Virtual Assistant – Questions Answered

Virtual Assistant – Questions Answered

by: Shannon Davidson

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant is a person or persons with whom businesses and individuals outsource administrative and technical tasks. Virtual Assistants work from their home office. Virtual Assistants are entrepreneurs.

A Virtual Assistant is a qualified, skilled individual who makes your business their business.

Why should I outsource to a Virtual Assistant?

Virtual Assistants provide their own hardware and software. Virtual Assistants are not paid for vacation days, sick days, or holidays. Virtual Assistants do not receive benefits such as insurance and profit sharing. Virtual Assistants are paid only when you have work for them to do. Virtual Assistants are skilled professionals who generally have the most uptodate hardware and software.

How do I choose a Virtual Assistant?

Every reputable Virtual Assistant should have his or her own web presence. You should be able to view a portfolio of work on your Virtual Assistant’s website. Ask your potential Virtual Assistant if they provide any free trial period work, generally they do. Ask if satisfaction is guaranteed. Create a ‘profile’ for your Virtual Assistant to complete. Ask questions that are pertinent to your needs. For example, if you require a lot of transcription work ask, ขHow many years have you provided transcription servicesข and ข What is your typing speedข and ขWhat is your turnaround timeข.

How do we communicate if we do not live in the same area?

Virtual Assistants have many ways of communication including fax, telephone (usually multiple lines), email, and postal service.

Don’t worry, your Virtual Assistant has most likely been providing this service for many years. Virtual Assistants are individuals who only succeed if their clients succeed. Virtual Assistants grow with their clients not without them.

About The Author

Shannon Davidson has been a virtual assistant for over 13 years. She provides transcription, data entry, logo design, web creation, and many other services to businesses and individuals. Shannon currently owns and operates www.officesetting.com.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 03

by Shannon Davidson

Virtual Assistance for Healthcare Professionals

Virtual Assistance for Healthcare Professionals

by: Rita Ballard

Administrative and clerical tasks are the bane of every industry. No matter how small or large your business is, you will eventually find yourself with stacks of paperwork that need your attention and phone calls that need to be made. And when will you find the time? If you are busy seeing your clients during the day, then the paperwork waits until the evenings and weekends. This can make for some very long days and total exhaustion. Hiring a virtual assistant is becoming the best option for many professionals.
Virtual assistants are administrative professionals who, for a variety of reasons, have chosen to work from home offices. Virtual assistance is an industry that is swiftly nudging its way into the outsourcing arena. There are currently about 2,000 virtual assistants worldwide, and this number is growing daily. There are virtual assistance accreditation schools, chat groups, professional organizations, and annual conferences. As a virtual assistant, these administrative professionals are independent contractors who provide office support remotely, using current computer technology and the Internet.
Let’s look at the differences between hiring staff and working with a virtual assistant:
When you hire support staff, you will need to provide some amount of training. You also will provide a space for that person, and supplies needed to do the job. In addition, your staff expenses will include taxes, insurance, vacation and sick pay, raises, overtime pay, and usually a pension or some type of retirement plan. You will also be paying that person for idle and nonproductive time; you will be expected to do annual performance reviews; and you are expected to manage and supervise.
In comparison, when you hire a virtual assistant, you are hiring someone who already specializes in the type of work that you do, so you automatically eliminate the need for training. Virtual assistants work from their own offices and use their own supplies and office equipment. Virtual assistants pay their own taxes and insurance. And best of all, you only pay a virtual assistant for the hours worked.
Virtual assistants are flexible enough to be able to work only the hours that you will need them, on an asneeded basis. Some businesses contract for a certain amount of hours a month and are assured of having those hours reserved for them. Other people hire a virtual assistant on an occasional basis, perhaps if they have a project, mailing, or campaign coming up and need the extra assistance.
You can go on the Internet and find an unlimited number of people who provide office support services; the difference is that virtual assistants have not only the administrative background, but also the training in how to use that background in a global marketplace. Working with a virtual assistant gives you the benefits of having your own personal assistant without the extra costs and associated managerial headaches. Most virtual assistants are very flexible and will do whatever is needed to fulfill your administrative needs. For a lot of businesses, it is the most practical and costeffective way to get the administrative work done.
Healthcare professionals who find themselves in the position of having an overflowing todo box and wondering what to do about it, may be well advised to consider hiring a Virtual Assistant.

About The Author

Healer’s Helper

Rita Ballard, Virtual Assistant

Virtually Restoring Balance, One Task At A Time!

www.healershelper.com

[email protected]

3608801110 or

8777164880

[email protected]

This article was posted on May 13, 2004

by Rita Ballard