How a London Virtual Office Can Help You Expand Internationally

Are you ready to take your company out into the big, wide world? Expanding internationally has numerous benefits if done correctly, from gaining access to a wider customer base to being able to hire from a much larger talent pool. Essentially, it’s all about growing your business bigger than ever before and increasing profits. 

So, where does a virtual office in London play into this? Can it really help you expand internationally? Keep on reading to learn more.

Virtual Offices Explained

Before anything else, let’s get to grips with what a virtual office is. A virtual office is essentially the offer of “fake” business premises. It’s a service that provides companies with a business address (if it’s in London or Mayfair – a particularly prestigious one) without the actual physical office space being part of the deal. 

Virtual offices are well-suited for a range of businesses seeking to reduce costs while maintaining a strong brand reputation. Plus, often, virtual office solutions come with a variety of additional services on top of the business address, including: 

·        Access to Meeting Rooms

·        Call Answering Services

·        Call Patching Services

·        Mail Forwarding

Can a London Virtual Office Give You a Global Reach?

Yes – a virtual office in London can definitely give your business easier access to global markets and therefore a chance to expand internationally. Part of that is due to London being considered an international city. It is famous worldwide for a variety of reasons, boasting a rich culture and serving as a major hub for travel and trade. 

London has a rich, diverse culture and numerous networking opportunities, and a business address here will undoubtedly help any business expand globally. 

Top 8 Benefits of Having a London Virtual Office When Going Global

So, what are the exact benefits of virtual addresses in London when expanding internationally? 

1. It Gives You a Professional Image

When it comes to going global, one of your primary goals is gaining credibility, and a virtual office location in London can help you achieve that. All businesses in the UK showcase their company information, including their business address, on Companies House. Having this address in a sought-after location, such as central London, is a great way to create a professional image. 

Say you want to interact with a client overseas. Their first impression of your business will be based on several factors, one of which is your address. If it’s a professional London address, they are more likely to take your company seriously and believe that you are already successful; therefore, they’ll be more likely to go into business with you. 

2. It Reduces Costs

Expanding a company internationally is not exactly cheap. As such, many businesses strive to reduce costs wherever possible, and selecting a virtual office in London can help achieve this goal. 

Virtual office address services are significantly cheaper than renting a physical office space, yet they still provide many of the same benefits. There’s no having to pay for expensive utility bills and rental prices, after all. With these saved costs, you can allocate more of your budget to international expansion, increasing your chances of success. 

3. A London Virtual Office can Cover Admin Services

Many London office virtual services offer a range of administrative support. This can be extremely helpful when going global, as it means freeing up more of your time, allowing you to focus more on expansion rather than, for example, answering telephone calls from customers or converting faxes into emails. 

4. It’s Easier to Scale Up and Down

Making the decision to expand a business internationally comes with some risks. Hopefully, it leads to great success, and you will find excellent markets that suit what you sell overseas. However, success may occur more slowly than you thought. 

Having a virtual office means being able to scale up and down with ease. So, whether you see a spike in interest and need to scale up quickly, or vice versa, you don’t have to worry about having a long-term lease. 

5. You Can Hire Internationally

When you have a physical office space, you are refined to hiring only locally. Even if you have employees willing to travel a longer commute to work for your company, you still cannot hire anyone out of the UK on a full-time basis, which hinders your chances of international expansion. 

A virtual office in London flips that all around. With a virtual office, you can hire people from all around the world, which massively expands your access to talent and gives you a chance to better understand overseas markets. You can even set up full teams in particular locations overseas in the areas you want to expand. 

6. The Use of London Meeting Rooms

A virtual office in London might mean you don’t have access to a physical office space 24/7, but you can still make the most of the London virtual office meeting rooms. 

Many London office virtual services have access to physical meeting rooms as part of their bundled services, and making the most of them can help you expand internationally. That’s because you will be in the centre of an enormous business hub – one where there are people from all over the world, all in one (albeit large) city. You can attend networking events and meet new and interesting people who may become part of your global expansion journey. 

7. You Can Add International Virtual Offices as You Expand

Did you know you can have multiple virtual office addresses? Your prestigious business address in London can be the very beginning of the journey, showing you the ropes of what it means to have a virtual office address. From there, you can add international virtual offices as you expand, allowing your reach to extend overseas. 

This can be extremely helpful, even if you never travel to the location. You can obtain an international virtual address that enhances your global image while handling international administrative services, such as mail handling and call answering. 

8. It Gives You Networking Opportunities

London is an incredibly diverse capital, home to people from all over the world. Being in the heart of London (for example, when using virtual office address meeting rooms) means you get put in touch with these incredible networking opportunities. You are far more likely to meet clients and business people who can help you reach the international heights you are aiming for when you’re in London. 

Why a London Virtual Office?

If you are already based in the UK and want to expand internationally, you might wonder: why London for a virtual address?

A Professional Image

London is known far and wide. It’s an established, rich city with lots of culture, and having a business address there means you give yourself a more credible image to anyone you deal with, including potential international clients. 

Connectivity

London is a huge, bustling city that is well-connected to the rest of the UK and the world. London itself has several airports, with Heathrow being one of the busiest airports in the world, with around 1,300 take-offs and landings to and from this airport every single day. 

Then, there’s the fact that getting from A to B within London is also refreshingly easy compared to many other cities in the UK, and this is largely due to the Underground system. There are also plenty of trains and buses that go in and out of the centre of London daily and hourly. 

Different London Areas to Choose From

As mentioned, London is a vast city, which means that you have several locations to choose from when considering virtual offices. You can select a specific London borough that best reflects your business, choosing one that aligns with your industry. 

Where Are the Best London Virtual Office Locations?

When you choose a virtual office in London, here are some of the best options. 

·        Mayfair: Mayfair is a luxurious, elegant, exclusive area in the centre of London that has plenty on offer, including a rich history and beautiful architecture, not to mention the upscale shopping and eating opportunities. A virtual office in Mayfair will undoubtedly enhance your business’s credibility and put you in touch with higher-end clients. 

·        The City of London: The City of London is another area that offers plenty of prestige. It’s a thriving, bustling area that has a strong business and financial reputation. 

·        Canary Wharf: Canary Wharf is a strategic, prestigious business location that puts you on the path of connectivity and networking. It’s a major financial hub, has an excellent reputation, and sits at the centre of London's buzz. 

·        Covent Garden: If you want a vibrant London office virtual location, Covent Garden is an excellent choice. It’s a slightly more affordable area but is still well-connected and prestigious, known for its high-end boutiques and creative entertainment attractions. 

·        Shoreditch: If you’re running a more creative, artistic business, you may consider Shoreditch for your London address. This area in London is known for its vibrancy, diverse culture, exciting nightlife, and street art. 

·        Soho: Soho is bustling, energetic, and full of creative spirit. It’s a place where businesses go to grow, even when they’re starting small, and as such, it makes the perfect virtual address for any company in a more creative industry, such as fashion, media, or music. 

Of course, there are plenty more areas in London to choose from; do your research and pick one that matches your business’s expansion goals. 

What Else to Consider When Choosing a London Virtual Office

Are you set on an office space in London to help your business expand? It’s a great choice! Here are some additional considerations before you settle on a virtual location.  

Cost: Naturally, you need to factor in the cost before investing in a London virtual office. Calculating your budget first will give you a general idea of the kind of office you can afford. The good news is that a virtual office will always be cheaper than a physical one.

Services on Offer: What kind of services do you want from your virtual office address in London? Many providers offer things like phone answering services, virtual receptionist services, and mail handling services. Consider the administrative tasks you already handle and whether outsourcing them to a virtual office provider would aid in achieving your expansion goals. 

Customer Service: If your virtual office provider handles administrative tasks like phone calls, you need to be 100% certain that they have immaculate customer service skills. That’s because their customer service skills will reflect on your company. Additionally, you want to know that as a customer, you can rely on them. 

Reviews: It always helps to know that the service you’re considering has been approved by others in a similar boat to you. When considering different virtual offices in London, review past experiences from other businesses. 

Meeting Room Access: Although a virtual office is not a physical space, it is still beneficial to have access to meeting rooms. It makes all the difference, as it means you can connect with your employees in person from time to time and set up meetings in the centre of London with clients. 

Final Thoughts

A virtual office in London is an excellent step to take if you wish to expand your company globally. London is not just a UK city – it’s a connected, international hub that offers plenty of networking opportunities, and an address there will certainly make your business appear more prestigious than before.

If you’re looking for a high-quality virtual office service with addresses in the most sought-after locations in London, you're in the right place. At Your City Office, we offer a range of business addresses in the capital and include a range of excellent services to help with your administrative needs, including mail handling and call patching.