The 5 top triggers for "going virtual"

 

What makes people take the plunge and start working virtual? And what's your trigger?

Here's the top 5 triggers we've come across. Use the links to tell us which ones are likely to move YOU to action.

• Office lease renewal (especially if you're looking at more sq ft). Do you REALLY need all that expensive office space? Compare the costs of "Collins St, Melbourne" with "your street, your suburb".  Click here to vote for office costs.

• Mary's having a baby. Why lose a valuable member of staff can't do the "daily commute" (maybe temporarily) for all sorts of reasons. Click here to vote for keeping staff.

• Home relocation.  You're moving home and the office is now further away. Wouldn't it be great to work from home, say, 2 days a week?    Click here to vote for relocation.

• Road Rage. The sort of road rage you get stuck in commuter traffic every day. You suddenly add up the extra work & play hours being wasted each week. Click here to vote for road rage. 

• Weekend frustration. You already work from home occasionally - but it's a pain - you can't get to the office files, you're "out of the loop", etc. It's time to do it RIGHT. Click here to vote for doing it right

If you're trigger's different - click here to tell us about it

 

And don't forget our booklet on working smarter in a Virtual Office. To get one  click  here

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A website review by "eager beaver media"

Web presence is an important part of corporate promotion, whether you're "working virtual" or not, so our last newsletter offered a free initial-look-and-feel website review by Eager Beaver Media to one lucky newsletter recipient.

KINGS Security Group www.kingsecurity.com.au was selected from the entries and here's the review of their site.

Take a few minutes to check out KINGS site, read the review, and think about how your site measures up.

Review by Natasha Wood from Eager Beaver Media (www.eagerbeavermedia.com)

Kings Security has successfully taken the first step in the quest for an online presence thanks to a Citysearch listing and a domain name registration (www.kingsecurity.com.au). The content is excellent – simple and effective, and just the right length – but the layout needs some work. Fortunately, this is not too difficult – it’s just a matter of re-arranging the site’s structure and considering some design issues.

Re-assessing the architecture of the site can be as simple as refining the number of “headings” on each page, and the “sub-pages” that fall beneath. Ideally, a site should have a maximum of 6 options on the homepage such as “About Us”, “Services” and “Contact Us”. Too many options (18 in this case, seemingly listing every possible service) can be overwhelming so a “less is more” approach to navigation is preferable. Thinking of it like a shop window may help – there should be just enough to entice a customer in – not everything needs to be on show on the first page.

Site architecture should be like a good tree with a balance between depth and width. Once the core components of the site are established (ie. the tree trunk), the pages can branch off. For example, under Services, the next level could be broken down into 5-6 main services, eg. Alarms and Monitoring, Intercom Systems, Security Doors and Windows, and Closed Circuit TV.

Another simple improvement would be font consistency. Stick to 2 fonts per page where possible – too many and it looks cluttered. Users prefer sans serif fonts (ie. Arial or Verdana rather than Times New Roman) and dislike the overuse of bold and italics. When in doubt, err on the simple side.

The text on the homepage is a good example of how succinct web content should be. The opening sentence is short and sweet (“KINGS Security Group specialises in providing total security solutions for both the residential and business communities.”), and is followed by three easy-to-read paragraphs introducing the business. Displaying the contact details on the homepage is also an asset, although placing this information lower down the page would be more effective.

Visually, the graphics should be limited, especially as they currently take up the entire right hand side of each page. It’s better to have empty white space than a big logo or picture dominating the page. Extras to make a customer’s life easier is a great option and in this case, Kings provides a map of their office location.

Overall, Kings have made a good start but some re-structuring and re-design should improve their online presence. To learn more about creating a user-friendly website, visit www.eagerbeavermedia.com.

Eager Beaver Media is an information strategy company that manages processes and content for print and online media; they contribute regularly to “The Age” and “Sydney Morning Herald”. Eager Beaver Media have no commercial relationship with Atac.

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The easy way to access corporate data - when you're out

How do I access corporate data when I'm away from the office? A simple answer to this question is a major part of "working virtual". 

If  you have a standard Microsoft network and you'd like remote access to files stored on your office server. Here's the easy way - using only the inbuilt Microsoft facilities.

Connect your server to the Internet

• You've probably already done this. Make sure it's a permanent connection that provides a "static I/P address" facility. ADSL's the way to go, and there are lots of competitive offerings around.

Enable VPN (Virtual Private Network) access on your network server

• If you have military secrets to protect, the standard VPN probably isn't for you. But don't let anyone tell you it's not secure enough for normal commercial data - and it's FREE.

• It's no big deal for your network administrator to set up, and allows secure remote access to the server. You have normal log-on security and the data is encrypted as it passes through the Internet.

Enable VPN access on your laptop (or home PC)

• It takes 5 minutes to set up VPN access from your laptop - it's just a type of Dial-up Connection. To connect to your server, first establish an Internet connection in the normal way and then start your VPN connection.

• Once connected, map the network drives / folders you're interested in and "bingo" - the same access as if you're in the office (slower of course depending on the speed of your Internet connection).

And this is only the start. Once you've got this up and running you can nominate folders / files you need access to, even when you're not connected to your server. Windows can keep a copy on your laptop and keep the copy "in sync" with the original. Once again, all using standard (i.e. FREE) Microsoft Facilities.

Interested? Like a bit more information?  click here 

Have a better solution?  click here to tell us about it.

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Request our FREE booklet

        "Unshackling your business with the Virtual Office"  

 

In just 19 pages, you'll learn: Why the "Traditional Office" is working against you What Virtual Office models are available How to implement a Virtual Office How to avoid the "fragmentation" problem

"Going Virtual" simplifies the way you do business  

... this booklet will get you started.

Click here to request one by e-mail    Click here to request one via our website

   (don't forget to tell us your postal address)

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Your feedback - Voicemail in your inbox DOES work

Thank you to Ian Chesterman (the one from Sportcom) and Mark Thompson for updating us on the voicemail facilities associated with www.J2.com.

In a previous issue we talked about using J2 as a fax reception service (which we love). We ignored the associated voicemail facility as we've never found combined voicemail and fax reception to work satisfactorily. Both Ian and Mark use the combined facility as "call forward when busy" from their normal line. Any messages from missed calls turn up almost immediately in their inbox (as "playable" attachments).

We checked it out and they're right. It now works well and you can even customize your voicemail message (although J2 don't publicize this; you can e-mail us here for details).

Thanks again Ian and Mark.

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Useful Links - sources of information on Virtual Office

On our website at  www.atac.com.au/vo.htm you'll find copies of previous newsletters and links to other Virtual Office resources.

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Subscription Information

You've received this FREE  subscription to Virtual Memo as a registered subscriber to this or other Atac newsletters, as a business contact of Atac, or because you have previously shown an interest in related topics. 

To have a complimentary copy sent to someone else: click  here

We are always interested in your feedback. If you already work in a Virtual Office then we'd like to hear (and maybe publish) your story. We also publish and credit the best comments / suggestions / ideas we receive.

To provide feedback of any type: click here  To subscribe: click here  To unsubscribe: click here ___________________________________________________

About Atac

You can find out more about Atac Pty Ltd, Virtual Office, and what else  we do at www.atac.com.au

We've worked in our own Virtual Office – every day – for nearly three 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.

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