Monday, March 22, 2010

Now accepting clients...

Hello All,
I wanted to give an update on what type of clients I am taking on right now.

At the moment, I am able to take on 4 more Social Media Clients, 1 more Virtual Office Client, and 2 more coaching clients (personal or business).

If you are looking for website promotions or marketing that type of work falls under the Social Media.

If you have any questions about services or would like to contact me, you can go to my website or call me at 719-966-REVA

Virtual Assistants

What does a VA do?

VA or Virtual Assistants are business owners who work from their own office, usually a home office, providing various office support,computer support, and customer based support to businesses or independent contractors. This is just the start of who VA's are, and what they do. Some VA's are "generalists" offering a wide variety of services, what specific work they do, depends on the skill set of each individual. Other Virtual Assistants are more industry specific, assisting Doctors, Lawyers, or Real Estate Agents, to name but a few. Many VA's are task specific, doing only accounting, computer "help desk" support, data entry, Human Resources, or customer service, are also just a few of the tasks Virtual Assistants handle on a day to day basis.

There are Virtual Assistant directories out there, but that does not make the VA you find on those websites part of a larger outsourcing company. Virtual Assistant directories are just that, directories. Similar to the ones you find in large downtown office buildings, they let you know Who is out there, offering What services, Where their websites are and How to contact them.

Virtual Assistants are not employees, "temps" or"staff". Each Virtual Assistant's business is different, with different policies, prices and services offered. Keep in mind when you are looking for a Virtual Assistant, each one is unique; if that one VA doesn't match your business or personal needs, another will, just keep looking.

"How can a VA benefit me or my company?"

Working with a VA means:

  • No costly office space to lease
  • No office supplies to buy
  • No equipment to maintain
  • No electric bills for unneeded space
  • No heating and cooling costs
  • No parking to consider
  • Lower over head
  • No health, dental, vision, 401k plans to invest in
  • No insurance or worker's compensation to pay

Your Virtual Assistant pays for their personal equipment,office supplies, electric bills, health insurance, taxes and vendors. Saving you thousands of dollars every year and possibly every month!

What does a VA charge?

That depends on their skills and experience. It also varies from one VA to another. Some VA's charge a flat fee per hour; others charge a fee per task, and some do both. You may be asked to pay a retainer fee of$XX.XX of dollars for X amount of hours per week or month. Or you could be sent an invoice to be paid at the end of the month with an outline of what you are being charged for and details on what your VA did for you.

How can a VA help me or my company's productivity?

Most VA's don't work a full 40 hours a week for just one person or company. Because of this, they have to get their work done for one company to move on to completing their work for another company. By delegating work to a Virtual Assistant, you have more time to focus on your customers, marketing, and growing your business, income and give you more free time for doing the things you love.

How can I be sure my VA is doing what I am paying them for?

A lot of VA's use time keeping software, like Office Time,or Time Clock Plus, to keep track of detailed minute by minute accounts of what they are doing and what projects they are working on and for whom. If your Virtual Assistant is using one of these programs you will be able to review an invoice sent by them at the end of the month or week, or whatever is in your contract. If you don't get minute by minute accounts of what they are doing,ask them for one. A good VA should be able and willing to provide you with an invoice.

What if I like a specific VA for a specific task, but not another?

If you like a certain VA for a specific task, for example fielding phone calls, but you don’t like their book keeping style, you can contract with more than one VA at a time, or find a different VA altogether.