Virtual office services in Vietnam have grown sharply since the economic
downturn. Within six months of the onset of the global economic crisis, the
number of registered users The virtual office space at Intel Office has grown by
more than 250 percent, said Tran Viet Ha, Intel Office Director, specializing in
virtual office services.
What is the number of "utopian" for virtual
office services, which is relatively new in Vietnam market. The cause of this
phenomenon, according to Mr. Ha, can be encapsulated in the phrase: economic
recession.
Spurred by recession
The downsizing, downsizing to survive for many businesses as the economy goes into recession has provided opportunities for the virtual office business.
Huynh Quang Viet, vice general director of Incomnet, specializing in the field of virtual office services, said the company was founded more than two years ago. The first two years of operation, the company only has 160 customers. But since the economic crisis, the number of guests has risen more than 100% so far.
An Intel Office customer who specializes in providing all kinds of equipment for the textile and garment industry previously with offices in Dong Nai, said that in the current difficult situation, customers of enterprises are gradually becoming less and less Having to maintain an office operation at a cost of hundreds of millions VND per month is difficult to afford.
While using a virtual office costs less than 20 percent of the cost, and still has the same facilities as a real office, the company has switched to virtual office. been nearly four months now.
The director of RCA, Pham Quang Hung, said that his company has two offices, one in Go Vap District and one in Vung Tau City. Due to the need to expand the business, RCA intends to open more offices in some central districts of the city and are embarrassed by the high costs..
Tens of millions of dong / month for rent, security, reception, electricity, water, etc, but only a few months before. Not to mention the cost of additional initial fixed investments such as rental deposit, redesign of the office, money for equipment purchases ... but for some reason must move or the landlord On the surface, these fixed investments are virtually lost.
Through a number of media and self-learning, Hung decided to use virtual office services, meeting the requirements as a real office but at only a quarter of the cost and performance. The business results are no different than the real office.
And Dinh Minh Chinh, Director of World Search Company, specializes in website design, online advertising, supplying industrial machinery, renting a virtual office at G-Office, recounting how Two years ago, he opened his company at his home on D1 street in Binh Thanh district.
Because the company office is in a deep canyon, it is difficult to find, while his customers are many and mostly foreign partners. Every time a customer comes in contact, they make a phone call and he has to run to the head of Van Thanh market, very inconvenient. But since moving to virtual office from mid-2006, his business has improved.
"Initially many customers found me using virtual offices are very scared, but after a while they understand better and some customers also have instructions to register to use this service," said Chinh said.
There is much potential
Huynh Quang Viet, Incomnet Company, said that this service has been developed abroad for a long time, but in Vietnam it has appeared for the last two or three years. The price for a virtual office is between US $ 50 and US $ 179 per month, depending on the needs of the customer.
This form of business has not encountered much competition because there are so few virtual office services companies, operating mainly in HCMC and Hanoi. According to Viet, the potential of this market in Vietnam is quite attractive.
According to Mr. Viet, only in Ho Chi Minh City, according to statistics of Department of Planning and Investment, by the end of December 2008, there are more than 300,000 registered enterprises, scattered everywhere, it is not Including other provinces and cities across the country.
Enterprises are currently unaware of this service because it is so new in Vietnam. On the other hand, these businesses do not advertise. Customers learn about the service themselves and come to the registration.
Meanwhile, according to experts, the world economy will continue to be difficult in 2009, and that is considered as an opportunity for virtual office business services thrive in Vietnam, Tran Viet Ha of Intel Office said confidently.
Nguyen Phu Duc, Director of Phu Hung Long Co., Ltd., who specializes in software business, said that he had known the type of virtual office for a long time, but did not care for the idea of a virtual office. Something not true, if used will lose customers.
But with the current economic climate, to reduce costs, the company is considering using this type of office when the lease expires in August.
* What is Virtual Office?
Simply put, when you have the need to rent a virtual office to open a business or place of business, the virtual office business will provide you with all the amenities you need. It is necessary such as company signage, meeting room, projector, telephone, fax, e-mail, website, contact address, receptionist and correspondence....
Once you've got a virtual office, you can work anywhere, not the company. Employees of the rental unit have a responsibility to telephone, then transfer information to the business rent. Particularly for meetings and conferences, enterprises can rent fully use the services, meeting rooms.
Nguyen Quan (TBKTSG)
Employees of a company that provides virtual office services that directly interact with tenants. Photo: Le Toan.