Business is booming for virtual office assistants – with good reason. Virtual assistants (VAs) don’t have to be in your office. They work from anywhere, providing a range of personalized support that can cost far less than hiring someone to be at your beck and call.
In an age of laptops, Blackberries and Web conferencing, it makes sense to hire support staff to complete tasks that can be completed anywhere. VAs provide various administrative and professional tasks, including bookkeeping, travel arrangements, scheduling, and Web design or maintenance, among many others.
Hiring a virtual office assistant allows you to:
- Save time on administrative tasks so you can generate new business and stay on top of existing obligations
- Hire administrative support without hiring a full time, salaried employee
- Save on overhead costs – no need to rent additional office space for someone working from their own site.
Understand what a virtual office assistant does (and doesn't do) for your business
VAs are independent contractors, not employees. They are in business just like you, and their goal is to provide effective, affordable, professional assistance. And like any other contractor, they may choose to take their business elsewhere if your agreement is breached.
Find a reliable virtual assistant
Starting with professional organizations is a good first bet. Talk to other people in your field who might have used Vas to get a referral.
Choices include a virtual assistant agency or solo VA
Consistent company policies are one benefit of working with an agency, and replacements are readily available in case your first choice doesn't work out. Solo practitioners often provide equally professional services and might offer more negotiable rates and personalized service.
- Be patient: rapport can take longer to build without face-to-face communication.
- Be prompt: make sure payment goes out according to your agreement or you may face additional charges and fees.
- Be cordial: the key to retaining great staff lies in maintaining morale, and you don't want to develop a rep as “the client from hell.”
- Be clear: communicate your needs as clearly as possible, especially when conducting business over the phone or computer; this prevents miscommunication and saves time fixing errors later.
- Be clever: place an ad for a VA in your local newspaper or trade magazine.
- Be a trend-spotter: VAs are increasingly specializing in areas such as web design and real estate – check to see whether VAs are targeting your industry.
