Still tied to a 19th-Century office ?

Strange but true. Far too many offices still run like a 19th-century factory, where staff must come in on a daily basis and make use of fixed facilities to get the job done. It simply does not suit today's business needs.

You're still working in a 19-century if:

In today's "Virtual Office", the focus is on getting the job done rather than on getting to the office.

So, which type of office do you work in?

Of course, not everyone should (or wants to) work away from the office. The whole point of a Virtual Office is providing staff with those Virtual Facilities relevant to them. 

Some of the Virtual Office models:

Virtual Memo will help you recognize the benefits of Virtual Office, identify which model suits your business, then move out of the 19th century. Most of all, we hope you'll learn from the experiences of others and feedback your experiences into the pool.

For a copy of our booklet "Why the traditional office will kill your business" e-mail us here

Virtual facilities - do you know about....Virtual Switchboards?

There are plenty of virtual alternatives to traditional office-based facilities. Here are some examples:

These facilities are probably cheaper than your current equivalents and give you the flexibility to work Anywhere and Anytime. Future issues will look in depth at each of these areas. 

 

Today we'll look at Virtual Switchboards. These are offered by most major Telcos around the world but hardly ever promoted by them. 

Virtual Switchboards let you link phone lines into a phone system regardless of their location, and require NO physical switchboards. All the "smarts" are handled at the telephone exchange.

While probably best suited to small and medium-sized businesses, there is usually no limit to the number of lines that can be linked together. They use standard phone lines and handsets, involve no capital outlay and only a small monthly charge that depends on the number of lines involved and the features selected.

Each user regardless of their location has their own "internal" extension number, an inward direct number to bypass switchboard reception, and a direct outside line. Incoming "switchboard" calls are automatically transferred to the first free person in your reception list, with a voicemail facility for out-of-hours messages.

• call "Mary" on ext. 23 whether she's in the office, at home, or on the road

• "Fred" can handle all "switchboard" calls even though he works from home

• facilities such as transfer, conferencing & diversion are all standard 

When teamed with mobile phones and voicemail, it's a flexible solution that really works - with NO physical switchboard to tie you down.

For more information on virtual switchboards email us here.

Any other Virtual facility you're particularly interested in? email us here

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More Staff - Smaller office - Better results

How 5 extra consulting staff fit into a smaller office - and ALL got exactly the right office setup.

The core problem: an existing CBD "factory" workplace with 13 consulting staff suddenly had to accommodate 5 extra consultants.  Only 3 of the original 13 felt that the existing facilities matched their work requirements anyway.

• Work facilities such as network software & administration were only available at the workplace and only available during typical business hours.

• consultants had different work practices; some saw clients in the office, some "lived" at the client's premises; some wanted to work from home at least some of the time; all accumulated paperwork when working away from the office that did not get attended to until the next office visit.

For this company, the "Coffee-Shop" model proved ideal. The office facility was restructured from a "Factory" to a much smaller "Coffee-Shop" model which served as a central point for staff meetings & training, and as a permanent workplace or client meeting place for those staff who wanted to work that way. 

Office-based facilities were replaced: the old switchboard by a "virtual" one that tied together both office and home phones; fax machines by web-based services. Remote access to office documents and network software was provided which allowed staff to work effectively wherever they were and still have the paperwork up to date.

Three months later: office costs have been significantly reduced despite the increase in staff, productivity is better than ever, and everyone has a working environment tailored to suit their preferred working style.

UPs and DOWNs Summary		UPs	DOWNs
		Productivity	Office Costs
		Job Satisfaction	Commute time
		Flexibility	Paperwork submission time

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Tips and Tricks - Today's suggestion for Virtual Workers

Windows 2000 / Office 2000.  If there is one theme that runs through many of the tips we'll publish in future issues it's this - move to WIN2000 & Office 2000.

Whilst many of the facilities and features used by remote workers are in previous versions, Microsoft really didn't get them right until "2000" (We're still evaluating XP - the features look good but it's too early to tell).

It's the best single tip you'll ever get.

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Useful Links - Other sources of information on Virtual Office

Books: All available at www.amazon.com

The Virtual Workplace (1998). Igbaria and Tan. Idea Group Publishing

              The concepts and driving forces behind the virtual workplace revolution. 

              Academic in style & sometimes hard to read, but well worth it.

The Home Office Solution (1998). Bredin. John Wiley & Sons

              Looks at the Time Management and Motivational issues associated with 

              working away from the office. A good "startup kit" for new virtual workers.

Creating Virtual Offices: Ten Case Studies for CPA firms (1997). Dennis. AICPA.

              A review of 10 professional-service firms in the USA who implemented

              a virtual office. Although all CPAs, their experiences are relevant to all small

              professional services companies.

 

Web:

International Teleworking Web-ring.

              Links to non-profit national telework associations.  

              http://www.ivc.ca/webring.html

Advocates for Remote Employment and the Virtual Office (AREVO)

              Arguing the general case for Virtual Office work arrangements

              http://www.globaldialog.com/~morse/arevo/#whatare

World reference:

             Timezones

             Currency conversion: 

             Language translation:   

 

Microsoft Office:

Microsoft's own Knowledgebase.

              http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;rid;kbinfo

The best Outlook & Exchange site:

              http://www.slipstick.com   

Online commercial support: 

              http://www.nowonder.com/home.html

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About Atac

You can find out more about Atac Pty Ltd and what we do from our website www.atac.com.au

What you won't discover from our website is that we've worked in our own Virtual Office – every day – for over two years. We've found it more productive, more rewarding, less stressful, and we’re working better as a team than ever before.

That's why we are such passionate advocates for Virtual Office and why we've become the leading Virtual Office consultants in our region. We publish this newsletter as a general information service to any company looking to implement their own Virtual Office.

If you'd like more information about Atac or about our Virtual Office consulting services, email us here.