Virtual assistance

Virtual assistance (or VA) is the professional service of remote administrative office and other specialized support by an Independent_contractor called a virtual assistant who works with clients in an ongoing, collaborative professional relationship.

Job description

Virtual assistants own their own businesses (called practices), work from their own offices and utilize today's technology to deliver their services and communicate with clients.

A virtual assistant's core practice consists of administrative or clerical tasks. However, many virtual assistants offer additional specialties that fall under various other categories, such as marketing, website development or maintenance, creative and technical services, etc. In addition, many VA’s have target niches, and those include real estate, coaching, and writers to name a few prominent ones.

Virtual assistants come from a variety of business backgrounds, but most have several years administrative experience earned in the real (non-virtual) business world working in occupations such as administrative assistant, executive assistant, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, office manager, etc..

There are several organizations that train individuals to become virtual assistants, including AssistU, the Virtual Assistance Training Program [ [http://www.vatp.ca/info/discover.html VATP] ] Red Deer College [ [http://www.rdc.ab.ca/programs_and_courses/certificate_and_diploma_programs/virtual_assistant_certificate.html Red Deer College | Academic Calendar 2008/2009 | Virtual Assistant Certificate ] ] and others.

In popular culture

Virtual assistants were an integral part of the 2007 bestselling book "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss. [Ferriss, Timothy "The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich' Crown (2007)] Ferriss claimed to have hired virtual assistants to check his email, pay his bills and run parts of his company. [cite news
last = Maney
first = Kevin
title = Tim Ferriss Wants You To Get a Life
publisher = Portfolio
date =October 7, 2007
url = http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-tech-observer/2007/10/11/tim-ferriss-wants-you-to-get-a-life
accessdate = 2008-03-21 "..if you have a virtual assistant, let them go through your email and respond when necessary"] He specifically recommended classified-type services like Elance where employers and employees solicit and hire on demand. [ [http://livethelife.tv/tim-ferriss-describes-how-elance-works/ Tim Ferriss explains how Elance works] video ]

Differences between a VA and an Employee or Temp

Virtual assistants are independent contractors, not employees, who structure their own rates and operating standards and policies, pay their own self-employment taxes, and control management of the work and how it is carried out. While many self-employed people specialize in one area—for example, they are bookkeepers or web development specialists who work from home—a true virtual assistant provides across-the-board administrative (and other) services.

Employees are managed and directed by the employer they work for. They are paid a salary with employment taxes deducted by the employer. Work is directed, managed and supervised by the employer.

Temps are employees of a staffing agency who go on-site or work virtually for an employer customer. They are paid by the staffing agency they work for, while their on-site or virtual work and activities are managed, directed and supervised by the employer customer of the staffing agency.

Virtual Assistance vs. Secretarial or Business Support Services

Secretarial and business support services focus on task-based projects and piecework to any customer willing to pay. Virtual assistance hinges upon relationships, where the VA works with clients of their choosing, where greater efficiency and value can be collectively attained.

Virtual Assistants build a relationship with their clients who are generally on a monthly retainer and get to know their client's business really well. They also have an ownership of making sure their clients business succeeds and will therefore do whatever it takes to ensure important deadlines are met. After all if their client is not in business, then they aren't either.

References

External Links

* [http://www.elance.com Elance.com]
* [http://www.virtualsecretarysolutions.co.uk Virtual Secretary Solutions]