mind that with 40% of workers considering quitting if forced into the office full-time, now has never been a better time to adopt more virtual services.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that virtual services have changed the business landscape forever. The COVID-19 pandemic has only reinforced the transformation and turned it from a fringe movement into the new normal.

Entrepreneurs have a clear business case for integrating more virtual services into their current setup. Examine your business to see how you can join the office revolution.