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Once you have made the decision that you need
some help with various office related tasks that
come with running your business, where do you go
from there?
Do you put an ad in the paper; wait weeks for
resumes to come in; read over all of them; and then
interview those that sound like they have at least
some of the skills you need? Do you call a temporary
agency and then spend valuable time training the
person they send and then look for things to keep
the constantly busy? Do you give up working on your
computer or get extra equipment for someone to work
on in your office?
In short, the answer to all of these questions is
NO. All you need to do is find a Virtual Assistant.
But, why would you hire a Virtual Assistant instead
of hiring an employee or bringing a temp?
What is a VA and how will they help me?
A Virtual Assistant (also known as a VA) is an
entrepreneur who is in business to help small
businesses with their overflow. VAs work from their
own fully equipped offices, usually a home-based
office, and offer a full range of services to help
you with any task that is usually handled by an
in-house employee.
VAs are professionals that take pride in building
relationships with their clients so they can provide
input and foresee how to best help the client and
keep their businesses successful. Most come from the
corporate world with years of experience in office
assistance and/or have taken training in the most
common services required but their clients.
Services offered by Virtual Assistants include, but
are not limited to, all aspects of administrative
support; bookkeeping; web design; event planning;
desktop publishing; marketing support plus so much
more. And, if your VA doesn’t offer the service that
you need help with, they can usually find someone
who can. Many VAs have a team of contractors they
can turn to for help or they belong to VA
organizations with hundreds of members that they can
a call upon.
What do VAs usually charge?
As with many service industries, rates vary
depending on services offered and levels of
experience. Generally, VA rates for administrative
tasks range from $20 per hour to about $50 per hour.
For more complex and technical services, the rates
usually range from $30 to $75 per hour.
This may seem rather high when you think about the
fact that you can get an in-house assistant for
$10-$15 per hour. However, there are numerous
reasons why VAs charge the rates that they do.
-
VAs have fully equipped offices and take
care of all of their own business related
expenses so you don’t need to worry about
paying for
-
additional office space for them to work
in
-
additional equipment
-
government related source deductions,
taxes, etc.
-
down time, vacation pay, etc.
-
VAs have years of experience to offer so
there is no need for you train
-
VAs are professionals and offer exceptional
customer service
-
VAs work ‘with’ you to keep things running
smoothly
-
VAs build relationships with their clients
making the transition uneventful
-
VAs are available on an ‘as-needed’ basis so
you can get their help when you need it and
not worry about finding enough for them to
do 8 hours a day
-
VAs are only a phone call or email away
Virtual Assistants run businesses and become a
virtual partner to their clients. As a result they
have a vested interest in the success of a client’s
business and will work as diligently as if they were
‘the boss’. VAs are worth every penny that they
charge.
How do I choose the VA that is right for me?
Handing over some of your tasks to someone else
is hard enough but choosing who that someone else
will be doesn’t have to be all that hard.
CVAC has aSearchable Members Directory that will allow you
to search for a VA who is qualified to handle your
particular needs. Alternatively we offer a
FREE RFP service
that allows you to submit a Request for Proposal
to all of our members. Those who meet your
requirement will respond with their proposals.
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