Faster than a speeding typist. Able to leap fast deadlines in a single bound.

A virtual assistant allows you to complete numerous jobs in a flash.

The best news is that this multi-tasked helper won’t need a W-4 form or space in your office. Your virtual assistant can live 3,000 miles away and still get the job done.

This person is on call for you only when assistance is required and paid an hourly rate for services. But let's start at the beginning to understand more about this part-time partner.

A virtual assistant (VA) is an independent contractor who provides administrative support, such as typing, bookkeeping, database management, and desktop publishing, to businesses worldwide. Such work is sent from or communicated by you to them by fax, mail or by Email.

Many VAs are members of sanctioning organizations, such as the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA), and are trained to handle numerous tasks that you need completed within a time frame.

Not sure if this kind of support is right for you? Here’s an example. You have proposals to develop for clients. At the same time, you want to continue marketing your services to prospects. Postcards will be used for promotion, and your database of contact names and addresses is set up on your computer.

A virtual assistant can take care of the postcard mailing while you develop the proposals (which the virtual assistant can type when it's ready).

Your postcards are being created by a commercial printer. Tell the printer to ship the postcards to your VA. Meanwhile, you send your database of prospects to the VA as an Email attachment, which the VA opens, formats, and prints onto labels.

When the postcards are delivered, the VA affixes the labels and stamps onto the postcards and promptly mails it. By that time, you’ve written your proposals in long hand and faxed the pages to the VA for typing. If the proposal is typed on the computer, it's sent to the VA for formatting and spell check. When done, the VA, who has created your proposal using PowerPoint, Emails it back to you for editing.

Imaging the possibilities. With VA assistance, you can complete double or triple the amount of work you now perform.
 
Expect to pay a VA approximately between $15 and $25 per hour plus additional expenses, such as for postage and travel associated with the postcard mailing. This is a bargain compared to paying for payroll, benefits, vacation pay, and sick time.

I’m not suggesting that a virtual assistant can be a total substitute for employees, but if quick help is needed or your working environment is not organized for an on-the-premises employee, this alternative can be energy saving and vital to your business longevity.

Several groups, such as the IVAA and Virtual Assistant Associates will help you find a capable VA. You can also type “virtual assistant” into any search engine to find trained individuals or ask colleagues for recommendations to find local support.

It’s not a bird or a plane. She’s a virtual assistant, the support system that’s ready when you need the work done.

©2005 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved.