ASSISTANT – refers to
"an aide; someone who serves or gives help or support; one who gives
supplementary support or aid." Many professionals and business owners have a
support staff who help "run the business." These assistants manage the office,
handle correspondence, schedule appointments, and deal with clients or
customers,
VIRTUAL – means "being something in
essence or fact." Essence means "containing characteristic properties of the
original." Therefore, a VIRTUAL thing may not necessarily be concrete, present,
or literal, but it definitely has qualities that allow it to exist.
So – a Virtual Assistant is "someone with
specific qualities who helps and supports without being physically present."
A Virtual Assistant (or VA) is a solopreneur who specializes in providing
ongoing, one-on-one, collaborative-style administrative support.
Like other professional service providers, Virtual Assistants operate
remotely from their own places of business and utilize today's technology to
deliver their services and communicate with clients.
Virtual Assistants are first and foremost administrative experts. Virtual
Assistants sometimes offer additional, separate specialties that fall under
creative and/or technical services.
Virtual Assistants come from a variety of business backgrounds, but the
single-most important qualification the industry expects of its peers is at
least five (5) years administrative experience earned in the real
(non-virtual) business world working in upper-level capacities such as
administrative assistant, executive assistant, secretary, legal assistant,
paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, office
manager/supervisor, etc.
From this level of experience, a Virtual Assistant is expected to possess
the skill sets, training and business knowledge which are the hallmark of a
truly qualified Virtual Assistant.
Essentially, if you work with a VIRTUAL ASSISTANT, you have an
experienced and skilled business partner who, from his or her own office, will
help you find more time to focus on building your business, marketing,
networking, and finding new and better ways to serve your customers or clients.
Virtual Assistants typically:
work from a fully-equipped home office
perform many of the same duties as the traditional administrative
assistant or office manager
work without geographic restraints
communicate and share information (work assignments, project
requirements) via the Internet, e-mail, fax, phone, US mail, courier, and
other ways
offer a wide range of services (secretarial, administrative, customer
support, executive support, bookkeeping, desktop publishing, office
management, financial services, graphic design, research, word processing,
social media support, technical support, travel arrangement, writing and
editing, internet support, website design & maintenance . . . and much, much
more)
A Virtual Assistant, or VA, is a highly trained administrative professional
who works off-site to support her clients using the latest technology.
The training includes education (college), work experience, and specific
virtual assistance coursework. Using her vast range of skills, a supportive
virtual assistant community, and long-term experience, VAs assist clients
professionally (and sometimes personally). The VA operates her own business in
her own office and hand-selects a few clients with whom to form a long-term
collaborative partnership.
With today’s technology, a Virtual Assistant (VA) can be a creative and
economical answer to your business needs. A Virtual Assistant (VA) offers a
range of administrative services and is trained in the use of the internet and
various software products, which means they can work for you from ANYWHERE.
If your small business is like most, you operate with a very limited staff
and often find yourself trying to balance daily operations management with
behind-the-scenes administrative tasks. You don’t have the staffing resources or
personal expertise to handle everything that goes into running a successful
business. You are forced to take time away from your customers to handle
administrative work.
A VA may be a great option for you! Whether it is a full-time, part-time, or
on a per-project basis, a VA can adapt to unique needs of your business.
The bottom line? If you’re spending too much time on nonproductive "stuff"
that eats away at your time and energy, forcing you away from managing your
business, doing what you enjoy doing most and what you do best – YOU need a
Virtual Assistant. Of course, someone has to do that work – it just doesn’t have
to be YOU!
Imagine giving all that work to a virtual administrative assistant who is all
yours when you need her, but not on your payroll when you don’t. Imagine your
own private THAT COMPUTER LADY!
Is a Virtual Assistant right for your business? Are you still undecided if a
Virtual Assistant is right for you? Compare the costs associated with
hiring a full-time employee.
We believe once you see the true cost of an employee, you’ll understand why
NOT hiring a Virtual Assistant could be affecting your bottom line.
