Archive for the ‘Virtual Assistance’ Category

Collins-Admin Services and Fabulous Frugal Websites is proud to announce that they have two new vertical markets for web design services:Virtual Assistance and Private Investigation.

What this means is that we are now offering web design packages with the virtual assistant and private investigator/judgment recovery agent in mind.  These packages include some of the most asked for addons for the particular industy.

For virtual assistants our sites include:

Newsletter manager (no more paying third party companies)

Events calendars

Task management ability

Event and seminar registration

Companion blog (with matching template)

and more…..

For private investigators and judgment recovery professionals:

Newsletter manager

Ability for clients to download contracts directly from website

Collaboration software

and online client bill paying

These addons are just one’s that are already included in the package.  Should you want another feature, chances are it can be added.

So whether you are a virtual assistant or private investigator who needs a website or wants their website revamped check out our two vertical markets:

Virtual Assistant

Private Investigator/Judgment Recovery Agent

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There have been many articles about what a virtual assistant is but they all use terms such as administrative assistant, independent contractor, remote worker, etc. With all those “professional” terms it can get confusing as well as seem like a virtual assistant will cost an arm and a leg, and in this economy we all know that we need to steer away from costly purchases unless it is a necessity. Then I come along and tack on the word confidential and holy smokes it really sounds like it will cost a lot of money, but in reality it really doesn’t.A virtual assistant is a person who provides secretarial services, also known as an administrative assistant. The only difference between a “normal” secretary and a virtual assistant is that the virtual assistant does not have a physical presence at your office. They usually work from their own home office.

Virtual assistants may provide all the services that a secretary will perform and others may not. For example, you may have virtual assistants who will answer phones, contact clients, etc and others who may not offer these services for numerous reasons. It all depends on your needs and desires. Some virtual assistants will work on a project-by-project basis and some require retainers. Again, it depends on yours and the virtual assistant’s needs and abilities.

Confidential virtual assistants are basically the same as a virtual assistant except for one major difference-CVA’s take confidentiality one step further than a regular virtual assistant. Like a virtual assistant, CVAs guarantee they will not disclose any information regarding your business and the projects they are completing for you. In order to add confidential to the virtual assistant title, CVAs need more than just virus scan and firewalls, they need encryption software, password protected computers, password protected/encrypted backups of client data, means to destroy any print data (i.e. shredding, burning). CVAs also have a software program so that electronic files can be shredded (i.e. PGP shredder) A CVA doesn’t take security and confidentiality lightly.

One of the biggest misconceptions of a confidential virtual assistant vs a virtual assistant is the price. There is no difference in pricing between the two just a difference in what you get for your dollar.

So the next time you think about getting a virtual assistant look for more value for that dollar by hiring a confidential virtual assistant.

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Recently I have been trying to decide as to whether or not I want to continue being a virtual assistant.  Not because of lack of work but because of lack of ethics, customer service and personal attention that other VA’s are displaying.  I’m totally appalled and in shock.

I must say not all virtual assistants are only interested in the paycheck and not the client.  In fact, there are several who do have great work ethics and really listen to their clients and enjoy the work they do, not just for the paycheck but for the sound in their clients’ voices when they have dropped their stress level significantly. To them, I say thank you for overcoming the challenges that bad virtual assistants are causing us.

Just this week I have seen numerous people complaining about their virtual assistants.  One person hired a VA and fired her within 4 days.  Another person is not getting the personal attention and the customer service that they should be getting from their VA and he is so fed up with it that he is willing to give up on virtual assistants all together.

What the heck are virtual assistants who really in truly look out for our clients supposed to do when so many VAs are giving us a bad name? I have seen virtual assistants talking about requirements for VAs such as schooling but even that isn’t going to help. Schools can not teach virtual assistants how to implement good ethics into their business.  That is something that needs to be learned on their own.  They need to learn the finer point of skills such as defining and applying good ethics, and to put the client first instead of the paycheck.

One of the reasons that I think so many people are becoming virtual assistants is because it has been advertised that all you need to be a good virtual assistant is a computer, internet connection, printer, and telephone.  Amazingly enough I just saw a blog post today that said “Earn Big Bucks (right now) by becoming a virtual assistant.” While computer, internet, printer and telephone is all you need to become a virtual assistant it is not all you need to become a GOOD virtual assistant.

I can also guarantee that just by saying you are a virtual assistant and opening your “doors” will not earn you big bucks. Becoming a good virtual assistant means not just saying you do, but actually implementing the following, listening to clients, finding out their needs, going that extra mile instead of taking shortcuts. If they desperately need your help but can’t afford the $40 per hour that you charge, then why not work out a plan so you can give them the help they need without breaking their bank.  Maybe when they say I need help with this, and this, and this but I can only afford to pay you this, don’t kick them to the curb, instead sit down and figure out what should be their priority and handle that project.

One of the complaints that I have been hearing is I only need a part time person but nobody is willing to work part time.  Doing part time work may not sound appealing but that is the reality of being a VA. You work for many clients, a little here and a little there. Full time work is the exception, not the rule, and it comes as a result of doing piece-work. Once you do part time work for somebody and then with the passing of time your client begins to rely on you and trust you, it may turn into full-time work. Not to mention the fact that if they are satisfied they will tell their friends, which means more business for you.

What’s sad is that a lot of the bad VAs are complaining about the competition from virtual assistants over in the Philippines, China, India charging $5 per hour when they shouldn’t because if clients get the kind of customer service that I have been hearing about over here in the states, who can blame them for going overseas.  At least if they are only paying $5 per hour, they expect bad customer service.

When a VA gives good service, overseas competition ceases to be a threat. Good service consists of competent performance of required tasks, combined with a willingness to go the extra mile, and to look out for the best interests of the client. The VA industry needs more VAs willing to do that, and fewer who think it is just about the money. When it ISN’T just about the money, earnings go up!

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We’ve all heard why you should hire a virtual assistant. It saves times, money, aggravation, and helps your business run smoother. However, we have never really heard why you shouldn’t hire a virtual assistant, and I am here to change that.

Virtual assistants are small business owners who enjoy helping clients run their business smoothly and be a solution to their administrative challenges. They work on their own usually from a home office and they have the skills needed to get the job done. They can become a great asset to any business, however there are reasons that you should not hire a virtual assistant.

Watercooler-If you are the type of person who needs somebody to chat with about the latest TV show, the latest politics, and all around general gossip, a virtual assistant is not right for you. While some virtual assistants enjoy talking about family and other things like that for a brief time, they can not spend a long time chatting because that is taking away from their bottom line.  As long as they are on the phone with you just chatting takes away from doing work for other clients because they only charge for the time spent on projects.

Control Freak-If you are a person who needs to be in control of every aspect of your life and business, a virtual assistant is not for you.  Virtual assistants have gained much experience over their years in the corporate world that they have the skills and drive to get the projects done when needed and in a cost-effective way. They do not need somebody looking over their shoulder every second of every day. However, you should be updated at least weekly as to how things are going on your project.  If a virtual assistant is not doing this and is not getting your project to you on time, it may be time to find a different VA.

Beck and Call-This brings me to the thought of a movie called two weeks notice starring Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. In this movie, Hugh Grant could not even make a decision as to what to wear without consulting his assistant (Sandra Bullock). If you are looking for somebody who is just waiting for you to call them to get advice on something irrelevant to the projects they are doing for you, a virtual assistant is not right for you. They are there to discuss different aspects of your business such as marketing, handouts for trade shows, next step for your business etc but before you call your VA at midnight, you need to decide whether it is that important or if it can wait until morning. If you have a tendency to forget an idea, right it down in a notebook somewhere and use it for reference when you wish to speak to your VA.

Illegal- If you are looking for somebody to help you in a business that is illegal or handle a project hat is illegal, a virtual assistant is not for you. Virtual assistants have too much at stake to even consider doing things that are illegal. Besides the fact that it is unethical by any VAs standards, it can also do a lot of harm to their business and personal lives.  Most VAs are sole proprietors which means anything they do with their business also effects their personal lives. This could be anything from being sued to going to jail and I don’t know of one VA who is willing to do that for any of their clients.

So there you have it, four reasons that you do not want to hire a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant can be a life saver to any small business but if any of the previous qualities and requirements describe you, you may want to hire an employee instead of a VA.  VAs pride themselves on their business and their reputation and while they treat every client as if they are their only client, you can not take advantage of this because that particular VA may just kick you to the curb.

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Recently I read a blog post about virtual assistants.  This person wanted to know if anybody has used one and what they thought about it.  There were some positive posts about virtual assistants but there were also some negative posts and of course, the negative posts stuck.

One of the comments was that virtual assistants had contracts that needed to be signed and they didn’t want to sign them.

Yes, virtual assistants do have contracts but they don’t only protect the virtual assistant, they also protect the client. A well written contract will protect the rights of both parties in a balanced way – you really DON’T want to work with a VA who does not use a contract (unless the work involved is a very small amount and non-sensitive in nature), since it is both unprofessional, and risky!

Some common contract clauses:

•  Intellectual property rights and copyright protection clauses. This protects the client because it is in writing that the VA will not use or sell any material belonging to the client.  If this is not included, virtual assistants would be free to use and sell any material that their client provides to them. That means trade secrets, articles, etc.
   
• Most contracts state that the VA will return all materials to their client should there be a reason that they no longer work together. If this was not in the contract, the VA could hold those items “hostage” – this can happen with an unethical assistant of any kind, including in the office, if you do not have the requirements legally spelled out.
•  Many contain confidentiality assurances. This protects you and gives you a legal option if your information is carelessly shared with others.

Another commenter said that it didn’t work out not only because the client didn’t take the time to plan what needed to be done but also because the VA didn’t take the initiative to do anything without detailed instructions.  When you do an initial consultation with a potential VA, you need to have a list of what it is that you don’t believe are the core tasks of your business and what you really don’t like doing. If you don’t have a list, you need to be able to explain what a typical day entails for you, then a VA can help you figure out the best things to outsource.

Working with a VA is the same as working with an in-house employee, neither can read minds so they need to know what it is that needs to be done, at least at the beginning.  Once you have worked together for any length of time, the VA will be able to get a routine going and know when you like articles done, or when to backup your website, etc.

Communication is essential – a good VA will remind you occasionally, or ask questions to clarify, but YOU must state definitively what you need to have done, and how you want it done. Again a VA can not read their clients’ minds, and if you want the job done completely, and correctly, you must give clear information about what that means.  If you send them a spreadsheet with no specific instructions, it is just a spreadsheet.  VA’s are there to make their clients’ lives easier and to do the work the way the client wants it done, or to find a way to do the same task more efficiently without compromising the results. You can’t just send them a file with nothing else.

Over time, a VA will get to know how you want many things done, and will be able to lessen the amount of instruction needed for routine tasks. If instructions have been given, and the work is still not done without prompting, then you may be working with a VA who lacks motivation. If that is the case then by all means “fire” them and find a different VA that is a better match.

Another person stated that they need more of a relationship with people they work with. There may be VA’s who prefer to be professionally reserved, and everything is work, work, work with them but there are VA’s who really like to get to know their clients personally as well as professionally, you just have to find the right match.  To do this, when you initially consult with a potential VA, talk about business but also ask them about themselves personally. If the VA tends to shy away from talking about themselves and you can’t carry on a casual conversation with them, then that VA might not be right for you.

Just remember a VA can not read your mind, they have contracts so they can protect themselves as well as their clients, and as in all industries there may be a few bad apples but for every bad apple, you will find a dozen good apples. Also remember the most important tip of all, you get out of a VA what you put in, so take the time to build the relationship, convey your wishes clearly, and you can build a working relationship that benefits your business for years to come.

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