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What's a VA?
by Tash Hughes
of Word Constructions (www.wordconstructions.com.au)
It’s
another term floating around on the internet and amongst
small businesses, but what on earth is a VA?
VA
simply stands for Virtual Assistant
A VA does
many of the tasks traditionally done by a secretary,
typing pool or personal assistant. The difference is
that the VA isn’t based in the client’s office, and
often never even meets the client in person.
How
does a VA relationship work?
Anyone
needing some office support can contact a VA to arrange
getting some work done. Once the VA and client have
agreed on the tasks to be done and the cost, the VA
usually does the work from their own office. Some VAs
will also do filing or organise a local office.
Depending
on the tasks and distances, the finished work is then
forwarded to the client via email, courier or hand
delivery.
What
does a VA do?
VAs do a
range of tasks; some VAs will offer a full range of
services while others will offer only a few services.
VA
services include:
- Typing
minutes from notes
- Answering generic email enquiries
- Typing
and formatting reports and documents
- Data
entry
- Basic
bookkeeping
- Printing or photocopying
- Stuffing envelopes
- Mail
merge and printing letters
- Booking travel arrangements
- Scanning and faxing documents
When
would someone use a VA?
While a VA
won’t replace a full time personal assistant, a VA is a
great option when:
Why use
a VA?
There are
advantages to using a VA rather than part time and
temporary staff in the above situations.
By working
from their own office, a VA means that the client
doesn’t have to provide a desk, chair, lighting, heating
and other facilities for the worker. This saves the
client money and hassles.
A VA is
paid for completing certain tasks whereas staff needs to
be paid for set hours, even if there isn’t enough work
to keep them busy. And obviously, a VA doesn’t get paid
for holidays, workers compensation or sick leave.
The same
VA can be used repeatedly which allows for a working
relationship which the VA is interested in fostering.
This is more effective than a temp agency where each
temp has to learn about the business before completing a
project.
For small
and medium businesses, a VA is an easy and
cost-effective way of reducing staff workloads so that
everyone can focus on building the business.
Clear communication is critical to
the success of any business, but it is often left to
care for itself in many businesses. Tash Hughes is a
professional and skilled writer who makes technical and
otherwise boring information accessible for everyone a
business needs to communicate with. Next time you need
webcopy, articles, newsletters, reports or any other
business document, visit
www.wordconstructions.com.au to
see how Tash and her team can help your business
succeed. |
