Archive for Virtual Business Assistance

What is the difference between an Online Business Manager (OBM) and a Virtual Assistant (VA) and why do I need one anyway?  This is a question that has been asked countless times, by both business owners needing the valuable assistance of capable people and by individuals wishing to know which position they are most likely to do well in.  There are indeed many similarities between OBMs and VAs, but there are several distinct differences.

  • OBMs are responsible for the work of many.  VAs are responsible for their own work.
  • OBMs generally work with 1 to 3 clients at a time.  VAs can work with up to 10 clients at a time.
  • OBMs compensation is generally base + incentives.  VA’s are usually compensated either hourly or on a project by project basis.
  • OBMs normally work with businesses with more complex structures and larger incomes.  A VA’s services are used not only by larger companies but also by companies in their very early stages of development.

Now that you know the key differences….you can make a better choice as to which you need for your business – or which career best suits you.  Both of these positions have a lot of advantages, such as flexible scheduling and the option of working from home.  However, in a VA position you are likely to have far more independence, while as an OBM you will likely to be held responsible for keeping regular hours and being physically at your desk or phone even if you work from home.  Both have serious advantages, but picking the one that is best suited to your preferences will optimize your likelihood for success.

So your business is expanding. And there are just way too many daily administrative tasks that may at first seem mundane but prove to be very important. You know you need an assistant – but you just cannot afford another employee, whether full or part timer. Here’s where a Virtual Assistant comes in.

A Virtual Assistant or VA is proving to be very important in this tough economy we’re having. With customers and clients becoming more and more picky with their choices, businessmen do have to find that right balance between business building and excellent customer service. Juggling both can prove very tasking and only a virtual assistant can save your life.

Here’s how.

Whereas full and part-time employees get paid on a daily basis regardless of how much work they churned out, a virtual assistant only gets paid for the amount of work rendered – no need to pay for idle time spent on work. Besides, these virtual assistants are very flexible with the services they offer – from administrative to clerical to creative tasks. Here’s a list of just a few things a virtual assistant can do for you:

• Call screening and making
• Email monitoring
• Appointment scheduling
• Client and partner coordination
• Document and report preparation
• Newsletter creation
• Blog and website creation
• Account and expenses update
• Client databases update

The Internet offers a whole lot of possibilities – you can now communicate and exchange information with people without having to be face to face with them. And that’s another reason to hire a virtual assistant for your business: because technology now allows it.

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Are you a small business owner? Are you overwhelmed by your never ending to-do list? Are you weighed down by time-consuming busywork? Then a Virtual Assistant may be just what the doctor ordered! Simply put, a Virtual Assistant is an off-site employee or independent contractor that provides administrative and other support services electronically. If you loathe the artificial socialization of a corporate workplace, or listening to the dull details of your co-worker’s life story, then a virtual assistant may be right for you.

Virtual Assistance is the profession of Virtual Assistants. Virtual Assistants are business owners that specialize in providing administrative support to other business owners on a regular basis. Virtual Assistants work remotely from their own offices and use the internet, phone and fax machines to communicate with their partners.

A Virtual Assistant’s support is generally administrative, and clerical in nature. However, well versed Virtual Assistants also offer additional specialized services. For instance they may specialize in creative writing, bookkeeping or other professional services.

Although Virtual Assistants may come from a wide range of  business backgrounds, the most important qualification to becoming a Virtual Assistant is at least five years of administrative experience in the real or non virtual world working in upper level capacities such as administrative assistant, executive assistant, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, office manager, etc. It is from this experience that a VA gains the necessary skill set and training required to be a justly qualified Virtual Assistant.

Although a Virtual Assistant may be paid a higher hourly rate then a regular employee the cost is actually substantially less. VA’s are considered independent contractors therefore they pay their own employment taxes saving you money. In the end if you are overwhelmed by your to-do list and are looking for a simple solution to help your small business then a Virtual Assistant may be right for you. Kim Beckers Services offers over twelve (12) years of real world experience and reasonable rates to fit any budget. There is no project too big or too small. Contact Us Today for your Virtual Assistance Needs.

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These days, there are so many ways to make anything easier.  Machines are being churned out daily to ease function on just about anything.  Gadgets are invented, making everything faster and more convenient.  Modern technology has also affected the way everybody conducts business and office affairs.  Whereas even just ten years ago, all things that needed to be done in a business have to be done in the office, this is not the case nowadays.

The convenience brought about by such a concept as a virtual assistant has been taken advantage of by so many businesses, a great majority of them saying that it has greatly benefited them.  So, if you are a businessman, or even just an owner of a small operation, you may ask why you need a virtual assistant.  Here are some of the reasons that may convince you to think of jumping in this bandwagon and get the same privileges as people who have gotten VAs have been experiencing.

One of the main reasons why you need a virtual assistant is the convenience.  With a virtual assistant, you do not need to pay social security and some taxes imposed by some states for employers to pay in behalf of their employees.  In a regular office setting, employers are also required to provide medical insurance and other employee benefits, plus hire someone or a whole department to administer the mentioned benefits.  With the virtual assistant, he or she is the one responsible for paying these benefits himself or herself.  Thus, it is not only convenient in the part of the employer, it is also economical.

Another great reason why you need a virtual assistant is the absence of politics and bureaucracy in a VA – businessman setting.  You and your VA will be working as equals, so there is no boss – employee relationship which usually causes awkward conflict and unnecessary procedures that just drags the business down and lessens productivity.  As a VA is also a businessperson selling himself or herself, the both of you have an understanding of business functions and finances, something that an employee is not really expected to appreciate or even understand.

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In the business world, a virtual assistant may sound rather trendy and just something businessmen may consider as a phase or just something that will get them into the chic bandwagon.  On the contrary, there are a number of valid reasons why you need a virtual assistant.  These reasons have been experienced by a lot of individuals and business owners who can testify to the benefits that having a VA can bring.

Listed below are a number of reasons why you need a virtual assistant.  You will be surprised to notice a big difference once you hire a VA yourself and experience these benefits.

(1)   Be assured of 100% productivity.

The main reason why you need a virtual assistant is that you can be assured that your VA will be dedicated to getting the work done in the hours that you pay him or her for.  This erases a common problem offices have experienced for as long as they have been established – a lack of productivity among employees.  It is quite a common scene for office workers to go to work, read their e-mail, do their work, and once they’re done, surf the internet or chit-chat with their fellow employees.  With a virtual assistant, you only pay for the hours that the VA actually worked for a project, not for an 8-hour shift that an office worker usually gets paid for and only spends half of it actually working.

(2)   A VA will get the work done without you having to hire so many people to do work on your behalf.

In an office setting, if a boss has to concentrate on heading his business, he or she has to hire a personal secretary, an administrative assistant, an office manager, and a human resource manager to delegate clerical and HR tasks.  Most of these tasks can be done by a VA all by himself or herself, thus allowing you to save on wages.  Furthermore, you can be assured that the quality of work done is high as a VA would have qualifications that do not need much training unlike a new hire.

A VA is a wise decision that does not only save you money, but effort in streamlining your business as well.

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Though the concept of outsourcing is not a new one to many business owners the word Virtual Assistance may be. In this article I am going to explain what exactly virtual services are and how hiring a Virtual Assistant can actually save you time and money.

Virtual services are of course provided by a Virtual Assistant. First and foremost these are independent business owners that provide administrative, creative and/or technical services virtually. VA’s are highly skilled workers with at least five years of real world experience in administrative roles. Although the levels of education may vary generally speaking Virtual Assistants are well educated and have a vast knowledge of skills and experience in office management, computer systems and software.

Virtual services can save your business money because they are tax deductible business expense. You only pay for the hours that the VA works and nothing more. There is no sick time or vacation pay; no payroll taxes, returns to file or workers compensation insurance to pay, you simply pay the contracted rate and that’s it. You don’t extra office space, software or computer equipment. These are just a few examples of how outsourcing can save your business money.

Virtual services can also save you time by completing those tedious dreaded tasks. Some services may include bookkeeping, time management, email set up and management.  Virtual assistants can make travel arrangements, set up and schedule meetings, tele-seminars, web-conferencing. These are just a few examples of how virtual assistant services can help you save time so you can focus on generating income and grow your business.

As you can see there are many ways that outsourcing virtual services can save your business both time and money.

Kim Beckers Services offers over twelve (12) years of real world experience and reasonable rates to fit any budget. There is no project too big or too small. Contact Us Today for your Virtual Assistance Needs.

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There are many ways that a virtual assistant can save you both time and money. There are several advantages of virtual assistance for your business. In this article I will show you eight basic ways hiring a virtual assistant can you save your business money.

Are you spending more then 2 hours a month doing administrative or bookkeeping work?  Then you are losing money and you need a virtual assistant. You may think that performing these duties yourself is helping your bottom line but if act as your own assistant you are depriving your business and your clients of valuable expertise.

Here are just a few examples of how a virtual assistant can save your business money.

  • Tax-deductible as a business expense
  • Only pay per project – no annual/sick leave payments, insurance contributions, etc
  • Much cheaper than hiring a temp through an employment agency.
  • No payroll taxes, returns to file or workers compensation insurance.
  • No extra office space or equipment needed
  • Can be available outside of normal office hours
  • Exploit time differences – e.g. if you are based in Europe, I can work on your documents while you are sleep!

Here are just a few examples of how a virtual assistant can save you time.

  • Bookkeeping Services
  • PowerPoint Presentations
  • Set up, maintenance of contact management system
  • Direct Mailing and Emailing marketing using contact management
  • Creation of Company Brochures, Flyers, Letters and other forms.
  • Email setup and Maintenance
  • Office Administration
  • Travel, meetings, tele-seminars, web-conferencing set up and scheduling
  • Data Entry

These are just a few examples of how a virtual assistant can help your businesses.

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Oct
23

The Benefits of A Virtual Assistant

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If you are stumbling to finish your work and spend time with your family or you just don’t have enough hours in the day then a Virtual Assistant may be right for you. Basically a Virtual Assistant is an off-site or virtual member of your team that provides administrative support services through electronic transactions.

First and foremost Virtual Assistants are small businesses too. They are there to support your needs, and they have to produce in order to get paid. If they don’t work they don’t get paid, its that simple.  You don’t pay for time they are not working unlike employees who may chatter on the phone or take 2 hour lunchs or show up late to work or take sick time. And since your relationship is based on a contractual agreement, which specifies what will be done. The work is either done or its not, there is no in between.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant actually saves you money! Since you have no on-site employees there is no extra office space rent, additional computers or equipment to buy. There is also no liability, no worker’s compensation insurance, and no payroll taxes to pay. Everyone is an independent contractor and you can employ a virtual assistant for either ongoing work or on a per-project basis.

In conclusion, if you are looking to grow your business, stay more organized and better focus your efforts on building your business rather then doing busy work as well as save money then virtual assistance may be the answer.  Kim Beckers Services offers over twelve (12) years of real world experience and reasonable rates to fit any budget. There is no project too big or too small. Contact Us Today for your Virtual Assistance Needs.

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If things have gotten to the situation where you competence level is no longer what it was once been when you are just starting out the business, and in spite of everything, business still comes in, then this might have put you in a position where you have to think about hiring someone to help out.

In this case, you should start asking, when am I supposed to hire for help? The following “If’s” can assist you to weigh up your condition and ought to help you figure out if you truly need a virtual assistant service for your company.

  1. If you haven’t completed any job that you’re supposed to within a day or weeks then you are apparently being left behind. This is a sign that you need help immediately.
  2. If you are not satisfied with the level of your capabilities and you often sense that you are way beyond achieving anything, then this is another sign.
  3. If your once contented customers are no longer happy with the service that you are giving them and at the same time, they are already complaining with regards to your company’s service or product, do not wait another minute before you hire for assistance.
  4. If you are not having fun with your job now as much as when you have started, obviously, something is not right.
  5. If your business is not advancing and has been inactive because you are forced to do the things that you don’t really want to do.

Then think about employing a virtual assistant service who could do those things for you, and direct you attention to the things which you like to do like expanding and improving your business. In this way, you will also have some time to personally attend to your important customers and start being acquainted with them again.

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Virtual assistants carry away the clerical workload allowing business proprietors and professionals to direct their time and strength on the growth and advancement of their business. Improving the earnings is the one and only purpose of having a business and it is very important that owners of business make use of the time that are available for them to generate more income and hand down the other clerical responsibilities to others.

A considerable savings may be obtained for having a Virtual assistant since they do not have to be given the traditional incentives like the insurance and employee benefits, which are normally included in the regular office jobs. They are also not entitled to the paid leave and holidays because they are not considered a regular employee of the company.

Fine virtual assistants have the aptitude to carry out a multitude of responsibilities that consist of book keeping, organizing databases, invoicing, correspondence, travel planning and preparations, creating and implementing promotional and advertising paraphernalia.

Owners of businesses have the power to get the services of virtual assistants according to their varying needs. And the payment is absolutely connected to the job that the virtual assistants do. Also, they can be appointed from ten hours a week to the maximum of forty hours or even more.

Highly qualified virtual assistants are very knowledgeable in corporate affairs and are much adept to the tasks that are being required by the contemporary entrepreneurs of today. Surely, virtual assistants are more of an asset to any enterprise. Get their services now and start watching your business climb up!

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