A Quick Guide to Finding the Right Virtual Office in NYC

5 min readFeb 13, 2019

It probably comes as no surprise that New York City is one of the most popular virtual office locations on our books. From startups and freelance consultants to growing SMBs and international corporations, one thing is clear — NYC is the place to be.

One of the great things about setting up or growing a business in the Big Apple is that your choice of virtual office is simply huge. Currently we have over 30 virtual offices in New York City, and that number keeps on rising. But this in itself presents a few challenges.

It’s a competitive market, and supply is growing to meet demand. Faced with so many options, it can be difficult to work out which virtual office is the right solution for your business.

Before we go into detail about how to find the right virtual office in NYC, it’s important to understand what you get with a virtual office plan, and how it all works. Here’s a quick overview.

What Do I Get With a Virtual Office?

Here’s our definition of a virtual office:

A virtual office is a combination of people, a place, technologies, and processes that come together to help businesses and individuals work more efficiently, often in a remote way.

A virtual office provides most things a physical office does. It’s a place for your business to receive and store mail, and there are on-site receptionists who receive, sign-for, and forward mail to your regular address (eg. your home) on a frequent basis. There are on-site meeting rooms and day offices that you can rent by the hour, as needed, and you can publish your virtual office address on your business cards and marketing material.

On top of that, you can have a local business phone number and have calls routed to receptionists, who will take messages and handle calls according to your instructions.

In short, a virtual office provides pretty much everything you’ll find in a regular serviced office agreement… minus the actual office space. Sure, you can use office space by the hour, but the rest of the time you’ll work from home, a coworking space, or on-the-go. It’s flexible, low-cost, and it means you’re not tied to an expensive full-time office lease.

Find out more here in our Ultimate Guide to Virtual Offices.

How to Find the Right Virtual Office in NYC

Okay. Now you understand how virtual offices work, check out our quick guide to finding the right virtual office in New York City:

1. Work out all your requirements.

First establish what you need from your virtual office, as this will help you narrow down the options. For instance, are you simply looking for a mail redirection service, or do you need a place to meet clients? Do you want a prestigious company office location that will take pride of place on your business cards? Or is this part of a company expansion strategy to try out new markets? This will help you understand the type of location, and the type of plan, you need.

2. Narrow down your options.

Once you’ve identified your main requirements, here are three ways to narrow down your options:

Functional and budget-friendly: If you simply need a low-cost mail forwarding location, there are plenty of options starting from $48 per month (price correct at time of publishing). Check out this option on Broad Street in the Financial District as an example.
Close to major stations: If you intend to use your virtual office regularly for work and meetings, you’ll need something that’s close to transport connections and easily accessible. This location on Lexington Avenue is one block from Grand Central Station, while this one on Broadway is close to Penn Station.
Specific markets: If you’re trying out a new area or market, you’ll need somewhere that’s right in the heart of your desired location. For financial firms, this virtual office on Wall Street is right on the money, while this location on Court Street in Brooklyn is perfect for law firms and legal professionals.

3. Choose your services.

A basic virtual office (what we call a ‘Platinum Plan’) includes a business address, mail receipt and temporary storage, and mail forwarding (you’ll usually pay an extra fee for postage costs). This plan also gives you on-demand access to meeting rooms and day office space at hourly or daily rates.

If you need inclusive meeting room access, most virtual office plans can provide this for a premium. Ours is called ‘Platinum Plus’ and in New York this includes 4 hours of inclusive meeting room time per month. You can also add receptionist support, known as a Live Receptionist plan, which includes a business phone number with live call answering, appointment scheduling, and other related services.

The plan you choose will depend on your specific requirements and your budget, so it’s worth checking the options carefully and speaking with a customer service representative if you need any clarification.

4. Need regular access to workspace?

If you plan to spend time working in the city but you don’t want the cost and commitment of regular office space, a number of virtual office centers now offer part- or full-time coworking options. These coworking virtual offices offer a New York business address and mail handling services, just like a regular virtual office plan, with the added benefit of on-demand workspace.

It’s a great option for home-based entrepreneurs, startups or small business owners who want a professional place to work alongside other like-minded professionals. Our coworking plans are month-to-month, which gives you more flexibility and control over your business budget.

So, you’re all set! Now that you have an idea of how virtual offices work and where to get started, our advice to you is to browse locations across the city and begin narrowing down your options. Setting up a virtual office is quick and easy, and you could be the proud owner of a new virtual office in just a day or two. Good luck!

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Originally published at www.alliancevirtualoffices.com on February 13, 2019.