What is a VA? A Virtual Assistant commonly known as a VA in the virtual world is a person who owns his or her own business and provides services to clients from their home based office using Internet technology. Before there were computers there were people working from home doing typing and secretarial work. Today people are still doing this and they are called “Virtual Assistants”. In addition to secretarial work, there are now virtual assistants working in every industry you can imagine. They come to the forefront with years of corporate experience, training and education. Some VAs are generalists and some are specialists. VA’s produce top notch work second to none. Years ago, it was necessary to pick up the phone if you wanted to contact anyone including your clients. Through today’s technology, we now have many other options to choose from. Within minutes, it is possible to talk to people on the other side of the globe. It has made the world a little smaller and friendlier. VA’s and their clients can now communicate whenever they want to at a low cost. By using your computer you can talk to your virtual assistant using Internet phone systems. If you have a Web camera you can talk face to face. Going a little bit further with a “flip video camcorder” brings cutting edge technology to the virtual assistant’s tool box. A VA can take a video clip and upload it to a Web site or to U-Tube or similar sites. With technology improving rapidly and costs falling, it makes it easier for more people to purchase state of the art equipment. Thus allowing people to communicate and collaborate with each other easier without barriers as in days gone by. New software programs that are feature rich allows VAs to work with clients as if they were sitting down right next to them when actually they may be on the other side of the planet. This is a major reason for migration from corporate offices to home offices. Everyone is a winner in this situation. Paperwork can be faxed or electronically scanned for instant review. If you would rather just drop a note you can do that using e-mail or perhaps have an electronic “chat” through instant messaging or “IM”. Electronic files can be shared by both parties using computer software. You can even have a virtual meeting with your VA from anywhere in the world as long as you are logged onto a computer. Since VAs are working from their home based offices without any of the normal office distractions in the corporate world there is more work being produced at a faster rate . VAs are also pro-active business owners that do not wait around for someone to tell them what has to be done next. They know what has to be done and they just do it. They help their clients succeed and get to the next level. They work hand in hand with them and it matters to VAs that their clients are happy with their work. When their clients are successful so are they. Being a small business owner may mean there is a shortage of qualified help that the owner needs in order to build his business efficiently and profitably. Maybe there are part-timers or even family members that help out now and then. Having a VA on your team is like having a genie in the bottle because they can help out in so many ways you probably never even thought of. VAs have experience and training in different types of businesses due to the fact that they have other clients besides you. Therefore, it is essential that they keep honing their skills and learning new ones all the time. This is important to keep their edge and marketability. What this means to you is that your VA will help you accomplish goals that may not be possible on your own and in a shorter period of time. When you need to brainstorm with someone your VA will fit the bill nicely since this is one of the things they do every day in their own virtual assistance business. VAs have a global lifeline available to them that enables them to access hard –to- find information, highly recommended professionals within a specific area of expertise, and get help on any topic or problem that may arise. That is how the virtual assistance world operates and it takes professionalism to the next level. When you have a problem or need to get information that is out of your reach how do you go about resolving that? Well, if you are already working with a VA that would be as simple as making a call or logging onto your computer and sending an e-mail. Some other benefits clients derive are cost savings. Since you are paying only for time worked and no down time you are only paying for the actual time that your VA is working for you. You do not pay for break times, overtime, rest room breaks, or chat time between employees. You are saving on your overhead expenses including office space, office equipment & supplies, computer equipment, software & accessories, training & education. There is no medical benefits package which normally includes doctor, hospitalization, medical, vision, dental & prescription coverages. You also are not paying for sick days, personal days, floaters and holidays. Any time off legally given to employees such as family leave, disability or leave of absence does not concern you. Don’t forget the state and federal taxes you have to pay into, unemployment insurance and disability insurance. There is no reason to worry that your work will suffer due to non-work issues. Things such as incompatibility, personality, and personal problems that are common in the everyday workplace just have no place at all in the VA world. VAs know what is expected from them and after they commit to a time frame for the work to be done it is done. When you hire an employee there are many things that must be done correctly in order to stay within the guidelines of the government. So now you have to factor in payroll & personnel responsibilities. Either you have to handle these matters yourself or if you aren’t savvy in these areas you would then have to get some training to bring yourself up to snuff. Or you could always hire an expert in this area to handle it all. This may be overwhelming for a small business owner to deal with. Or you can contract with a VA and forget about hiring an extra person. So actually you are getting two for one when you think about it when you hire a VA. So in light of all these facts which you may not have known about before, doesn’t it really make sense to work with a VA instead of an employee? Avoid the stress and get a VA on your team. Remember, VAs have their own specialties so you do need to find the right fit for you. Consider everything first that you are looking for and then submit a RFP (Request for Proposal) at one of the many online virtual assistance networks such as www.virtualassistantforums.com, www.vaclassrooms.com,  or ivaa.org. If you aren’t sure what was discussed and decided upon, be assured that everything will be written down in a contract for the benefits of both client and virtual assistant. But, in the end if you feel that the VA you are working with is not what you thought it would be and you don’t want to continue on, the solution is very simple. Just don’t renew your contract. There are no legal issues such as unemployment insurance, discrimination cases or lawsuits of any type. In fact your VA probably will even help you to find another VA which is more suitable for you. All in all, Virtual assistants just want to make things a little bit easier for everyone! Article written by Jo-Carole Carpenter www.shoreofficeservices.com info@shoreofficeservices.com or jocarolee@comcast.net (732) 820-1391 or (732) 278-1036 Copyright © 2008-2010 All Rights Reserved - Shore Office Services LLC