How To Find A Great Online Virtual Assistant
An effective virtual administrative assistant will help your business operate more efficiently. A strong VA costs less than a traditional employee, and can help you free up time so you can generate more revenue. You do not need to worry about paying benefits to a virtual assistant, or provide vacation pay. EI does not cost you a dime when you hire an online virtual assistant. In many cases, you can even hire a virtual assistant for only 2 hours. That kind of flexibility can be valuable for your business.
Despite these attractive advantages, many people fear using an online virtual assistant. A lot of business owners and executives do not ask themselves the right questions when they are searching for a virtual assistant.
If you are serious about saving money for your business by utilizing a good virtual administrative assistant, please consider the following when you conduct your search:
- What is the project or task that you need the virtual assistant to tackle? Carefully consider the breakdown of the task or project. How long would it take you to complete the task? Think about how you would complete the assignment and write some notes. This will help you communicate effectively with your potential virtual administrative assistant.
- What is your budget? How much money can you dedicate to a VA? Figure out roughly how many hours per week/month/day you will use your virtual assistant. Maybe you have a small project for only a few hours? That is a good type of first assignment for a virtual administrative assistant. You can test the flexibility of your virtual assistant, and gain an idea of their skill level.
- How much is your time worth? You should figure out exactly how much you cost per hour – think about it – if you can bill yourself out and make money while a VA handles your regular administrative duties, your bottom line will increase. Let’s look at an example:
If you make $150 an hour, and you hire an online virtual assistant to handle your administrative tasks for $40 an hour, you can charge yourself out instead of handling projects/tasks more suited for an assistant….. and make $110 an hour instead of making nothing. Would you rather handle tasks suited for a virtual administrative assistant, or make $110 an hour providing your services to a client?
Make sure that you consider all of the above questions before conducting you search for an online virtual assistant. A good place to start is online. Examine a few different virtual assistant websites. Consider the following:
- Is there a Privacy Policy or Terms of Use? Scroll all the way to the bottom of the website. Can you see links containing a privacy policy? Ensure that the VA will not sell your information to any third-party.
- Does the online virtual assistant belong to any organizations or associations? A lot of VA’s will belong to an association. An example is the CVAC (Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection). Does the VA belong to any local Chamber of Commerce? Membership in associations and organizations provides legitimacy to a VA!
- Are the rates and services listed? Listing rates adds a lot of credibility to a VA website. Many people have been ripped off by VA’s who charge ridiculous rates for poor service. Make sure you are clearly aware of the VA’s capabilities and you have a good idea of the rates for their services. A good online virtual assistant will have a transparent business - what you see is what you get!
A strong, stable virtual administrative assistant can be a huge asset to your business if utilized correctly. By asking yourself the right questions and finding the right VA, you can increase productivity. Make sure that you check out the websites of the VA’s you are considering for credibility.
My recommendation for a virtual administrative assistant is Stacey Taylor of My Right Hand VA. She is a successful virtual assistant that is professional, efficient, and intelligent. My Right Hand VA provides flexible, off-site, cost-effective, quality virtual administrative expertise to business professionals who may not have the time or necessary in-house resources to complete certain tasks or projects.
Tags: my right hand va, online virtual assistant, virtual administrative assistant, virtual assistant online, virtual online assistant