In the world of virtual assistants, there are variations. The variations come from the diverse backgrounds, expertise and knowledge one person may have compared to another. In turn, with the diversity also comes common attributes that are carried throughout the virtual assistant industry. These commonalities help others develop a deeper comprehension of virtual assistants.
- Virtual assistants, simply put, are individual professional business owners who have experience and expertise in administrative, technical, accounting, and/or marketing jobs in order to handle these aspects for other business owners.
- Virtual assistants are themselves business owners and not employees of their clients. They are professionals who focus on working with you and not for you to help reduce the stress of administrative, technical, or marketing tasks in your business.
- Some virtual assistants choose to work with one client full time while others work with several clients on a per project or per hour basis.
- Like most business owners, virtual assistants specialize in one or two predominant areas of expertise. In some aspects, a few virtual assistants will form joint partnerships or strategic alliances to offer a full range of services & help grow each other’s business.
- Since a virtual assistant is not an employee of your business, you don’t have to pay for overtime, vacation, sick time, or insurance. Also, you only have to pay for the time they work on your projects.
- Generally, the price range for hiring a virtual assistant is between $30-$50 per hour. The price range is varied due to the diversity of the skill set of individuals and the type of work to be performed.
- A virtual assistant works for the betterment of your company so they have your best interests at heart. Realizing that if you are not happy with their work, you will find another virtual assistant to take their place.
- Being virtual means that they don’t have to be at home or in your office in order to work with you and get things done effectively and efficiently. With the great technology today, you can have a virtual assistant do most any type of work from any where in the world.
- Similar to other business owners, virtual assistants bring with them all the technological office equipment that is needed in order to do their jobs, such as a computer, software, fax, phone, printer, etc. so these items do not need to be provided to them in order for them to work.
With the ever growing realm of virtual assistants, being aware of the different threads running through the industry helps you understand more about virtual assistants. They own their business and are accomplished in their specialized areas of expertise and knowledge skill sets. Virtual assistant enjoy their work and work to help you grow your business. When you thinking about hiring a virtual assistant, realize the diversity and commonalities in order to further understand the attributes they possess.
Teresa Morrow is on Florida Board of Advisors with The WECAI Network ™ and Editor at Large for WE Magazine for Women ™. She has over 15 years working with various industries to include property management, landscape architecture and financial planning firms in executive administrative positions. In 2005, she left the corporate world and managed the daily operations of her husband’s floor cleaning/restoration company. In 2007, Teresa started Key Business Partners, a virtual assistance & online promotional company for coaches, speakers and writers. She cares about her clients and is available for a 20 minute free consultation. You can contact her via email at keybusinesspartners@verizon.net or visit her website at http://www.keybusinesspartners.com .
 |
|||||
If you liked this article, please... |
|||||
 |
Subscribe Via Email |  |
Subscribe Via RSS |  |
Add to Technorati |
I personally use Intelligent Offices as a virtual assistant and virtual office. The service is professional and cost effective. The small investment I have made into my virtual team has improved my clients and prospects perception of my business. My phones are now always answer professionally and promptly…no more voice mail messages. Imagine the difference between inviting your clients to your office and having them greeted by a professional receptionist in a high-end office setting. Flat panel TVs with business news in the reception area, the receptionist offers your client coffee or water while they wait. Now that is first class! It is a far cry from meeting them in the local diner or their office, which is what I used to do.
Great post.
ourmonmouth’s last blog post..Browser compatibility
Of course you can also try the offshore route and hire an assistant, backed by a group of professionals, for $10 per hour or even less if you make a commitment to use enough hours in a month.
I am planning on trying this, made popular by Tim Ferris and the 4 hour work week, shortly.
David Hutchison’s last blog post..How to Improve Your Presentation Skills for Career Mastery
Thank you for a great article. It’s nice to see someone give a more realistic price range for virtual assistant services.
Tina Hilton’s last blog post..VA equals Value Added
I think she’s talking about a different type of virtual assistant than the regular virtual offices. These are people actively working for the betterment of your business in particular areas.
This is not something I had even considered doing until reading her post a short time ago. What a wonderful article - I never knew these services even existed.