The Best Virtual Office Software for Seamless Remote Work

Many Japanese workers want remote work to continue. On the USA side, nearly 41% of full-time employees work remotely or in a hybrid setting.

And it’s easy to see why people want remote work. With the right virtual office tools, employees can get everything done with the right devices and software.

As your business expands, you might be looking to invest in other software to make communication, management, and organization much more efficient. 

Here’s a quick guide to get you started fast. 

How to choose the right virtual office software

There are many factors to consider when investing in anything for your business. Here are 5 things you should consider when looking for additional virtual office software.

1. What are your needs and goals? 

Knowing your needs and goals will help you narrow down and focus on what kind of software you need. 

Some common needs include:

• Team communication and collaboration

• Remote team engagement

• Workflow management 

• Scalability and growth

2. Consider your budget and team size

Different-sized businesses will have different budgets.

For example, startups and small teams might want to look at affordable plans with core features such as communication, basic project management, and user-friendly interfaces.

While larger teams and corporations can upgrade any plans for more advanced features.

And if you are a solo entrepreneur, then you should look into one-person operations plans.

3. Compare features and user interfaces

Many similar software products will have common features.

So it’s best to test out similar functioning platforms to see their user interface so that you can get a feel of your workflow with the software.

4. Read reviews and test out with demos

Reading other reviews, case studies, and testimonials from businesses similar to yours will give you perspective on how this software can help yours.

Many of these products will have free trials and demos for you to test out, so you can see if the software is right for your business.

5. Additional factors to consider

Always think about the long-term of your business's future needs. As your business expands, you can choose a plan that matches your growth trajectory.

Asking your team members' opinions about any new applications will give you many different perspectives on whether you should invest in virtual office software.

Different types of virtual office software for your business needs

Here are some of our favorite virtual office software to help your business continue to grow.

Gather.town for virtual office space

Gather.town is a virtual workspace software that mimics being in a physical office space.

After creating your avatar, you can move around to interact, work, and collaborate with your team members in an online office environment.

Their features include:

• Spatial audio: this feature makes remote work feel more natural, as if you were in a real office space.

• Collaboration: you can share files, collaborate on documents, screen share, and even play games.

• Real-time interactiveness: it creates a unified team culture in an online space.

Gather.town is a great tool for remote teams that are looking for more engagement.

MailMate for your virtual mail & virtual addresses

If you are looking to expand your business in Japan without needing physical office space, then MailMate has your back.

With a MailMate Japanese address, you can get your company registered in Japan without the needing an office lease or rental agreement.

Their main features include:

• Virtual addresses: you comply with Japanese business rules to incorporate your business in Japan.

• Virtual mail: your physical mail will be scanned and uploaded into a secure cloud-based dashboard no matter where you are in the world. Your mail can be forwarded to you if needed.

• Bill payments: you can pay your bills in Japan without needing to be there in person.

MailMate’s bilingual customer service will help you get started in English or Japanese.

Slack for internal communication

Slack is a messaging app for business people to communicate with each other. 

The main feature of Slack is its Channel feature. Each channel is a dedicated chat room for specific projects, teams, or topics. Having separate channels keeps conversations focused for efficient communication within specific contexts.

Additionally, you can have direct messaging, share files, track projects, assign tasks, and integrate with other software.

Zoom for meetings

Zoom is a well-known video conference tool that allows screen sharing, video recording breakout rooms, whiteboarding, transcripts, and more

Their free account is a great option for quick Zoom calls. In general, you will get 40 minutes of video calling per session and up to 100 participants can join.

But if you need more time or want more people to join, you can upgrade to one of their other plans.

Monday.com project management

Monday.com is a popular project management tool that provides a visual representation to help your remote team members stay on track with tasks and projects. 

A few of their key features include:

• Easy user-friendly interface: Monday.com has a very intuitive interface where users with no experience can learn quickly 

• Boards, lists, and calendar tracking: You can organize your tasks in different ways via a board, list, or calendar.

• Collaboration: You can assign, collaborate, and track your tasks directly within boards. You can also have discussions and share updates within each specific task.

Their free plan is great for freelancers and individual professionals.

Google Drive for going paperless 

Google Drive is a file storage software where you can securely edit and share your files on any device. 

You can do a lot with a free account:

• Collaboration: share your files and folders with people. You can give different permission access to ensure that sensitive information is protected.

• Offline access: you can work on your files without an internet connection. Any edits will automatically sync when you get back online.

• 15GB of storage: across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. 

Google Drive will help with your productivity, team collaboration, and file management.

Frequently asked questions

What is a virtual office?

A virtual office allows businesses to have a local address at a location without needing to own or lease a physical office. In Japan, you can register this virtual office address as part of your company registration paperwork.

In closing

Using any one of these virtual office software will help your business continue to grow and expand internationally. Be sure to test out what they offer with their free accounts or demos to get a feel for how it can help your business.