Many startups, freelancers, and foreign-registered companies choose a virtual office in Singapore because it offers a cost-effective alternative to a traditional, physical office space.
A virtual office space in Singapore provides a professional business address in the country without the overhead costs of a traditional office. However, a virtual office doesn’t provide a physical space where the team can meet, collaborate, and work. Virtual offices aren’t physical workplaces; they’re virtual addresses that startups can list on their company registrations.
This guide explores common issues with virtual office services and how to overcome them, so your business can maintain smooth internal workflows.
Since virtual offices aren’t physical spaces where employees can gather and work, startups using virtual offices have to rely on remote teams.
This means that employees could be situated in different parts of the world, working remotely from wherever they are. They would typically be working from home, but they could also be doing tasks from a cafe, restaurant, or while on a vacation getaway. Also, remote teams are typically comprised of professionals with their own devices. Providing staff with company equipment falls under the discretion of the company.
This setup can present inherent challenges that can be daunting for new businesses, but once overcome, a startup can maintain collaboration and efficiency as if it were working in a physical location.
The lack of a physical workspace can be restrictive. There may be situations where a team needs to gather for planning, onboarding, or private discussions. Some businesses also need a professional setting for client meetings. Without a physical office space, these activities can feel scattered and unorganised.
Choose a virtual office provider that offers both a virtual business address and access to physical facilities. Many virtual office packages include coworking spaces. These spaces can be booked for at least three hours or more, depending on your needs. This gives your company the flexibility of virtual work while still having a suitable physical location when needed.
If your business only needs occasional workspace, pick a virtual office package that allows add-on hours instead of long-term contracts. You can use the space only when required. This keeps overhead costs low while supplying the collaborative needs of more ‘in-person’ employees.
Though many virtual offices offer meeting spaces, some startups might still find these options restrictive. There’s no doubt, however, that it’s a more affordable option than leasing office space, but what if spaces are fully booked? A café may not always be appropriate for certain business discussions.
Adopting a virtual office space also means embracing the remote working culture. As such, the team has to adapt to virtual meetings and communications. This means collaborating over chat rooms, such as Slack, and meeting over video conferences, such as Zoom.
More and more crucial communications are taking place over video conferencing software, such as Zoom. The world has pivoted to this form of digital conversation, so contract signing, strategy meetings, and roadmap planning, among many other core meetings, can be conducted efficiently online.
Once the remote team has embraced online meetings, they can be held anywhere, at any time.
Remote working is convenient. Still, it creates gaps in communication due to the distance between staff members. Staff may be in different time zones, work in unique conditions, face internet trouble, or follow personal routines that make coordination difficult. In addition, the absence of an in-person presence may make collaboration less spontaneous and instant.
These are natural drawbacks of remote teams. Project management becomes more complicated when everyone works from separate locations and at different “frequencies”.
Use collaborative tools that support real-time updates, file sharing, and task tracking. These tools keep everyone aligned even when they work separately.
Also, set clear business hours and response expectations. There could be a unified time zone across team members (prompting some team members to work odd hours or a graveyard shift), or there could be tailored time zones depending on the team members’ geographic region (e.g., everyone works their respective 9-5, regardless of what time zone they’re based on). Having set working hours stops delays and confusion.
It’s also crucial to foster a culture of communication. This could mean regular check-ins, weekly syncs, or short catch-ups. The goal is to create predictable communication habits that support daily business operations.
Once startups overcome the communication hurdle, collaboration would be no different from working together onsite.
In a remote setup, isolation may be reinforced, and relationships between employees might be weaker. Productivity may drop when staff do not feel involved in the office’s group dynamics.
Isolation is a common issue for remote workers. Though some employees thrive on this “lone wolf” lifestyle, being more focused than when they are “distracted” by coworkers, others may crumble from the lack of interaction.
In addition, due to the lack of communication, employees might not be getting the right level of engagement. They could feel unmotivated due to a lack of proper feedback from superiors or the isolation that remote work can bring.
Soon, due to underwhelming employee engagement, the company might unknowingly be causing people to leave for better, more invigorating opportunities.
Create structured engagement programmes for your staff. These can include
Remember, employees have an innate desire to improve and strive. Tap into that desire by providing consistent, accurate feedback. This doesn’t just engage employees, but it also sharpens them into more efficient workers.
When possible, host occasional in-person meetings in available coworking spaces. A few hours in the same place can help strengthen relationships. It also allows new hires to feel welcomed.
A strong company culture helps guide behaviour, communication, and teamwork. Yet, building this culture is more difficult when everyone works remotely.
There is no shared office address, no pantry conversations, and no casual interactions. As a result, employees may feel disconnected from company values. They might only relate to their own tasks rather than the wider mission.
A weak culture affects business credibility. It may also cause inconsistent work quality because employees interpret values differently. New staff may struggle to understand expectations. This leads to uneven performance and confusion.
Start by defining your company values clearly. Share them during onboarding. Reinforce them in meetings. Create easy-to-read guides that reflect the behaviours you want to see. Culture is built through repeated actions, so consistency matters.
It’s also imperative to circle back to these values during team meetings and performance reports. This ensures the company’s values are instilled at a group and individual level.
Holding regular meetings also helps break the isolation and provides a more open platform for team collaboration. Through these meetings, a company culture grows and flourishes.
Once a startup overcomes the challenges associated with a virtual office, it can begin to reap the flexibility and efficiency that virtual offices promise.
Partnering with a virtual office space in Singapore instead of leasing physical space would mean that a company would be required to rely on remote teams. This is considering that a virtual office address isn’t a location where startups can work.
Utilising remote teams offers a wide range of benefits, including avoiding the need to invest heavily in a physical office and office equipment. A remote setup also benefits employees, since they wouldn’t have to endure the daily commute to work.
In addition to adopting a remote work culture, a virtual office space also provides the following benefits as part of its package:
Parkway Suites is a trusted provider of virtual office services in Singapore. We offer a business address in a corporate district, along with mail handling, forwarding services, and coworking spaces. Our virtual office packages are designed for startups, freelancers, and remote teams looking for a cost-effective virtual office solution. Our rental plans start at just 13 cents a day.
If you want a reliable virtual office address for company registration or business operations, reach out to Parkway Suites today. Our team will guide you through your virtual office plans and help you choose the package that fits your needs.
Yes. As long as the address is valid, physical, and located in Singapore, it can be used for ACRA company registration. A virtual office provider typically fulfils all these requirements.
Different providers have different storage periods. Some hold mail for a few weeks, while others keep it for longer. While it’s possible for virtual office providers to store mail indefinitely, doing so will incur significant holding costs. Make sure to always retrieve mail via pick up or forwarding.
Most virtual office providers accept parcels, but there may be size or weight limits. Some may also charge handling fees for larger deliveries.
Some virtual office providers also offer serviced offices or private suites. If you’re expecting to scale, choose a provider that allows a smooth transition from virtual to physical space.
Many offer month-to-month plans, but others require quarterly or annual subscriptions. Shorter plans tend to cost slightly more. Check contract lengths before committing.
