Creating an ofice with image<\/p>\n
I. Christianto, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Every day Hardi Hadianto works from his rented house in the
\nSetia Budi area in Central Jakarta, Deni Darmawan sells and
\npromotes satellite transponders for an American satellite company
\nfrom his home in Tangerang, and Shinta Sofyan works in Jakarta as
\na managing director of a Singapore-based software company.<\/p>\n
They all use virtual offices to create a corporate image in
\nthe marketplace.<\/p>\n
All of them boast a prestigious address in high-rise office
\nbuildings in the capital's prime business district. All three
\nhave their telephone calls received by a virtual office. None of
\nthem actually occupy office space at the building. But from there
\nthe similarity ends.<\/p>\n
Hardi runs his one-man-show advertising firm and has watched
\nit grow steadily. He has successfully eliminated the image of the
\nsmall, self-run company associated with no receptionist or
\nsecretary, meeting room or secondhand answering machine.<\/p>\n
Instead, he has the use of a conference room to meet his
\nclients, a receptionist who takes calls for him and an accountant
\nand a modern telephone system.<\/p>\n
The telephone system is computerized, with a wealth of
\ninformation, including a variety of telephone contact numbers and
\nHardi company's services.<\/p>\n
A receptionist takes Hardi's calls, answering the phone by
\nfirst identifying the company. In most cases, the calls are
\ndiverted to his house or mobile phone without any indication that
\nhe is not physically present at the office.<\/p>\n
\"This is very helpful in improving and maintaining the image
\nof my business. I now get compliments from my clients about the
\nnew office,\" said Hardi, \"I'm delighted with the new image\".<\/p>\n
Hardi says he created the new image of his firm in a short
\nperiod and plans to take advantage of other services offered by
\nthe virtual office provider.<\/p>\n
\"In addition to using the meeting rooms and presentation
\nfacilities, I'll soon take advantage of other services and
\nfacilities, including the Local Area Network (LAN) and the
\nprofessional IT technicians to prepare and run my homepage, high-
\nspeed Internet access, videoconferencing, bookkeeping and
\naccounting and recruitment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Deni, a regional director of a telecommunications company
\nbased in the U.S., has virtual office space for his business to
\nput across the same image as that of the American parent company.<\/p>\n
\"I usually meet with prospective or existing clients at their
\noffices. I rarely receive customers at my office, but when I have
\nto, my company needs to portray a very good image. Under such
\ncircumstances, I can use the meeting rooms,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He says the virtual office provides very good service in
\ntaking calls and receiving facsimiles as well as mail.<\/p>\n
\"I can still answer calls on my mobile phones. But now when
\nI'm unavailable my calls are answered by someone who knows how to
\ndeal with any circumstance,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Shinta, an American IT graduate, recently returned to Jakarta
\nafter working for a couple of months for a software company in
\nSingapore.<\/p>\n
\"I can't live in Singapore for personal reasons. But my
\nemployer wouldn't accept my resignation. So now I am working for
\nthe same company but in Jakarta. As the company doesn't have any
\nrepresentative office in the city, it allows me to use a virtual
\noffice, which, to some extent, puts across a good image for the
\ncompany,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Thanks to sophisticated technology and a growing number of
\nvirtual office operators, the physical presence of a
\nrepresentative office is not necessary, she added.<\/p>\n
Hardi, Deni and Shinta are examples of professional workers
\nand companies utilizing virtual offices to present a good
\nbusiness image or a well-maintained postal address and telephone
\nnumbers without the expense of a traditional office.<\/p>\n
The number of people using virtual offices in Indonesia has
\ngrown considerably in recent years, especially since the economic
\ncrisis first struck Indonesia in 1997. Due to the crisis, many
\ncompanies have been forced to move to areas outside of the
\ncentral business district to save on rental. Other companies went
\nbankrupt. But many need to create a good corporate image or
\nmaintain contact with their customers, clients, business partners
\nand need a permanent address in a prime location.<\/p>\n
By using virtual office providers, they can create an image of
\nan office without the expense of permanent office space. Virtual
\noffice clients may be far removed from the business center, but
\nthey receive all of the benefits necessary to create a
\nprofessional business image.<\/p>\n
There are a variety of virtual office clients, such as those
\nin need of office space, those working from remote locations,
\nentrepreneurs and corporate representatives of overseas
\nenterprises, newly established local businesses or international
\ncompanies that want local representation.<\/p>\n
Virtual office providers often attract home-based workers. Key
\ncomponents of the concept include the ability to deliver a
\nprestigious image, administrative and technical support services
\nas well as permanent or part-time office or conference room space
\nfor small companies and remote representatives of larger
\ncompanies.<\/p>\n
Virtual office operators also provide a variety of services,
\nincluding executive suites for professional workers in need of
\noffice space or business image without the high expense of
\npermanent, rented office space.<\/p>\n
Maya Kandou, general manager of CEO SUITE, says that since its
\nestablishment in 1997, the company has significantly expanded.
\n\"We are offering virtual offices and full-time office services.
\n Now we have two locations in Jakarta, at the GKBI building and
\nJakarta Stock Exchange building,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Occupancy rates reach 70 percent at the Jakarta Stock Exchange
\nbuilding and 100 percent at the GKBI building, she added. Each
\nlocation has some 1,600 square meters.<\/p>\n
Rosaline Mayapada of the Executive Center says there are some
\n60 clients for virtual offices at her company.<\/p>\n
\"We serve more local companies, which account for about 70
\npercent of the total clients for virtual offices. This may be due
\nto our rates, which are in rupiah,\" she said, adding that her
\ncompany offers three attractive packages to lure prospective
\nclients.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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