The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of losses in the business world. While it was detrimental to some industries, it also paved the way for the rise of new industries. One such sector that was able to flourish due to the pandemic was the virtual office industry. As office goers were forced to work from home, business owners found no need for their physical office space. And so, the popularity of virtual offices increased a lot.
The COVID-19 crisis forced the business world to change a lot of its established norms. Before the pandemic, many businesses that had remote working capabilities still used physical office spaces. This is because going to a physical office space to work every day was the norm. Even if all you needed to do your work was a laptop and an internet connection. However, the pandemic changed this norm. People no longer went to the office, even if their work strictly required their physical presence.
Rise of Virtual Office in Dubai
As humans are creative beings, they found several ways to work around the new rules and regulations concerning the health and safety of everyone. Since people could not attend physical offices due to the lockdowns and other public restrictions. They started to work from home. As business centers in Dubai were losing tenants left and right, they came up with the idea for marketing their virtual offices.
Even the government of the UAE was trying to establish virtual offices as the new norm. They started the Estidama ‘Sustainability’ program. In an attempt to make the development of Dubai more sustainable, they started this program. One of the most important parts of the Estidama program is the virtual office. To reduce wasted space and regulate the remote businesses in Dubai, the government-mandated virtual offices for businesses that did not require a physical office space to work from.
Virtual offices existed in Dubai before the COVID-19 pandemic started. However, they were not as popular as they are now. They gained this newfound popularity only because they were able to help businesses fulfill their objectives and grow. They provided businesses flexibility that previously other types of office spaces simply could not provide.
Benefits of Virtual Offices During the COVID-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic has made flexible workplaces more popular than ever. And no office space is more flexible than the virtual offices in Dubai. Even without the COVID-19 crisis, there are many businesses that can benefit from virtual offices thanks to all the features they provide at a very cheap price.
Here are the ways virtual offices help businesses run effectively during the COVID-19 crisis:
• Prestigious Business Address
The business centers that rent out virtual offices are often located in the heart of buzzing commercial districts. Physical offices in these locations are almost impossible to acquire by small and medium businesses. However, they can still afford the virtual offices offered by the business centers located in these locations. A prestigious business address is very good for the brand image of any business. It helps attract investors and builds customer trust.
• Cost-Effective
During the COVID-19 crisis, businesses all around the world faced very hard times. Businesses that did not cut costs in time faced huge losses. When the lockdowns started, businesses were left with empty office space that provided no benefits to them. These empty office spaces were an expense that provided no return at all. Moreover, no business was looking to buy office space and so they were left with these huge expenses that they could not get rid of. This is where the virtual offices shined. They are cost-effective and get the job done.
• Contract Flexibility
Virtual offices have flexible contracts when compared with other office types. They are the most flexible type of office space rent in Dubai. You can rent them monthly and change contracts as soon as their time is up. Business centers have several packages that you can choose from to fit your specific needs. The best thing about changing virtual offices is that you do not need to worry about moving office furniture.
• Work From Home
The government of the UAE has mandated several documents when applying for the business trade license in Dubai. Two of these documents are the tenancy contract and the EJARI. Previously, this meant that businesses that did not require physical office space still had to rent one for obtaining these documents. However, now that virtual offices are an option, you do not need to spend as much to obtain these documents. You can still work from home or from anywhere you want and still obtain the trade license in Dubai.
• Extra Amenities
Businesses need all the help they can get during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, the virtual office provides a lot of extra amenities to help out businesses. However, since business centers compete with each other to upsell their virtual offices, the amenities will differ from one business center to another.
How to Find the Right Virtual Office in Dubai
There are a lot of virtual offices all around Dubai. However, not all of them are up to the mark. There are a few things you should expect from a standard virtual office in Dubai. If any business center fails to provide any of these common features, then you will be missing something that others provide.
Here are the things you need to look for when selecting a virtual office in Dubai:
• A prestigious business address.
• Complimentary meeting rooms when required.
• Call and phone handling services.
• Mail handling and forwarding services.
• Inhouse professional receptionists.
• No hidden charges in the contract.
Some business centers also let you personalize and customize packages in order to perfectly fit your needs. However, be wary of any hidden charges they may hide in the contract. Always make sure that you read the contract thoroughly before you sign anything. It is unlikely any business center will make extravagant promises without any extra charges.
If you are looking for the best virtual offices in Dubai, then you are in the right place. Spider Business Center provides all the things you can expect from any standard virtual office in Dubai and much more. We are located in the prestigious Conrad Hotel – Business Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai.
Feel free to drop by or call us at +971 43827700. Send a WhatsApp Message for Chat Query on +971 557012754 or email us at info@spiderbc.com
