What To Look For In A Virtual Assistant Before Hiring One

There are many virtual assistants online that promise professional, expert services in very well-designed websites. Some will quote lower rates, some will promise faster deliveries and some will promise even the moon and the stars. So how do you go about choosing the right one? To start with, you have to know what to look for when it comes to hiring a virtual assistant.

The basic consideration in hiring a virtual assistant is satisfaction of the client’s needs at a reasonable price. So there has to be a common ground between what you need and what he can provide.

Following are some qualities that you have to look for in a virtual assistant before hiring one:

• Ability to work on flexible hours. A virtual assistant should be able to work the hours that your project requires without too many restrictions. That he is working halfway around the globe and should therefore be asleep when you are working is not an excuse. It comes with the territory, so to speak. If he imposes a lot of conditions or restrictions, you will be better off shopping around for other virtual assistants.

• Willingness to accept various payment systems. A virtual assistant should not force you into a straightjacket arrangement when it comes to payment system. There are various arrangements that can be made depending on the nature of the task or project being outsourced, such as subscription, hourly or per project packages. A virtual assistant should be able to live with free-lance rates to be able to compete with company employees. Inflexibility in this area should already tip you off that the virtual assistant may not be the best choice for your company.

• Ability to provide his own equipment and space. One of the main benefits that a virtual assistant can offer you is the fact that he provides his own working space and equipment. If his fees seem like he is charging you the cost of his equipment or the rent for his office space then maybe he is not the professional virtual assistant for you.

• Ability to communicate in various modes. Since a virtual assistant does not share an office with you various modes of communication are vital. In order for your working relationship to operate in the virtual world you need to be able to reach him when you need to so you should not be tied down to only one or two communication options. A lack of communication is the number one reason why business relationships and projects fail, so make sure that your virtual assistant provides you with multiple contact options.

• Possession of desired skills and expertise. It is not being unfair to ask for proofs of what he can do like a sample of his works. Look for telltale signs of lack of quality like misspellings, grammatical errors, misplaced punctuations, etc. A virtual assistant is supposed to be a professional and an expert, so these things have no place in his works. If he is unable or unwilling to offer you any proof of his work, look for another virtual assistant.

• Computer and Internet literate. Computer and internet literacy should be a must. If he admits shortcomings in this area and requires Internet training or technical training before you can begin working together then you are not talking to the right party. Maybe you are even better off providing the training to your full-time employees.

• Realistic claims. Virtual assistance is not for everyone. There are companies that are overstaffed and the employer is just looking for tasks that can be assigned to their staff. These are usually the Fortune 500 companies. So when a virtual assistant claims that such a company is his client, check it out. The slightest indication that he/she has been less truthful should push you to move on in your search.

• Honesty and integrity. Even after you have already hired a virtual assistant, always be on the lookout for copied works. You do not want to have problems with patents and copyrights. The first sign of plagiarism or directly downloaded materials, start looking for a new virtual assistant.

• Punctuality. Agree on realistic deadlines and stick to them. If your virtual assistant starts asking for extensions afterwards, he is not very professional and start looking for a new virtual assistant.

Finally, you will be well advised to remember the old adage. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true.

Bookmark & Share

The Professional Virtual Assistant Versus the Wannabes

The ease of setting up a virtual assistant business has given rise to the proliferation of virtual assistants offering various services and trumpeting all sorts of claims to fame. So much so that it has become difficult to spot the professional, reliable and well-meaning virtual assistants from the cheap wannabes or copycats. This is because virtual assistants do not come with nametags on their breast pockets that declare their true identity. But the reality remains – there are those who are an asset to their clients and there are those who give the industry a bad name.

What distinguishes a professional virtual assistant?

Continuous Development Program
As in other industries, the professional virtual assistant continuously strives to improve his craft. He knows that his value to his clients depends on how good he is in what he does. So he keeps himself abreast of the various developments that take place in his industry. Since he is highly dependent on information technology and internet, he makes sure he is constantly updated in this fast-paced field. He also strives to learn more of the businesses of his clients so that he can be of more value to them. Moreover, he knows that with more and more virtual assistants coming in the horizon, competition becomes keener by the day. And only those who continue to grow in order to cope with the ever-increasing demand of the clients will survive.

Commitment to Excellence
To the professional virtual assistant, commitment to excellence is an obsession. He makes it a point to give his best in whatever he does even if “good enough” is acceptable to the client. He drives himself hard, does not cut corners and the word compromise does not exist in his vocabulary. When he affixes his name to his work, it is a stamp of quality. To him quality work is, by itself, a gratification.

Fair Play as a Way of Life
Fair play is the professional virtual assistant’s modus vivende. He makes sure he earns every cent his client pays and even looks for ways to give his clients that proverbial extra mile. He does not exploit the weakness of his client or takes advantage of his client’s missed opportunities. He is happy with his client’s success and is saddened with his client’s setbacks. He takes pride in being able to help his clients. In other words, he empathizes with his client. To him, the golden rule is very much a valid principle to conduct his business by.

His relationship with his virtual workers is also founded on fair play. He provides them opportunities for professional growth and he pays them commensurately. He appreciates a good job and he does not hesitate to give a constructive feedback, when needed. He treats his virtual workers as extensions of himself.

Trust is a Treasure
The professional virtual assistant treasures his client’s trust. He ensures confidentiality of matters that are given in confidence even if it means saying no to other clients. His word is an oath and when he gives it, he stands and falls with it. When commitments are made, he makes sure they are delivered on time.

Loyalty is Premium
To the professional virtual assistant, business deals that build lasting relationship are more important than short-term profit maximization. He chooses his clients and strives to keep them. He does not mind giving concessions for repeat deals to cultivate client loyalty. He maintains regular communication with his clients being extra careful not to waste their time. A happy client is his business’ reason for being.

Clients as Partners
To a professional virtual assistant, every client is a business partner. An outsourced task is just a step towards a series of mutually beneficial deals. An outsourced task is an opening to know more about the client’s business and what role he can play to help it grow. Every outsourced task is an opportunity for a professional virtual assistant to serve a business partner, an opportunity to cultivate a business relationship into a virtual partnership.

In conclusion, being a professional in any field is never easy. It requires self-discipline of the highest order and an unwavering commitment to the achievement of a goal. It requires a clear definition of what is important and an equally clear understanding of what has to be done. This is very much the same with the virtual assistant business. There is always the temptation to follow the path of least resistance or to do what is convenient but the hallmark of a true professional virtual assistant is in being able to stay the course simply because it is the right thing to do.

Creative & Innovative Collaboration – Virtual Assistance

Modern-day businesses have evolved from the traditional models into a more dynamic one that spans global borders and transcends traditional practices. As businesses expand their territory and their market, various challenges are met and traditional solutions just won’t do. The more creative and innovative businesses are, the more dynamic their growth becomes and their potential for expansion extrapolates exponentially!

There is one rising industry that capitalizes on creative and innovative collaboration in terms of providing solutions to the needs of the modern-day businesses – Virtual Assistance. Virtual Assistance necessitates the practice of creativity and innovation on both sides of the working relationship.

Innovative businesses naturally gravitate towards the engagement of the services of virtual assistants (VAs) as a creative way of managing its limited resources yet at the same time addressing its needs. Some businesses do not see the need to retain on a long-term basis a professional whose skills are needed on a seasonal basis. They therefore opt to outsource this resource only as the need arises. This business savings may then be redirected to other areas that may be more important for either the maintenance or the expansion of the business.

In other cases, a business needs several people with a variety of skills who may not necessarily live in the same area. If the business will insist on hiring employees who have these various skills, it may take a while to assemble a local team, and much longer for them to establish a good collaborative unit. There will always be that loner who just wants to do it all “his” style, or the one who has such a domineering and ambitious presence, it stifles creative collaboration. It’s much easier to contract people who are used to collaborating with others.

Big projects may sometimes necessitate the collaborative work of various personnel from different areas. The time zone differences alone already call for a creative collaboration so that the tasks can be completed with minimum time-wastage.

Internet and advances in technology have broadened the opportunities for businesses to have access to skilled professionals from all over the world at lesser cost and faster returns. Some cultures are more at home with certain functions and provide better service than local resources. A wise business move would be to consider this reality.

The relationship between the client and the VA is also characterized by collaboration. For this partnership to prosper, the VA must be a creative and innovative professional. He is trying to support a business across great distances yet he must make sure that he produces the desired output. There is already a risk of miscommunication and dissatisfaction in face-to-face dealings between co-workers so the VA must be more alert and thorough to avoid such a problem in this remote partnership. Creativity and innovation comes into play in ensuring that the client does not suffer because of the lack of the VAs personal presence in his office.

VAs have the responsibility of updating themselves on technological advances in the internet especially if it will help them speed up their service to their clientele. This means keeping abreast of innovations in research and file-sharing, online communication and collaboration, and new software that will help in the client’s business.

Of course, with the millions of data available in the internet, creativity is also a key factor in a VA’s delivery of service. There is that push to be as creative as possible in order to distinguish oneself from the rest. Sometimes, the client is also technologically-savvy but would like something totally different – thereby, the VA must be inventive and able to capitalize on the current market trends yet does not rely on just copying what others are doing. Otherwise, the client himself can just do that.

In some instances when a VA is even asked to deal with the client’s personal matters, it often helps to be creative and innovative. If the VA has a good knowledge of what the client is looking for and it so happens that it’s not readily accessible, the VA must be able to look for alternative solutions that will meet the criteria of the client. Take the case of Tim Ferriss who wrote the much acclaimed book, “The 4-Hour Workweek.”

Tim had begun using VAs in order to administer much of his business tasks whenever possible so that he would be freer to travel and enjoy living the life that he wanted. He decided to check out if he could also use virtual assistance for some personal matters. At one point, he asked his VA to look for a “Tickle-Me-Elmo” doll which was not available in stores near him. It was going to be a gift for his child. When the VA couldn’t find the exact doll, the VA made a judgment call and recommended instead the “Chicken-Dance-Elmo” which Tim approved.

Clients don’t want to hear that it can’t be done. VAs would be of better service if they can provide alternative solutions when the desired output cannot be met. Thus, it’s a must that VAs cultivate creativity and innovation.

http://createownwebsite.vatrainingonline.com – Website for VAs

Okay, here’s a website that is really dedicated to Providing Sources of Relevant & Quality Online Information for Virtual Assistants.  Check out out http://createownwebsite.vatrainingonline.com. Here, Virtual Assistants will learn how to create their own website and learn other stuff that we, VAs ought to know.

If you operate a business online, you need a website. Not to have one is Business Suicide! Here we provide Virtual Assistants and Online Freelancers the tools & knowledge required to create a remarkable website. If you are still struggling to get and maintain Clients, then http://createownwebsite.vatrainingonline.com is the right place. Everything the site teaches is geared towards attracting Clients. No  HTML. No geek speak.

More at http://createownwebsite.vatrainingonline.com/

Virtual Assisting – Work Trend of Going Home Based

A new work trend has surfaced a few years back which is rapidly catching on with the advances made by technology specifically in the areas of communications and in the internet. In fact, maybe you are already one of those millions who at one point in time have probably considered the possibility of this new work trend.

What’s being referred to is this trend of going home-based. There are many other terms associated with this idea and you may have come across some of them: telecommute, cyberwork, remote work, online work, virtual jobs, etc.

Thanks to modern-day technology, we can now seriously consider something we probably dreamed of amidst the frustration of our work – the dream of working in the comfort of your own home (no overbearing boss, no office politics, no phone interruptions, no long meetings that don’t concern you, etc.). Our parents dreamed of being part of a prestigious company, reporting for work everyday, then enjoying retirement. We were brought up and educated to aspire for the same things. Only recently have universities and colleges begun to offer courses on entrepreneurship and most of them still operate on the idea of running your own office outside the confines of your own home.

First let’s discuss those who do work at home but still report to someone else who may be in an office or also working at home. They do not have their own businesses. They are employees who telecommute. The advantages in their scenario are:

1. They do not waste time traveling to work.
2. They save on power-dressing or being fashionable at the workplace.
3. They can take care of their children if they need attention.
4. They have flexibility of time.

The other set of home-based workers are those who run their own businesses at home. It used to be purely related to sales, telemarketing and manufacturing but now, home businesses have access to global markets equal to that of some large firms. These entrepreneurs have discovered that you can magnify your profit through the internet without the expense of investing in office facilities and the like.

Many successful entrepreneurs have written about their experiences in order to share with others what they enjoy for themselves. Real successful people are not afraid to empower others to be successful, too. One such person is Timothy Ferriss who wrote the book, “The 4-Hour Workweek.”

In his book, he shared about four important phases/stages in achieving success outside an office environment and at the same time living the life that one wants. Key to this is that paradigm shift that you don’t have to be at a desk IN a cubicle IN an office in order to be productive, successful and earning well. You could be OUT THERE living it up and still be running your own business!

How did he do it? He outsourced/delegated or had someone else who lived in another time zone do his work for him. He looked at the things he’d rather not be doing and hired a virtual assistant (VA) who could do them for him. Then he focused on doing what he really wanted to do – like learning another language, dancing the tango in competitions, traveling, being with his family, etc.

What is probably material to this particular approach is the reality that practically anybody nowadays can offer their services online and may receive payment wherever they may be. Most employers or service contractors can monitor the work or communicate with these remote workers via email, fax or Skype and the likes without having to meet face-to-face.

Of course, not all jobs will be wiped out by this current trend of going home-based. We’d still need doctors in the hospitals, scientists in the laboratories, farmers in the fields, etc. Many other types of office jobs may reasonably be farmed out to non-regular employees and with great benefit not only to the employer but even to employees.

Those who enter into working partnerships with virtual workers reap the benefits of having workers / partners who are happy with their work, self-motivated and driven, focused and disciplined. They are happy because they love what they’re doing and they’re valuable to their partners. They’re self-motivated and driven because if they don’t work for themselves, who will? They’re focused and disciplined because they too are professionals.

It is important to note that working at home is only truly attractive if you can achieve a healthy work-life balance. Without this necessary balance, you might find that either your work at home is encroaching on your family time or vise versa. When that happens, working at home has lost its purpose.

The Best Webhost for Virtual Assistants

Successful Virtual Assistants know the value of having your own website. But choosing the best webhost, one that addresses a Virtual Assistant’s specific needs, can still be an overwhelming task. With our years of testing, using & researching different webhosts, we’ve come to the same conclusion that most other online entrepreneurs have.

What Virtual Assistants Need from a Webhost

As a Virtual Assistant you understand the critical role you own website plays on the success of your virtual assistance business…

Read more at http://createownwebsite.vatrainingonline.com/the-best-webhost-for-virtual-assistants

What to Outsource

If you are already convinced about the wisdom of outsourcing, perhaps the next question you might want to ask is what tasks should you outsource? With a long list of virtual assistants offering a plethora of services to you, you would welcome some kind of a guide on what tasks can be outsourced.

One rule of thumb is you should not outsource your core activities or tasks that are central to your business operation. As an example, if you are an accounting firm you would not outsource the preparation of financial statements or even your bookkeeping tasks. Why? Because this is what you do best so it is inconceivable that others will be able to do this better than you. But components of your core activity may be outsourced. As an example, legal transcribing may be outsourced by a law firm but the writing of legal opinions should never be outsourced.

Another factor to consider is the importance or impact of the task to the overall result of your business operation. Handling customer complaints is an example of a task with crucial importance. Mishandled, a customer complaint can grow into a problem with complicated repercussions, including a lawsuit. So you will want this particular task to be handled on site by people you or your managers can directly supervise.

The principle to observe here is if the cost of an error is greater than the savings you can realize from outsourcing, you are better off not outsourcing the task. Your business organization’s inventory of skills is another factor that can determine whether you should outsource or not.

If you do not have the expertise to properly perform the task, such that the likelihood of errors committed and reworks done is high, then you will be better advised to outsource it. Even if the cost of an error is low if the incidence of error is high, it can come out very expensive. Tapping off-site expertise by outsourcing is a viable option in this instance.

Your company’s existing resources and level of utilization is also a determinant in outsourcing. If a task or a project can only be performed by increasing your office space or hiring additional personnel, you might want to consider outsourcing as an option.

Outsourcing becomes a viable option especially if the project has a finite duration and is not likely to be repeated. If you still have a slack in the utilization of your company resources and you have the needed expertise or skills to do the task, then outsourcing may not prove to be a sound option even if the outsourcing rate per hour is less than what you are paying your people. This is because whether you outsource the task or not, you will still pay your employees.  Salaries are sunk costs and you pay them whether your employees are doing something or not. So the outsourcing cost is an addition to your personnel or overhead cost.

The nature of the task to be performed is also a factor in deciding whether to outsource or not. If on the one hand, a task is so simple that it can be performed by anybody else, why use your expensive human resources to do it? Let virtual assistants that charge less than what you are paying your people do the job. An example of this is data grabbing, or bulk ad posting. These tasks are so simple that they can be done by virtually anybody, especially by a self-respecting virtual assistant. But because of the volume, they can be very time-consuming. By insisting that they should be done by your people who are being paid at twice the rates of the virtual assistants may not be a sound strategy.

If, on the other hand, the task is highly technical such that it requires special skills or expertise which your business organization does not have, then you are better off outsourcing it. An example of this is designing a website for your company. If you do not have a resident IT who can do it, then outsourcing is definitely the way to go. Website design is a highly portable technology so there is no need to insist on developing it yourself. In other words, why re-invent the wheel when you can easily buy one?

Outsourcing is not really a new development in business. There are tasks that have always been outsourced or performed by independent third parties simply because the law requires it. Examples of such tasks are independent audits. They are either done inside or outside the company premises. Sub-contracting in the construction industry is another example although the underlying reason is not the legal requirement but the unavailability of expertise.

In the end, the overall consideration in deciding whether to outsource or not a task is economy and productivity. A healthy balance of these two factors is definitely a sound strategy.

What is a Virtual Assistant

A Virtual Assistant or VA is an entrepreneur who, for a fee, provides professional administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients from his own office. His clients are usuallysmall businesses, brokers and consultancy groups although sometimes big companies also avail themselves of the services of a VA to perform certain tasks. The process of engaging the services of a virtual assistant is called outsourcing.

The virtual assistant may also engage the services of other people to perform certain tasks especially if such tasks are beyond his own personal expertise. This process is called sub-contracting and the people the virtual assistant hires for this purpose are sub-contractors. The sub-contractors deal only with the virtual assistant who in turns deals directly with the client. They usually are professionals and even retirees who are experts in their own field and have spare time to perform the outsourced tasks. They normally work at home and require only a serviceable personal computer and a good internet connection.

Virtual assistants are proving to be a very important business arrangement for small businesses, brokers and consultants who cannot afford to rent additional office spaces, hire additional personnel and buy additional office fixtures and equipment as a result of a short-term project. The advent of modern communications technology has made it easier for these business organizations to outsource certain tasks to virtual assistants halfway around the globe. Common modes of communication and data delivery include the Internet, e-mail, telephone conferences, online work spaces, and fax machine.

Outsourcing work to virtual assistants is fast becoming a popular and sound decision even for routine tasks such as email or appointment management. The outsourcing client realizes certain benefits from the transaction such as:

1. Lower cost. Virtual Assistants usually operate from their homes or from smaller offices hence their overhead costs are lower. If the virtual assistant operates from a third country such as the Philippines, the labor cost per unit of time is likewise lower. Moreover, if the task can be completed in a short time such as article writing, the client pays only for such time as opposed to paying the cost of a full time employee. These factors translate into lower cost in the performance of the task for the outsourcing client;
2. Freedom from setting up legally mandated employee benefits. The outsourcing company does not have to pay compulsory employee benefits that tend to build up overtime such as retirement plans, health and insurance benefits, etc.;
3. Freedom from legal complications associated with terminating an employee. In some countries, there are labor laws that make it difficult for the employer to terminate an employee whose services are no longer needed. With outsourcing, the obligation of the client terminates with the payment of the outsourcing fee;
4. Instant access to expert services. By outsourcing, a client is able to tap the expert services he needs. He does not have to spend for the training of an employee over a period of time;
5. Focus on the core business. With the less important matters being taken care of by virtual assistant, the client is able to focus on its core business and be more effective at it.

Outsourcing is a rapidly growing trend, made possible by three key factors:

1. the desire of employees to maintain more control over their work styles,
2. the desire of businesses to lower costs and improve efficiencies, and
3. the availability of technology that enables both sides to connect.

Following are some of the tasks that are usually outsourced from virtual assistants:

• Admin/Secretarial Support (Calling, Faxing, etc)

If the administrative details are bogging your business down, a virtual assistant is just a contact away. It can do email management, appointments management, take and make calls, receive and send out communications, anything that will distract you from your core business.

• Article and Web Content Writing

If writing is not your strong suit, don’t waste time and money trying to develop the talent. And don’t give up on this very valuable tool either. A virtual assistant can write articles that will introduce you to your market and sell your business.

• Bulk Ad Posting

If your business calls for bulk ad posting and you find the repetitive task of crafting the ads tedious, call a virtual assistant. Then watch as the responses start flooding your contact lines.

• CRM/ Site Maintenance

If Customer Relationship Management is crucial to your business, a virtual assistant can design one for you and even maintain it so that you continue to be in constant contact with your most important public, your customers.

• Data Conversion (from one format to another)

If you are constantly receiving information in various formats and you find it tedious and time consuming to organize and manage it, call a virtual assistant can solve this problem for you.

• Data Gathering/Mining

If you want to organize a set of data, like prospective clients and their demography, from a voluminous source so that you can use them in your business, don’t get snowed under. A virtual assistant can simplify things for you.

• Data Grabbing (from a website to an office document)

If you want to cull information from the internet and organize it into a usable document, don’t waste your time wading through millions of unnecessary details. Let a virtual assistant do this so you can focus on what you do best – selling your business.

• Encoding/Typing, Formatting

Organizing information that comes in various formats and encoding it in a way so that your clients can access or read them can be a daunting task, especially if you do not have the time. Whether it is word, excel or powerpoint presentation, a virtual assistant can simplify life for you.

• Resume and Cover Letter Writing

Resume and Cover Letters are crucial documents. They provide the prospective employers the initial information about the person even before they see him. It is vital, therefore, that these documents are read, instead of being thrown into the trash can, and coax the recruiter to invite you for an interview. A virtual assistant can craft resumes and cover letters that get read by the recruiters

• Research

Research can also be done by virtual assistants. If you are going into a business in another part of the world, you can fly into that place and start asking around. Or you can call a virtual assistant and let him do the spadework.

• Transcription (Audio to Text)

If your business calls for the handling of information in audio and you need to transcribe it to text, a virtual assistant can do this for you. We have transcribers who can do even medical and legal transcribing.

• Web design/IT

If you have always wanted to have a website for your business but do not know how to go about making one, a virtual assistant can design one for you and even write the contents that you want your clients to read in your website.

Finally, with the current economic downturn, the need to be financially efficient has become crucial. Optimizing and outsourcing are two of your very viable options.

You Too Can Be A Virtual Assistant!

If you are looking for a business that can be run from home, financially rewarding and intellectually gratifying, try setting up a Virtual Office and becoming a Virtual Assistant. It is estimated that there are between 5,000 to 35,000 virtual assistants all over the world and the number is growing fast. Retrenched employees who were forced by the current economic downturn to set up their own business welcome the opportunity that virtual assistants offer. They also welcome the help that virtual assistants provide in running their business. Aside from giving them enormous savings in overhead expense and personnel cost, virtual assistants provide these entrepreneurs a jumpstart in their business by tapping the instant expertise that their pool of virtual workers provides.

It does not take much to set up a virtual office. A personal computer with the latest applications and a good internet connection can already launch you into business. Of course you also need a decent website to announce your presence in the market. A good business plan and well thought out marketing campaigns should be able to bring you your initial clients. Don’t hesitate to tap the services of a virtual assistant at the early stage of your business.

You do not need to be an expert in every field that your client will need services in because you can tap virtual workers. These are professionals and experts, both retired and actively employed, who are just too glad to contribute their expertise, for a fee of course.They work on a contractual basis and a long-lasting professional relationship is normal. Typically 5 years of administrative experience in such areas as executive assistant, office manager/supervisor, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, etc. is already adequate to meaningfully contribute to a virtual office.

You should cultivate a healthy relationship with these virtual workers because in a larger sense they are your business partners. As your business grows, their roles will become crucial. You will need a team of trusted virtual workers to entrust work overflow to. The standards of a good virtual assistant are not that easy to meet if his final products are to be acceptable to his international clients. Establishing a virtual network of quality workers is likewise not an easy task. Managing professionals and experts is never a straightforward formula. Any work overflow that you outsource from them must bear the same care and quality as your own if you want to keep your existing clients. A perceived deterioration in quality is the easiest way to lose them to your competitors.

Virtual offices create an enormous amount of personal freedom, independence and gratification for its owner and his virtual workers. The dedication and commitment that virtual workers demonstrate testify to the satisfaction derived from a home office setting. And sometimes, virtual workers look up to the virtual office for that job satisfaction that their job fails to provide simply because they are not given the opportunity to do what they want to do.

To gain and retain clients, you need to maintain your professionalism in all of your dealings with them. If it has been a leap of faith for you to give up the security of a monthly salary, it is as much a leap of faith for the business owners to embrace this new concept of outsourcing tasks to a team of virtual workers who they may not even see face-to-face. A great amount of trust is needed in this relationship and your professionalism in correspondence and phone calls will go a long way in securing their trust.

You will also have to pay meticulous attention to the accuracy of the final product that you submit to your clients even if it is produced by your best virtual worker. Meet all your deadlines, and know at least two days ahead of time if you are not going to be able to meet them. Communicate that to your client before the project is late. When something goes wrong, honesty rather than cover up is still the best policy. Keep in touch daily from the beginning to the end of all projects with brief status reports ever careful not to waste your clients’ time.

If setting up a virtual office looks daunting to you, you can start out as a virtual worker until you are able to grasp the intricacies of a virtual assistant business. Then you can go into it yourself, more confidently this time. Outsourcing as a business option is here to stay.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

VATrainingOnline.com – Here you’ll learn amazingly easy ways to build/create your own website. No html nor css required. Easy 3-15 minute step-by-step tutorials on how you can build your website. You will also be taught on how to turn your ordinary looking photos, into a work of art! All tutorials are accompanied by downloadable pdf transcripts for your easy reference. At the end of this session, you would have published you own website, live!

Tips For Effective Outsourcing

There are many virtual assistants online that promise professional, expert services in very well-designed websites. Some will quote lower rates, some will promise faster deliveries and some will promise even the moon and the stars. So how do you go about choosing the right one? To start with, you have to know what to look for when it comes to hiring a virtual assistant. The basic consideration in hiring a virtual assistant is satisfaction of the client’s needs at a reasonable price. So there has to be a common ground between what you need and what he can provide.

Following are some qualities that you have to look for in a virtual assistant before hiring one:

• Ability to work on flexible hours. A virtual assistant should be able to work the hours that your project requires without too many restrictions. That he is working halfway around the globe and should therefore be asleep when you are working is not an excuse. It comes with the territory, so to speak. If he imposes a lot of conditions or restrictions, you will be better off shopping around for other virtual assistants.

• Willingness to accept various payment systems. A virtual assistant should not force you into a straightjacket arrangement when it comes to payment system. There are various arrangements that can be made depending on the nature of the task or project being outsourced, such as subscription, hourly or per project packages. A virtual assistant should be able to live with free-lance rates to be able to compete with company employees. Inflexibility in this area should already tip you off that the virtual assistant may not be the best choice for your company.

• Ability to provide his own equipment and space. One of the main benefits that a virtual assistant can offer you is the fact that he provides his own working space and equipment. If his fees seem like he is charging you the cost of his equipment or the rent for his office space then maybe he is not the professional virtual assistant for you.

• Ability to communicate in various modes. Since a virtual assistant does not share an office with you various modes of communication are vital. In order for your working relationship to operate in the virtual world you need to be able to reach him when you need to so you should not be tied down to only one or two communication options. A lack of communication is the number one reason why business relationships and projects fail, so make sure that your virtual assistant provides you with multiple contact options.

• Possession of desired skills and expertise. It is not being unfair to ask for proofs of what he can do like a sample of his works. Look for telltale signs of lack of quality like misspellings, grammatical errors, misplaced punctuations, etc. A virtual assistant is supposed to be a professional and an expert, so these things have no place in his works. If he is unable or unwilling to offer you any proof of his work, look for another virtual assistant.

• Computer and Internet literate. Computer and internet literacy should be a must. If he admits shortcomings in this area and requires Internet training or technical training before you can begin working together then you are not talking to the right party. Maybe you are even better off providing the training to your full-time employees.

• Realistic claims. Virtual assistance is not for everyone. There are companies that are overstaffed and the employer is just looking for tasks that can be assigned to their staff. These are usually the Fortune 500 companies. So when a virtual assistant claims that such a company is his client, check it out. The slightest indication that he/she has been less truthful should push you to move on in your search.

• Honesty and integrity. Even after you have already hired a virtual assistant, always be on the lookout for copied works. You do not want to have problems with patents and copyrights. The first sign of plagiarism or directly downloaded materials, start looking for a new virtual assistant.

• Punctuality. Agree on realistic deadlines and stick to them. If your virtual assistant starts asking for extensions afterwards, he is not very professional and start looking for a new virtual assistant.

Finally, you will be well advised to remember the old adage. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true.