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13 Awesome Mobile Apps for a Virtual Office

Casie Gillette — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:01:00 +0000

If you’re a regular reader of the blog you know that we here at Grasshopper are big proponents of working in a virtual office. It can be a smart and cost-efficient way to start a business and we’ve given tips on everything from “Setting up your virtual office” to “Balancing life in a virtual office”. Well we’ve got one more.

With over 300,000 apps available in 2010 and more being created every day, there are a number of really great apps…especially for those working in a virtual office! So here we go:

Chat

At Grasshopper Group, we have team members in Boston, Austin, San Francisco, North Carolina, Oregon and even Brazil. It’s important that everyone is on the same page and we’re able to reach one another when necessary. A couple of apps we keep handy for chat:

Campfire
Campfire is an online collaboration & chat tool put out by 37 Signals. It’s “like instant messaging, but designed exclusively for groups”. They currently have an iPhone version for mobile but have yet to come out with one for Android or Blackberry.
Skype
Most everyone is familiar with Skype and for good reason. Skype is an excellent way to communicate with one another on the fly. Plus, with Skype mobile you can stay connected on the go (just like Grasshopper of course).

Files & Collaboration

Have you ever spent hours putting together a doc only to find that you saved it on a different computer? Or asked for feedback from someone and were forced to email it back and forth, forgetting which doc was the right one? Me too. The great thing about these apps is that they let you store files & collaborate with others from ANYWHERE.

Google Docs
Google docs is an easy (and free) way to store and share docs with friends or colleagues. Simply upload your doc, choose who you want to share it with and access it from anywhere (including your phone)
DropBox
If you haven’t checked out DropBox, you need to. DropBox offers “online backup, file sync and sharing made easy”. You can upload, download & update files from anywhere and you get up to 2GB free. They have mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android.

To do Lists/Notes

When you’re building a business there are a million things you want and need to do. If you’re like me, you need lists and notes and are constantly reminding yourself of new things. Whether you’re on the go, or even just sitting in front of the TV, you need a way to quickly jot things down. Well there’s an app for that:

Awesome Note
Awesome Note, while only currently for the iPhone, is one of the highest rated notes apps. Combine notes and to do’s, setup your calendar, create folders and backup your data to the web (it also syncs with Google docs and Evernote). Awesome Note is only $3.99 in the app store.
Springpad
Springpad “gives you a place to quickly and easily save anything you want to remember. Take a note, create a task, scan a product barcode and look up the book your friend mentioned.” Available for desktop, Android & iPhone, Springpad is free.
Evernote
Another highly rated notes app, Evernote lets you “Save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see.” Evernote is available for almost all mobile devices, free.

Time Tracking

When are you really into what you are doing, it’s easy to lose track of time. It’s even easier when are you aren’t in an office. Whether you are a consultant tracking your hours or an entrepreneur just trying to figure out how long things are taking, it’s nice to be able to track that time. There are a few good time tracking apps that can help:

TimeWerks for iPhone
TimeWerks is a more billing focused app and it’s pretty robust. It lets you track projects, add billing rates, includes a built in stopwatch, and allows you to store contacts and export data. It runs for $9.99 but has some outstanding reviews.
TimeCatcher for Android
Put out by Intuit, TimeCatcher lets you enter time after completing work, start a timer, track time on calls and export your timesheet via email or text message. Nice thing about it, it’s free.

Passwords

How many passwords do you have? Do you even know? Personally, I have two spreadsheets (one work, one personal) each containing multiple tabs. Wouldn’t it be easier if I had them all in one place, and it was handy? Here are a couple password keeping apps:

Keeper Mobile
Made by Callpod, Keeper Mobile offers a password and data “vault” that lets you sync between your desktop and mobile phone. They offer an app for the iPhone, Blackberry & Android. A free version is available but they also offer premium features for $29.99 per year.
My Eyes Only
A password manager for the iPhone, My Eyes Only promises encrypted information that is never sent over the network. Store credit cards, logins, financial accounts and more. The app runs for $5.99.

Travel

When you have several teammates working in a virtual office, it can be hard to keep track of one another, especially if you are travelling. When does their flight land? What time are they coming back? With all the travel apps coming out, knowing these things is much easier.

TripIt
TripIt is probably the best known travel app. It lets you store itineraries, get maps, link to hotels, restaurants and will even send you flight alerts and alternate flight options (only with TripIt Pro). They have free apps for iPhone, Android & Blackberry phones. Look for big things coming from TripIt as they recently were acquired by Concur.
WorldMate
Synchronize your travel plans with WorldMate and then share it with your colleagues. It’s that simple. There’s an online travel planner, flight alerts, maps, directories, LinkedIn integration and much more. For free! They also have a Gold Status for those who are constantly on the go.

With all of the new apps on the market and the new ones on the way, working in a virtual office has never been easier. Which apps are your must haves?

How To: Set Up Your Virtual Office in Under an Hour

Gary G — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:39:39 +0000

Back in May, we wrote about why you should pick a virtual office over a physical one. In that article, we demonstrated why virtual phone systems, virtual assistants and professional addresses save time and money versus traditional, in-house personnel and office space. For cost-conscious small to medium-sized businesses, there is simply no comparison.

Today, we will assume that you support the idea of a virtual office, need no further convincing and would like to get up and running immediately. Here’s how to set up your very own virtual office in under an hour:

Map Out Your Strategy

Not everyone’s virtual office will look exactly the same. Perhaps you do have a physical office, but would like to complement it with virtual assistants. Or, maybe you truly are starting with nothing and want to go 100% virtual from the beginning. No matter what your ultimate goals are, it helps to map out your strategy before diving in.

Possible elements of a virtual office include:

Virtual receptionists

Virtual assistants

Virtual phone systems or answering services

Virtual call centers

Professional mailing addresses

Rentable meeting spaces

How many of these things you wish to utilize will decide how much work is involved in getting started.

Selecting a Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are one of the most popular virtual office fixtures of all. However, beyond the idea that a VA would be helpful to have, many of us get stock in the process of actually finding and hiring one (much less training one.)

As it turns out, dozens of different companies offer virtual assistants on flexible pricing models that let you buy only as much service as you will individually use.

In a blog post entitled “How To Get Your Virtual Assistant To Schedule Your Doctor’s Appointments”, author Ramit Sethi recommends AskSunday.com as his VA service of choice.

Depending on your exact needs, you can choose a dedicated assistant (which gives you access to your own agent, dedicated to your needs, available 10:30AM EST – 7:30PM EST by email and phone) or 24/7 assistance (which gives you 24/7 access to a team of personal assistants accessible by email, phone, and the web.) Pricing details are available here.

Note: Your life will be made infinitely easier by requesting a VA (from AskSunday or any other provider) with excellent command of English.

Training Your VA

The actual hiring of a virtual assistant can be executed in under five minutes. The next, slightly more time-consuming task is training them to perform to your expectations. Here, it’s all about specifics.

Because you will not be supervising a VA the way you would an in-person assistant, instructions, rules and procedures are a must. Luckily, you need not guess at how to effectively train your VA. The above post from Ramit, for instance, includes a detailed instruction script used to train his VA on selecting a nearby doctor.

Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4 Hour Workweek, wrote a blog post about how to outsource your entire e-mail inbox to a virtual assistant and check it only two or three times a week. In it, Ferriss offers concise guidelines for training the VA to respond, delete, file and categorize exactly like you would.

No matter which tasks you envision a VA carrying out, you will need a similar but modified list of rules for them to follow. In this way, the VA you hire will cease being merely an assistant and become your assistant.

Getting a Virtual Phone System

If you’ve owned a “real office” before, the idea of getting a phone system installed in an hour might sound like a pipe dream. But with virtual phone systems, the fantasy is reality. A virtual phone system lets any business get up and running with a serious, in just a few quick steps. All it takes is:

Picking a business phone number

Recording a customized main greeting

Adding departments and employees

That’s it. Following these simple steps, you and your team will be able to take calls and receive faxes and voice mails from anywhere you happen to be.

Obtaining a Professional Mailing Address

No virtual office is complete without a professional address to receive mail at. As we noted in May’s article, you need not actually reside at the mailing address your mail gets sent to.

Services like NYMail.com, for instance, allow you to give key contacts and business partners a prestigious, professional-looking, 5th Avenue business address. Using such a service, you can:

Check by phone to see if mail has arrived

Get automatic e-mail notifications when mail has arrived

Take advantage of extended pick-up hours

Have your mail automatically and confidentially forwarded to you at home

A $20.00 business pricing plan is available which enables business owners to obtain a prestigious business mailing address in 24 hours. Theoretically, you could sign up today with NYMail.com or a comparable service and accept mail at your new, professional address the very next day.

Using Grasshopper for Your Real Estate Company

Gary G — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:47:41 +0000

In today’s society, people are working less in the office and therefore the need for a virtual phone system is growing. One industry where this is especially true is Real Estate. Based on feedback from customers in the real estate business, here are a few ways Grasshopper can help:

1) Informational Extensions

You can give your clients information they need without even talking to them! When a client calls an 800 number listed outside a property they’re interested in, they can hear specific information about the property, including housing details, address, and contact information.

2) Call Routing Extensions

In any industry involving sales, it’s important that customers never hear a busy signal or wait on hold too long. It’s also important in Real Estate that your employees get an equal number of incoming sales calls. Call Routing Extensions make this happen. Call routing extensions can help ensure that all of the agents in the office get an equal number of calls and your customers don’t become frustrated by your phone service.

3) Voice mail Features

Being out of the office a lot it’s important you don’t miss an important message. The great thing about using Grasshopper is that you can have your messages delivered to you no matter where you are. Your voice mails will be emailed to you (along with an MP3) and with the new read your voice mail feature, you can read your message without every having to listen to it. With Grasshopper, you can always check your voice mail when you need it.

Get more information on how Grasshopper can help with your real estate company or check out our full list of features.

Setting Up a Virtual Office: Best Posts from Around the Web

Gary G — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:24:32 +0000

Working from a virtual office can be difficult, especially when that virtual office is your home. Maybe you don’t have a separate office space, your kids are running around, the dog wants to go out, you’re hungry, etc.

We’ve put together a few posts over the past couple of months to help you create a successful virtual office but we thought we’d share some other great posts from around the web that can help you not only create a virtual office but get your work done. Check them out!

Virtual Office is What You Make It

Well known blogger Penelope Trunk writes a great post on Boston.com about the rise of the virtual office and how it can not only save you money but increase productivity.
How to Set Up a Productive Virtual Workspace

Web Worker Daily covers three main needs of a virtual office and offers a ton of solutions to help solve these needs.

Ten Tips on Creating a Virtual Office for Your Home-Based Business

All Business provides ten great tips on building a productive off-site company, including finding the right phone system.
What Office?

Entrepreneur.com shows how various companies are succeeding in a virtual office environment and the things you should be aware of.
Create a Virtual Office

Women Entrepreneur gives us 7 great tips on creating a virtual office for your company. Their advice includes embracing technology and remembering that culture still matters, virtual or real office.
10 Tips for Setting Up a Virtual Office

Deb Ng of the Freelance Wirting Network gives us ten tips to set up a virtual office, including the obvious, “keep your virtual office as far from the kitchen and tv as possible”.

Why You Should Pick a Virtual Office

Gary G — Wed, 12 May 2010 04:01:14 +0000

Opening and maintaining an office is one of the costliest moves a new business can make. The obvious expense is the monthly rent, but the financial investment in running an office far exceeds the rent. At minimum, you will need desks and chairs. Most companies eventually want filing cabinets and a water cooler (plus scheduled delivery.) Of course, an office also needs its own Internet connection.

All these costs (and others) are why veteran entrepreneurs advise going without an office early on. That said, some businesses objectively need things like a professional mailing address, a business phone system and meeting areas.

Virtual Receptionists & Assistants

Entrepreneurs frequently take on loaded schedules and find themselves shoving repetitive tasks to the back burner. Traditionally, the solution has been hiring assistants whose sole jobs are to complete those tasks. However, it is actually not necessary for an assistant to physically work beside you in an office. A growing number of entrepreneurs are hiring virtual assistants instead.

For about $15 per hour, a virtual assistant will complete from home a list of assigned tasks each day or week. If your company operates primarily over the web, virtual assistants become an even better deal. Since the bulk of their tasks will be web-based, the incremental benefit of managing them face to face is far less than the extra cost.

The same is true of virtual receptionists. Phone systems can re-route business calls to a virtual receptionist who is trained to process calls in a manner of your choosing. As far as callers are concerned, it is as though you have a real office with a receptionist sitting in the front lobby. Best of all, most virtual receptionist providers charge by how many minutes you need a receptionist for – a substantial savings over hiring someone full-time. Plus, you can scale up or down as circumstances dictate without any personal conflicts.

Virtual Answering Services & Call Centers

Let’s face it – nothing advertises the fact that you have a “real” company like an automated answering service. It’s an efficient way to process incoming calls, and any customer-facing business would be foolish to go without one. But you don’t need to pay thousands of dollars to have an elaborate phone system installed. Grasshopper, for example, sells virtual phone systems that enable businesses of any size to use a real, professional answering service that is 100% web-based. You choose a corporate phone number, record a main greeting, add departments and employees, and get your business calls instantly, from anywhere. Customers can leave voice mails, and the entire caller experience is indistinguishable from that of an in-house answering service.

Virtual call centers can also be seamlessly plugged into your company’s infrastructure in a way that is invisible to callers. Customers calling for tech support will dial a number provided by your company and be helped by a remote agent who, as far as the caller is concerned, is in your office and on your payroll. The only substantive difference will be a smaller hit to your company’s bottom line for call center services.

Professional Addresses & Meeting Space

New businesses work hard early on to project a professional image to the world. Of course, it’s hard for outsiders to take a business seriously if their mailing address is clearly a personal residence. It can also be a serious security risk. More cost-effective than opening an office, however, is to simply get a professional mailing address.

Various services will accept your incoming mail at a prestigious, official location and then forward it to you at home. You can even arrange for receptionists at the business address to sign for incoming overnights, deliveries or packages. Document drop-off and pick-up services are available, and some providers offer notaries.

Perhaps you need to hold meetings with customers or partners, but not often enough to justify having a permanent office. Luckily, physical meeting space can be purchased and used in the same on-demand fashion as the other services. Whether you need conference rooms for an hour, a day or a week, business space providers maintain facilities for use whenever your schedule dictates. You can also rent what is known as a “casual workspace”, which is office space available for occasional use whenever you feel the need to work away from home.

The Case For a Virtual Office

If cash is tight and a lack of office amenities is throttling your company, a virtual office is a viable alternative. In addition to the cost savings, consider the often gigantic amount of time that accompanies setting up some of these systems.

To get up and running with an assistant, a receptionist, a business phone system and a call center could realistically take months. Beyond that, the maintenance, upgrading and troubleshooting of this infrastructure would forever be your responsibility. In all likelihood, a new employee or two would be needed for exactly that purpose.

A virtual office, on the other hand, allows you to revel in the fact that you’re paying someone else to do those things and wash your hands of them entirely. And if you have ever run a real office, you know first-hand what a relief that is.