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Can You Remotely Work?

Written by Officense on April 5, 2019. Posted in Blog.

Can you remotely do it?

Imagine telling someone 15 years ago that you do not have to go to an office to work. You can handle work calls, manage your office, and save your business money, all from the beach, mountain resort, or your bed remotely. They would have called you crazy. They might remind you that you were forgetting about your normal daily-grind. Think about all of your basic duties when showing up to a traditional office. How could you remotely handle that? In 2019 work is happening everywhere and anywhere except traditional office spaces, and employers and employees are loving it.

Is it to much money?

As time goes on, the cubicles and costly office space of the past is adding up to be a poor decision. Especially in the current fast paced, technology driven business world. The trend line is clear. Offices are falling by the wayside and new services are replacing them. The costs of a traditional office are simply too much for some small businesses. Start-up cost are increasing, entrepreneurs are rejecting these unnecessary expenses for more efficient solutions. Besides costing less, the advantages of virtual space are higher productivity and general job satisfaction. Anyone would be happier taking a work call while relaxing on the couch rather than in an office! How could you remotely go back to a traditional office setting?

You still need a place to meet

While the physical idea of being in an office is changing, the implications and thought process behind the word are not. People are interactive and social beings and still need a way to communicate face to face comfortably and efficiently. The traditional office is dead but the temporary office space, conference facility, and hourly business setting are all alive and well. Working remotely and using technology doesn’t eliminate a need to present a professional office image when you need it. It can make it outrageous to pay for a traditional space year-round, when the actual time you are using it is very minimal.

The solution is remotely simple

Maybe we’re a little ahead of our time here at Officense, offering creative alternatives to the traditional office for over 10 years. Being able to remotely handle things is the next step. But it’s like Shel Silverstein said, “If you’re behind the times, they won’t notice you. If you’re right in tune with them, you’re no better than they are, so they won’t care much for you. Be just a little ahead of them.”

Is It Beneficial to Use a Virtual Business Address?

Written by Officense on March 28, 2019. Posted in Blog.

A virtual business address is a smart decision if you don’t have a physical office space to meet with clients, but still need a business address to have your mail and packages sent. Choosing to get a virtual business address will both increase your productivity and efficiency for your business. The virtual business address services Officense offers includes our receptionists sorting what is junk mail from what is important. Not to mention, giving a professional business address will increase your credibility with your clientele. Sure, you could get a PO Box if you don’t have a physical office, but a PO Box doesn’t sound reassuring or make you sound legitimate either. In addition, a PO Box isn’t considered a physical location according to Google My Business, which just adds to the reasons of why you should resort to a virtual business address instead.

A professional business address instantly improves your image, as well as your business. The way someone views your company or business is everything, that alone can influence how successful your business can be.

Deciding to have a professional business address allows you to keep your personal life and professional life separate. Also, a virtual business address can lead to other opportunities and other resources. One being, having a central location with easy access; and two, it creates more of a sense of stability for your business. If you don’t have a physical office location, your business address will never change even if you’re moving around and expanding your business.

Officense has the tools and resources you need to make your business grow and reach new levels! If you’d like to read more on having a professional address service, click the link: https://www.officense.com/professional-address-service/

Challenges that CPA’s are Facing Today

Written by Joya Tamrakar on March 18, 2019. Posted in Blog.

The Impact of Technology on CPA’s

Development in technology is changing our everyday lives. It is transforming the economy and the way we do business. In respect to that, there have been extensive changes in client demands, and employment practices. CPA’s are among the group of professions which have been impacted extensively by the innovation of new technologies. With the advanced technology, online tax services, online payment options, and increased competition, CPA’s are pressured to lower their service cost and fees.

Working as a CPA is not easy at all, especially if you’re a solo practitioner or a small firm. Attracting new clients, staying up-to-date software and mobile devices, fighting deadlines, managing staff issues and managing cash flows and late payments, dealing with the incoming client calls, and scheduling appointments can become overwhelming for a CPA.

Major Challenges:

As per the 2016 IFAC Global SMP Survey, one of the significant challenges that small and middle-sized accounting practices consider the most important (high or very high impact) is:

Experiencing pressure to lower fees (41 percent)
Rising costs (39 percent)
Differentiating from the competition (39 percent)
Technology developments (35 percent)
Personnel and staffing issues (33 percent)

According to Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbart “As new tools augment our profession and streamline certain tasks, accountants will not only have to embrace new ways of working but take on expanded roles — as data analysts and other specialists,” Being a solo CPA or the owner, you need to accomplish several tasks from marketing your service to time management to hiring the right people to maintain a good relationship with your clients.

“Artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, blockchain, and even more mainstream technologies like cloud computing and social media are transforming what accounting and finance professionals do — and what they need to know. Our very existence depends on our ability to learn the skills that will let us work side-by-side with the machines and do the things they cannot yet do.” CPA’s need to have a clear vision about how they want to run their business concerning the newer technology and what they need to accomplish to keep their clients happy.

CPA’s need to come up with alternatives that add value to their service. So, they need to come up with features associated with technology that helps in reducing costs and increasing productivity. Overall, they should focus on how to enhance their service without having to lower their fees and at the same time build a strong relationship with their clients. “By automating parts of the business processes, AI grants accountants more time to serve as a strategic partner to clients and provide data-driven insights to inform business decisions,” said Jennifer Warawa, executive vice president of partners, accountants, and alliances at Sage.

To make the CPA’s life easier various solutions can be followed:

Hiring a team of virtual assistants will help with the handling of incoming calls, scheduling appointments, preparing your documents, and other daily functions. With the help of an Officense virtual assistant, you will be able to focus on your clients, provide them with a better service, and build a stronger relationship with them.

Officense will assist both small and large CPA firms in reducing their workload, costs, and offer value-added services to meet clients changing demand and expectations. While no online tax services or big firms can promise a receptionist will answer their calls 24 hours a day, Officense allows you to do just that. At Officense, we help YOU give your company the consistent, professional image you and your clients deserve. Our on-site receptionists will greet your clients in a friendly manner and project a professional image for your company 24/7. For further information, give us a call at (410)814-7500.

Co-working Space: An Ideal Work Space

Written by Joya Tamrakar on January 4, 2019. Posted in Blog.

With the advancement in the business industry, the number of startups and entrepreneurs have been growing rapidly. Many startups and entrepreneurs chose to work from a home office or coffee shop. But the problem is, do they have enough space, and does it provide a suitable environment to work? Co-working space is considered to be ideal for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses without having to pay high upfronts costs. According to an article from the Workloft, current research backs up the idea that co-working spaces are beneficial to companies of various sizes.

Co-working space unites diverse start-ups, free lancers, and remote workers in a shared working space on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Co-working space offers various kinds of working space with different layouts such as open office, open office with cubicles, conference rooms or even private offices. There are several benefits of using co-working space such as:

Flexiblity and Cost Efficiency

Co-working space is flexible, and you have full control on what kind of environment you want to work. You can use the space when you need to, whether on a daily basis or monthly basis. You can choose to work collaboratively with other startups or chose to work individually on your own. If you like working in an open space with other startups and entrepreneurs, then a co-working space would be the best option for you and your growing business. With the emerging virtual assistants and office workspace, startup businesses and entrepreneurs do not have to bear expenses like office rent, travel cost, internet bandwidth, office equipment, hiring and training staff, etc. These spaces can be used at a very low cost for collaboration with the access to Wi-Fi, snacks, coffee and a desk. If you rented a traditional office space, you would be bound by a traditional lease, paying rent on monthly basis, even when they don’t use your office. However, in the case of co-working space, you pay for the space only when they use it.

Better Working Environment with Improved Facilities

Through working either collaboratively or individually, co-working spaces can inspire start-ups to be more productive and focused on their work. They can rent out private office space if they need to work in a quite environment, or conference rooms for business meetings with all the required amenities. Co-working space comes with everything you need like high speed Wi-Fi connections, enough desk space, and office furniture. In addition to that they also get to enjoy free tea/coffee and snacks at a co-working space.

Networking and Advice

Co-working space gives an opportunity to connect and communicate with other startups and entrepreneurs. Co-working space gives exposure to new entrepreneurs and startups by providing them a platform to get to know new people, build a network and learn about another entrepreneur’s journey. They can share their experiences and skills with one another and can learn about starting and running a successful business.

If you are considering co-working space, Officense is here to help. Officense has been well known in the Baltimore area business community since 2006. We provide businesses all the advantages of a large support system, without the usual expenses. For about 10% of the cost of traditional office, our members are provided with access to fully furnished Class A office space. You can avoid paying expensive monthly rent by instead paying hourly, daily or monthly your only what you need. We provide a range of office solutions for not only space, but also administrative support. Give us a call at (410)814-7500 to rent a co-working space, today!

Maryland Mediators Convention 2018

Written by Officense on December 7, 2018. Posted in Blog.

Come to join us today at the Maryland Mediators Convention in the Doubletree Hotel in Annapolis, MD! Our team is a proud supporter of today’s Meditation Convention and partner with the Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution, a co-organizer of the convention. We are available during the entire event to discuss anything office space, phone services, or administrative support your firm may need in the coming new year. We had a rousing turn out for today’s Plenary Discussion on Race Beyond Bias, given by author & speaker Milagros Phillips. We hope to see you or your colleagues stop by our table in the exhibition hall, today. Enjoy the time at the Maryland Mediators Convention.

Category: Blog