| Virtual assistants are independent entrepreneurs who work remotely and use technology to deliver services to clients globally. The person can work from home and remain connected to the clients with the help of e-mail, instant messages or phones. Virtual assistants are independent contractors that offer professional service of remote administrative office and specialized support. While many virtual assistants have administrative backgrounds, they also come from a variety of business backgrounds. Virtual Assistants are here to stay and are the latest trend in solving your business or personal needs. Virtual Assistants are highly skilled, trained and keep up with the latest technology and provide services only as you need them. Virtual assistants are freelance assistants that provide technical, administrative, and social services from a home office. They use the telephone, fax, Internet, and email to communicate with their clients to provide immediate professional services and support. Virtual Assistants are required to have earned a 4 year degree in computer science or computer engineering. Virtual Assistants are technically qualified to provide you with webmaster services without you having to pay an arm and a leg. VAs are service-oriented professionals with extensive knowledge of the latest computer software, and years of experience in a variety of office environments, who have chosen self-employment. Their services range from word processing, data entry, spreadsheets and transcription to more diverse services such as event planning, travel arrangements and research. VAs are a prized and respected part of their client’s team, and unlike secretaries, who often were taken for granted, Virtual Assistants are praised for their professionalism and skills. Most businesses today can’t imagine where they would be without their VA. VAs are employees that you can hire for contract or temporary positions (or perhaps longer). You hire them and manage their work remotely through websites like elance.com . Virtual Assistants have a system of field experts to help with some of the tougher tasks and when you hire a Virtual Assistant you gain access to this entire team. This is something that a fulltime employee wouldn’t have access to and also one of the benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant. Virtual assistants have already committed themselves to learn the top software for assisting you with your small business. You can save money and time and benefit from the experience that virtual assistants have with using various business software. Virtual assistants have a wide range of fee structures. Some charge by the hour, some work on a monthly retainer basis (a certain number of guaranteed hours per month). Professionals in this business work on a contractual basis; long-lasting cooperation is common. Typically, at least five years of administrative experience in an office is expected at such positions as executive assistant, office manager/supervisor, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, or real estate assistant. Professional virtual assistants have researched the top internet spots for securing the best deals for their clients travel plans. They use this knowledge to effectively plan your travel at the greatest savings to you and to make sure that every detail of your trip is taken care of. Business owners can hire virtual assistants to suit their needs and the payout is directly related to the tasks the virtual assistants perform. Virtual assistants can be hired from 10 hours a week to 40 hours or more. Businesses do not have to pay an hourly wage or salary when hiring a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant is paid per job or by the hour, but only for the time you need them. Business Week reported in 2004 that the average American business’ cost per hire was $3,270.00. Additionally, when you hire an employee, you need to administer payroll and benefits, buy equipment, share your space, and deal with insurances like workers' compensation. Virtual assistants have handled routine correspondence and put together business materials while he's on the road, all for less than $10,000 a year. He figures a full-time secretary would run $45,000. Virtual assistants have the administrative skills of an assistant combined with the entrepreneurial skills of a small business owner. They rent out their services to clients near and far, in many instances, thousands of miles away. Virtual Assistants have been around as long as the internet, but their existence is finally becoming part of the public eye. Did you know that you could use a Virtual Assistant for just about any project that needs done? |
