Why A Professional Business Address Is As Important As A Business Phone Line

As you already know, investing in a professional business phone line gives your company’s image a credibility boost among your clients, prospects, partners, and competitors. A professional business phone line cements your status as a legitimate and reliable business, which, in turn, sets you up for attracting more customers, high-quality employees, and sustainable growth.

But the benefits of having a professional business phone line can be maximized by further investing in a more professional image through a virtual address (also known as a virtual office) for your company.

Contrary to what the name implies, a virtual address is an actual physical address, usually at a well-known office building, that you can use as if your company was actually located there.

Virtual addresses are a fantastic option for companies and individuals looking to establish a solid presence in any local market around the world.

So, how do virtual addresses work?

Basically, they serve as a presentation card. Virtual addresses can be used to send and receive mail, as well as to meet with clients. There are additional benefits and advantages, like access to office space and business support services.

The best part? You don’t even have to be physically present in the address to reap the benefits. Which means that you can keep working from home or your favorite coffee shop/coworking space while your business address is listed in the iconic Rockefeller Plaza building in NYC, for example.

This enables your company to be right in the heart of your industry without you having to physically be there.

There are many features that come with a virtual address.

For starters you can receive all of your business mail at this address and have it forwarded anywhere you want, instead of having to flood your home not only with relevant mail but also with the otherwise unavoidable junk mail. This is also great for privacy and security reasons, you wouldn’t want your home address to be easily obtained by the general public.

You can also use this address to register or licence your company, as well as market this address in search engines and directories, which in today’s digital economy is a necessity for any business.

Pro tip: depending on the type of business you are running and how you want to register it, you might need a business address other than a home or P.O. Box, as certain rules and regulations don’t accept residential or P.O. Box addresses for business licensing and registering purposes. 

Remember that coherence is key when it comes to the image you are trying to convey to your clients, competitors, prospects, and employees. Limiting this professional image to only one aspect, such as only having a business phone line, only having a virtual address, or using a free email domain such as gmail or hotmail, can actually be counterproductive and lead people to think that your company is not very reliable.

Think of it this way:

Imagine that a client calls you on your business phone line requesting information about your product or service. During this call they realize that you are exactly the company they are looking for, but before moving forward they would like to meet you in person for further discussion.

Would you meet them at home? Or the local coffee shop?

For various reasons, neither option is ideal.

• They’re not professional settings
• There are various distractions that could hinder meeting productivity
• They could present the wrong business image
• They aren’t private meaning that confidential information can be exposed to passers-by
• They’re not equipped to support meetings (access to A/V infrastructure, strategically placed outlets, etc.).

Ideally, when you meet with clients, vendors, or business partners, you want to meet them in a professional and easily accessible setting. Otherwise you risk losing business.

In business, small details matter. Ensuring that your business presents a professional, reliable, trustworthy image is key to success. A virtual address can help you achieve that without breaking the bank as this service tends to be affordable, even for startups and entrepreneurs.

While having a business phone line is a good start, conveying a professional image takes more than that. This is why having a business address, a professional website, email address with your own domain, and access to the right work and meeting environments are all important.