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A Guide to Virtual Assistant Services

Business needs are changing, especially for web-based firms, and administrative support is being handled differently at many companies.  Experienced assistants are contracting out their services from home to businesses with a need for reliable, off-site logistics.  It’s something you may want to consider if your business plan calls for low-cost admin, and office space is a consideration.  Let’s think about how they work, and what some of the pros and cons might be.

How They Work

Virtual assistants operate off-site and can be part of a virtual workplace.  You can work from home as the business owner, hire an accountant who does the same, coordinate a manufacturing process that’s being carried out overseas, and so forth.  You can even rent a business address in a commercial neighborhood and have the mail forwarded to you, so that your clients can reach you at a legitimate-sounding location.   Engaging the services of a virtual assistant can be part of a business plan that includes no office.

You can keep in touch with them via email, phone, and Skype, allowing you to coordinate tasks very effectively and in real time.  You can teleconference for staff meetings, verify your progress via document sharing programs like Google Docs, and generally handle your business operations without incident – and without having to pay rent.

Benefits

It’s an extremely flexible and low-cost strategy for getting your business off the ground.  According to this model, you’re usually not connected to your staff in the traditional sense.  Although it can be long-term, it’s based on contract services, which are engaged for the duration of the project, with wages usually computed hourly.  No benefits are included in the salary package, and no commitments are made for long-term employment.  It’s a quick and dirty strategy for getting a leg-up with your new business.

Pitfalls

Highly qualified employees will be reluctant to work for very long without benefits.  Those who are eager to work for you at the wages and under the conditions you offer may be either unreliable or inconvenient to your operations. 

Virtual assistants culled from the developing world – India is a common choice – can be competent, but they usually work on a schedule that may be tricky for you.  Time zones are very nearly reversed, and unless you press the point (and maybe offer to pay more), they’re likely to be working while you sleep and sleeping while you work.

Those who operate on your schedule here in the States might not be the best candidates for building a business.  The level of trust and connection is usually very low, and they’re not likely to be invested in your project beyond the small salary you can afford to pay them.  If they find a better opportunity, they may desert you at a key moment in the process.

Conclusion

Virtual assistant services are tempting to emerging business owners and can work for your needs if employed correctly.  But be sure to enter this world with caution – and don’t expect too much.