Virtual Assistants and the Virtual Office Service ...

Using a virtual office service can help your small business solve one of its most frustrating problems.

As a business owner you are faced with a constant stream of things that need to be done, a neverending list of things to do and never enough time or people to do them.

It's part of being in business and you can't get away from it.

And; that's were Virtual assistants come in.

What is a Virtual Office Service?

Your business is closed for the day, your employees have all gone home, yet you are still tied up doing administrative and secretarial work. Sound familiar?

Virtual Assistants for Business Help

What you can do instead however, is get someone else to do a lot of it for you.

Delegate work to a virtual office service and cost effective virtual assistants.

They can help free up your time and allow you to concentrate on establishing, growing and generating revenue for your business.

Employing others to relieve you of some of your work is easy. Managing them is not, in fact it can be a real headache, not to mention very costly.

  • First you have to hire
  • then train
  • then provide the tools for the job
  • then pay tax and cover vacations
  • cover illness and possible inefficiencies
  • and if an employee leaves, you start all over again

So, what's the alternative?

Virtual Assistants or VA's - are a very real alternative to hiring new employees and you should consider using virtual assistants, (recruited through a virtual office service).

A Virtual Assistant is a professional, often with many years service in a specialized field, who has decided to work from home and are self employed.

They communicate with their clients via the Internet, email, phone, fax or post and pick-up and deliver.

They work on a contract basis and in many cases provide just the type of office administration relief needed to free up a business owners time.

VA's can be really cost effective and very useful in helping business management with all those tedious admin jobs that take up so much time, jobs that are non-revenue generating but still have to be done.

Not long ago no-one had even heard of a Vitual Assistant (VA) ...

Now there are tens of thousands of them all over the world. Confirming that they are providing a much needed virtual office service.

So, What can you expect from a Virtual Assistant?

  • All VA's tend to provide a business administration service with many specializing in different business skills.
  • Any job that can be carried out remotely can be done by a VA.
  • No matter what work you want done, there will be a VA who has specialized experience in that field and can provide a virtual office service.
  • All general office duties such as answering the phone, correspondence, typing, emailing, etc, can be delegated to a virtual receptionist.
  • Specialist VA's are readily available to cover jobs such as accounting, bookkeeping, financial assistance and many technical services.
  • They can be used for staff recruitment, human resource assistance, staff newsletters and staff documentation.
  • Representatives and real estate agents can use them for lead generation.
  • Your business website can be maintained or even designed and hosted by a VA.

What do virtual assitants cost and will they save you money?

As VA's work on a contract basis, using their own facilities, office and equipment, these are all straight savings to you as opposed to employing your own fulltime staff member.

You will have virtual office space available, which gives you all the amenities of a real office but none of the costs.

Virtual Assistants only charge for the time they actually spend on your work, so you are not paying for late arrivals, lunch breaks or sick days.

Although a VA charges out what might be considered a lot more than the cost of an employee, say $25 per hour against $12 per hour, once you take into account the true cost of an employee you will find that using a VA is one third to one half cheaper per hour than a full time employee.

The Virtual Office Service ...

The big plus in using a Virtual Office Service however, are the fringe benefits, such as no lawsuits, labor conflicts, bonuses, 401K's, social security, health care, pensions, vacations or sick leave costs.

If you need help, don't want or need a full time employee and want to reduce your stress level, use a virtual office service and hire a virtual assistant.

VA's will cost you anything from $20 to $100 per hour, depending on what you need done. Clerical work is generally the cheapest, with highly technical or legal work the most expensive.

Most VA's will work hourly or a retainer basis. All work on contract.

Generally contracting a virtual office service, through a retainer agreement, is the least costly with savings of up to 20% on the hourly rate.

As a new client you will probably be asked to make a deposit down payment. Once the relationship has been established, you will likely be charged monthly.

Finding a Virtual Assistant ...

As VA's need to help their clients succeed, after all their very livelihood depends on making sure that you are satisfied, they will tend to be very truthful as to what they can and what they cannot do.

Remember that any relationship you have with your VA must be satisfactory for both parties, but the work must satisfy your business needs.

First though to finding a VA that fits your needs.

  • Check our Business Services listings
  • Search for 'Virtual Assistant' on google or any other search engine, and you will have a million Virtual Office Service's to choose from.
  • If you want someone close to you, then you can search by geographical area within Google for VA?s who live close to you.

Once you have found a virtual office service you like, complete their Request for Proposals (RFP) form, state your needs and they will then arrange for suitable Virtual Assistants to contact you directly. NOTE: Always keep a copy of your completed RFP.

Deciding on Your Virtual Assistant -

Once you have been contacted by a potential VA here is what to do ...

  • Check the reply from the VA against your laid down RFP requirements. Do they match?
  • Email them back and ask for clarification on any points you are unsure of. Check their email replies for good English, grammar, spelling etc.
  • Now speak to them on the phone; get an impression, would you like them based on what you hear?
  • Ask how long they have been in business, what previous experience do they have, can they give you any referrals?
  • If they are close by and it is possible to meet, do so.
  • Ask for a proposal based on your needs. How much time do they feel is required to meet your needs, weekly, monthly? Does it match your thoughts?
  • If you still don't think they are right for you, ask the virtual office service to provide further contacts.

Once you have decided on a VA contract them for a short time project or a trial basis. If everything works out, you can begin a long term relationship.


Using a VA can be an excellent way of outsourcing work that needs to be done. Work that is often time consuming, tedious and unproductive from your point of view. You might never have met or even know what your VA looks like, but with a good Virtual Assistant you will soon wonder how you managed without their help. Always try to use a reputable virtual office service to help recruit your virtual assistant and you will never regret it.