What is a Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant (or VA) is a professional service provider who specializes in providing remote administrative office support services as an independent contractor who works with clients in an ongoing, collaborative professional relationship.

Virtual Assistants work from their own offices and utilize today's technology to deliver their services and communicate with clients.

A Virtual Assistant's support is foundationally administrative, secretarial and clerical in nature. However, many Virtual Assistants offer additional specialties that fall under creative and technical services.

Virtual Assistants come from a variety of business backgrounds, but the single-most important qualification to become a Virtual Assistant is at least five (5) years administrative experience earned in the real (non-virtual) business world working in upper level capacities such as administrative assistant, executive assistant, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, office manager, etc.

From this level of experience, a VA is expected to possess the skill sets, training and business knowledge which are the hallmark of a truly qualified Virtual Assistant.*

*Definition from the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who typically uses the services of a Virtual Assistant?  VA’s work with bright, successful individuals with a vision…authors, sales executives, high level executives, consultants, coaches, entrepreneurs.. anyone who wants to achieve a well balanced life with more free time to concentrate on their own success—their own business.

2. Why would I hire an assistant that may be located hundreds of miles from my office?  The benefit of partnering with a VA is you do not have to hire an assistant. When you work with a VA, you get a partner, not an employee. You get a VA that chooses to work with you as much as you choose to work with him or her. The VA’s decision to work with you will depend on how attracted they are to your line of work and on being interested in being your partner for success, rather than the person that is only looking for “some job”.

3. What if I outsource my administrative work to a local temp agency? Why would I need a VA?  If you do employ a local temp agency, you are not getting a candidate that really cares about your business or your customers. It may require extensive training on your part and even then you may have to remind your “temp” to remember to perform the task that represents you in your voice. A VA can speak and write in your voice. A VA can listen to you dictate what you want in just a few words and make it happen. In addition, the more the VA knows your needs, the less time it will take him or her to do your work.

4. What kinds of duties would my VA perform?  VA’s can perform just about any duty with the exception of making your coffee or tea, but they can call and have it delivered! Otherwise, you and your VA are only bound by imagination, need, skills and desire.

5. How is it cheaper than secretarial help?  Maybe not in straight time that it’s cheaper, but you are likely to have to pay someone with this level of skills between $16 and $20 per hour if they were sitting in your office. But, you must also remember to factor in the cost of administering payroll, payroll taxes, having to pay for workman’s compensation and extra liability for having someone in your home or place of business. Your location may also have to conform to federal guidelines such as OSHA. After factoring in these additional costs, you do pay that much per hour. The more skilled and talented an assistant is, the more her time is worth and the higher the fee.