Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Virtual Assistant (VA)?
A virtual assistant (VA) is a highly skilled professional who provides administrative support and other specialized services to businesses, entrepreneurs, authors, executives, sales professionals, real estate brokers/agents, and others who have more work to do than time to do it.
A few such services include customer service, research, accounting/bookkeeping, web design, tech support, publicity and marketing, desktop publishing, word processing/data entry, business consulting, and travel arrangements.
I can do everything on my own. Why should I hire a VA?
It’s great that you’ve been able to take care of everything by yourself. Hopefully your business will continue to grow; however, growth will eventually make it difficult to run without some assistance. You will find yourself having less and less free time and you will start setting tasks aside that never get completed. At this point, you will know you need help.
By working with a VA, you can still do most things yourself (if you choose) but you will have a support system in place for those tasks that take up much of your time. When you have a support person to work with, you can easily reach your goals, take your business to the next level, and even enjoy some free time.
Why couldn’t I just work with a local temp agency?
The main reason is because your virtual assistant will be 100% dedicated to YOU and your business. They want to see your business succeed because the bigger your success, the better their chances of getting additional work and recommendations. Virtual Assistants are business owners who have their reputation on the line so they always do a professional job.
On the other hand, temporary employees are usually waiting for a full time job to open up at another company so they may not be as productive or give as much attention to the project at hand. Also, you could use one temp today and next week, that person is no longer available so you may have to retrain a new person every time you need help.
How long do I have to work with a VA?
You contract with a virtual assistant on a project by project basis, so there are no required lengths of time. You can contract for one job and then never use that VA again or you may find that you could use their assistance on a continual basis, in which case, you might contract to keep the VA on retainer for a certain number of hours per week/month… for possibly a reduced rate. It’s entirely flexible and up to the client and virtual assistant.
Isn’t it more expensive than hiring an employee?
This is a common question. Here is a simple online calculator that can help you decide.
Note: Employees are seldom 100% productive due to down time between tasks, distractions, and other commitments. Since Virtual Assistants are only paid for time spent working on a project, you don’t have to pay for down time.
What are the benefits of hiring a VA?
A few of the benefits include:
- Professional office assistance available when you need it.
- No additional expense for taxes, benefits, sick days, etc.
- Accelerated business growth by freeing up your time to focus on the more important aspects of your business.
- Peace of mind knowing that your VA is handling the details professionally and on time.
- VAs can provide you with many services and therefore you don’t have to hire multiple employees.
… essentially you get to have your cake and eat it too!
What about confidentiality?
We agree that confidentiality is the highest priority. We adhere to a strict code of ethics, developed by the International Virtual Assistants Association.
How do we communicate with each other and exchange work?
Most communication is done by e-mail, but can also be via phone, instant messaging, fax, or standard mail. Work can also be exchanged though FTP or even sent via FedEx or UPS.
How do you accept payment?
We accept PayPal which allows you to use most major credit cards or direct transfer from your bank account, we also accept cashiers checks, and money orders. Retainer clients may make other payment arrangements.
Have questions about our virtual assistant services? Contact us today!