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5 Tips for Improving Productivity with a Virtual Assistant
June 16th, 2008 by StephenPosted in Follow Your Dream, GTD, Productivity, Work 2.0 |
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Virtual Assistants are a hot topic right now, and Mark Shead of Productivity 501 has some tips for those of you that may be thinking about taking that plunge:
5 Tips for Getting a Virtual Assistant
1. Expect to spend some money.
If you don’t have money set aside you’ll probably get frustrated when something takes longer than expected. I would suggest budgeting enough for 2 or 3 months 1/2 time as a trial if you have enough work to keep someone busy 20 hours per week. Consider your trail to be an investment in education for yourself.
2. Decide what you need.
You can get someone very inexpensively with minimal experience or someone with a lot of experience at a much higher price point. If you are expecting it to be a long term thing, you may be better off getting someone inexpensive and putting a lot into training them. If you just want someone for a project right now, you might want to hire someone with a lot of experience.
3. Be prepared for differences in culture and language.
If you are looking to take advantage of lower cost of living in India or China, be sure to consider the cultural and language differences. There is a big difference between Indian English and American English. Make sure you have a good understanding of these differences before you turn someone loose on answering email for you.
4. Virtual isn’t always better.
You may be better off hiring someone locally. There are a number of things that can be done virtually, but many of the big time savers come from having someone who can run a package to UPS, take your car to the shop, pickup office supplies for you, and sign for a package when you are gone.
5. Try multiple providers.
Trying multiple providers simultaneously can be a good way to make sure you are getting the best person for you needs. You can even assign them all the same (or similar) tasks to get an idea of whose skills best meet your needs. In general you will pay more for experience and for having someone in your timezone. However, there are some very skilled people in other parts of the world where the daily wage is much lower than in the US. If you can find someone who fits your needs and develop a long term relationship the cost of trying out a bunch of providers up front will be minimal compared to your savings over time.
Mark writes for Productivity501. For more information about virtual assistants, see The Ultimate Virtual Assistant Guide.
The big question: Have any of you tried a Virtual Assistant? What are your thoughts?
If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/68agco. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen
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June 16th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Great article!!
June 16th, 2008 at 11:06 am
There are a lot of misconceptions about Virtual Assistance in Internetland… For those who would like more information, see the Client’s Guide to Virtual Assistance at http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/client-guide.htm
June 16th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Thanks for the VA publicity, Stephen! Every little bit helps.
In response to what you’ve written, I’d like to add a few more things. When considering whether to work with an inexpensive Virtual Assistant (VA) or a more expensive VA, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The first being experience. Normally, a VA with more experience will be able to do whatever tasks a client needs in half the time it would take an inexperienced VA to do it. Second, there’s less of a learning curve with an experienced VA. Third, as you pointed out, there’s the cultural and language difficulties prevalent when working with VAs from India and China. Fourth, although some contract to multiple overseas VAs because they’re so cheap, why would you want to keep tabs on several people when you could keep tabs on just one. It seems counter-productive to me, especially given that an experienced VA will keep in touch with you instead of the other way around.
Hiring an “employee” brings many more difficulties. If you work from home, no staffing agency will place anyone with you because of the liability issues. I’m not implying that you’re a wacko with a chamber of horrors in your basement
:-), Stephen, but I think you see one of the liability issues to having an employee in a home office. No reputable staffing agency will take that chance. You could post a classified ad on the Internet or your local newspaper, but given today’s climate, I don’t know anyone who would answer such an ad. There are also other barriers to “employees”. Most towns or cities have regulations regarding home offices. If you live in what’s zoned as a residential neighborhood, running a business from home may be prohibited. Although many home businesses are flying under the radar of the regulations, you bring yourself closer to the radar by having “employees”. One nosey or disgruntled neighbor can mean heavy municipal fines and the abrupt closure of your business. Employees also bring state and federal labor law regulations that you have to comply with such as minimum wage, paying social security, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, etc.
There’s no such thing as a perfect solution, but for the home business an experienced Virtual Assistant comes pretty darn close.
=>Donna Caissie, Virtual Assistant
http://www.extra-assist.com
http://www.dcaissie.wordpress.com
June 16th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Great post, Stephen…and response, Donna - I would also encourage your readers to be wary of putting a lot of ‘training’ into someone who is on the low end of the cost platform, and is new to the business.
Unless you’re planning on providing them with close to their needs (40+ hours per week), or they are in India or China where the cost of living is quite low, most new VAs find that they cannot maintain and grow a business charging such low rates. Just the realities of having a business.
So you could spend lots of time training them and end up having to train again and again because they won’t be able to stay in business.
It’s much better to find someone who has been in the business at least 2-3 years so you know they are a bit more stable and able to survive charging these rates.
For most VAs it’s really more about making sure it’s a good fit - for both the client and the VA, of course.
If you’re looking at working with them long-term, it’s really more of a partnership. So take more time finding out who they are and how well they fit into your business.
I have a 10-step Guide To Hiring a VA and would be happy to share it with your readers, if you’d like! ;)
Cordially,
Jeannine Clontz, Virtual Assistant
June 17th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Thank you for the insightful comments, I appreciate your input.
>>Jeannine, I’ll e-mail you about that guide. I am starting to research hiring a VA for my own new small biz and all of this information helps.
June 17th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I’m so glad you mentioned virtual assistants. I am a VA and one of the things I stress to my clients is when you are freed from administrative tasks, you can do what you do best and not be mired in daily tasks that hold you back.
One really great product for those of you thinking of hiring a VA is http://tinyurl.com/26fbn8
June 18th, 2008 at 11:46 am
You can also share with your readers this 10-Step Guide:
How to Hire a Virtual Assistant, Your 10-Step Guide to Finding the Perfect Fit:
http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/how-to-hire-a-virtual-assistant.htm
Feel free to publish. :)
June 19th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Stephen, a different direction you can take with your point #5 - multiple providers - is to indeed use several different VA’s, but who each have their own speciality, i.e. projects, bookkeeping, web design. It can be difficult to find one VA who is an expert at everything so this is an ideal solution. After all, one of the attractions of using a VA’s services over an employee is the ability to use their services on “as needed”, “per project” basis.
June 19th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Tana, those things are not Virtual Assistance.
Virtual Assitance is a profession in its own right.
If someone focuses on bookkeeping, they are a bookkeeper, not a Virtual Assistant.
If someone is in the business of web design, they are a web designer, not a Virtual Assistant.
Virtual Assistance is a specialty all its own which is providing administrative support in an onging, continuous capacity.
:)
June 19th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Actually, Danielle, that’s no longer the case. When I first started my VA practice 10-years ago, almost all VAs provided administrative-type (secretarial) support.
However, nowadays many VAs specialize. They can specialize in bookkeeping, website design, IT support, real estate support, graphic design, etc.
As the industry has grown and developed, most realize that a virtual assistant signifies that someone is an independent contractor providing support ‘virtually’, instead of through the traditional in-house employee.
While bookkeeping services, for example, have been handled outside the traditional office environment for much longer than the Internet has been around, they were considered ‘business support services’ for many years. Prior to realizing there was an emergin VA industry, I considered myself a business support services provider.
With the onset of the Internet and the capacity to provide business support services in a number of niches, the virtual assistance industry is more than happy to include those people who specialize in a number of support areas.
I’m sure as this young industry continues to evolve, we’ll see more of a transition to ‘assistance’ rather than ‘assistant’, but for now, it seems to encompass quite a number of specialties.
Hope this helps! ;)
Jeannine Clontz, Virtual Assistant
June 19th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Danielle, I understand what you’re saying and perhaps I used poor examples. However, if you look at any online VA Directory you’ll find the VA’s listed usually offer specific services they feel more qualified to provide or enjoy providing. For example, the founder of one of the largest Virtual Assistant networking groups is a specialist in Internet Marketing. Have a great day!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Jeannine, I didn’t even finish reading your response to Danielle there because my first thought was…so, an administrative assistant is also now supposed to be considered a jack of all trades? The term “Virtual Assistant” was created for those administrative professionals who took their experience as an employee out of the cubicle and into their home office as a business owner providing a service. So, a bookkeeper is still a bookkeeper, a web designer is still a web designer — no matter where they offer their services from — simply because they were always considered specialized professionals with those particular terms. Virtual Assistants are what make up the revolution of administrative employees becoming known to the world as administrative professionals.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
That’s actually not correct.
There’s a difference between secretarial services and Virtual Assistance (and I’ve been in this business for over 11 years as well).
Virtual Assistance is a profession in its own right and deserving to be recognized as such. Following your logic, anyone and everyone who happens to have a business and uses the Internet to market and deliver services would be considered a Virtual Assistant. That doesn’t make sense. Otherwise, doctors, accountants, lawyers and anyone and everyone who operates virtually would be a Virtual Assistant. That’s, of course, not the case.
Bookkeeping, web design, legal and financial consulting, accounting, etc., etc, are all individual professions requiring their own unique skillsets, knowledge, training and expertise. Calling anything and everything Virtual Assistance doesn’t do anyone any good. It confuses the marketplace and dillutes the Virtual Assistance brand. It’s also very poor marketing advice. Call yourself what you are. Potential clients aren’t going to look up Virtual Assistant in the yellow page when what they are looking for is a web designer, or a bookkeeper, or an accountant, or a lawyer.
Likewise, a Virtual Assistant is the professional to call when a business owner wants ongoing, collaborative, professional-level administrative support and employees are not an option.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
As for requiring multiple VAs, that’s not entirely necessary either. Why? Because a true VA would be wise enough to network with other experienced VAs who might ALSO happen to have other specialized skills they don’t personally have themselves (ie, bookkeeping, web design, copywriting, event planning, etc.). Therefore, when working with a true VA who knows what he/she is doing, you also have access to a whole network of experienced VAs.
As your dedicated VA, they would know what your specific needs are, weed out those who don’t meet those needs, and then schedule and/or coordinate that particular project on your behalf. If they are extensive, long-term needs, they could either subcontract that work out to another VA or simply connect you with that person directly. In the case your needs are only short-term, they would typically subcontract the work to another VA. Considering they are your dedicated VA and wish to remain as such, they would go the extra mile to ensure that person is right for your business.
Furthermore, just because a VA might have more than administrative skills does not mean those other skills are automatically grouped together with their VA skills. A true VA who has specialized skills outside of their administrative experience keeps those specialized services separate from their VA services. They require a different, typically more advanced level of experience, which should be offered at a different hourly rate. After all, you wouldn’t expect a lawyer to work for $50 an hour when they more commonly make $200+ an hour.
Also, a VA who is interested in maintaining a successful VA practice knows that retainers for their VA services are key to that success. This is what enables them to stick around so they can continue to offer their valuable services to clients over the long term. Simply doing piecemeal, project, pay-as-you-go, “as-needed” work doesn’t pay the bills. It requires constant marketing to countless prospective clients in order to keep busy enough just to put food on the table. Between constant marketing and trying to stay busy, when would you have time to eat, much less think and focus on client projects?
What would that do to the quality of your service? It would be greatly diminished and practically impossible to sustain. So, where does that leave the value you had intended to provide your clients? How could you possibly provide any value over the long term? How would you even get to know your clients’ businesses well enough to provide that value to begin with? The only way is to develop collaborative partnerships with only those clients you have a good connection with.
That’s why they talk about “clients who make a good fit” because you can’t develop much of an interest in the success of their business when you don’t have much of an interest in the client themselves. Especially when they’re expecting something for nothing — or a jack of all trades to be paid at the same low hourly rate for all services, specialized or not. How successful could a VA be if their clients aren’t successful? How much value could a VA provide their clients if they aren’t contributing to the success of their clients over the long term?
Anyway, this is a subject that goes far deeper than those people who don’t really know what a Virtual Assistant is would have you believe. I’m currently working on a FREE e-book that covers the ins and outs of what a Virtual Assistant is, what they do, how they work, who they work with, and why. It’s called “The Truth About Virtual Assistance” and will be made available at my website in the near future at http://www.virtual-pro.biz. For the sake of the industry, your clients, and your business, I hope you’ll take the time to review it.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:27 am
This is a great discussion, thanks for the comments!
June 20th, 2008 at 8:35 am
That’s not a good argument, Tana. You’ll find any kind of businesses listed in those Virtual Assistant directories because they have no standards. They’ll let just about anyone post their listing. And that “largest” Virtual Assistant networking group–that’s called “spin,” Tana. It’s misleading marketing, not truth. That’s not the largest Virtual Assistant network because it’s not made up of solely Virtual Assistants. The founder isn’t even a Virtual Assistant.
Study up, Tana. It will serve you well. :)
Have a great day!
June 20th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Great, wonderful replies Danielle and Nicole. It often takes a long-time pro to clearly define something. Although, I subscribe to Danielle and Nicole’s definition of Virtual Assistance, I have trouble articulating what a Virtual Assistant is, but Danielle and Nicole did a great job.
Tana is correct when she points out that many Virtual Assistants specialize. I think that her confusion stems, though, from the difference between a Virtual Assistant who specializes in real estate and a bookkeeper who refers to herself as a Virtual Assistant. Many Virtual Assistants have targeted their marketing efforts at professionals in specific industries, such as real estate, coaching, authors, etc. What that means is that the Virtual Assistant only supports professionals working in those industries. If a Virtual Assistant enjoys working with numbers, she may want to support financial analysts, accounts, and, yes, bookkeepers.
I agree with Danielle and Nicole that a bookkeeper is a bookkeeper, a web designer is a web designer and a real estate agent is a real estate agent. When everyone and anyone offering services virtually refers to him/herself as a “virtual assistant”, it’s no wonder the public (and some VAs) are confused about what it is that a Virtual Assistant does.
Although imitation is suppose to be the sincerest form of flattery and that anyone offering services virtually and referring to herself as a “virtual assistant” is a hallmark of the success of the Virtual Assistant industry, perhaps a better way to handle it would be for someone specializing in bookkeeping to refer to herself as a “virtual bookkeeping assistant” or a “virtual bookkeeper”. Maybe a VA who loves bookkeeping and does administrative support too, should have two separate businesses; a bookkeeping business and a VA business.
I think that the definition of Virtual Assistant should be left to those who founded and named the industry oh so many years ago. Maybe bookkeepers, coaches, etc., instead of referring to themselves as virtual assistants, should concentrate on marketing to virtual assistants instead. Lord knows that my math skills are icky, and I don’t profess to know any more about web design than the basics:-).
=>Donna Caissie, Virtual Assistant
ExtraOrdinary Assistance
http://www.extra-assist.com
http://www.dcaissie.wordpress.com
June 20th, 2008 at 11:15 am
[…] Virtual Assistant Discussion There is a great discussion about the definition of Virtual Assistant and Virtual Assistance going on at Productivity in Context (http://hdbizblog.com/blog/2008/06/16/5-tips-for-improving-productivity-with-a-virtual-assistant). […]
June 20th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Great points you bring up, Donna.
What I would suggest in regard to the whole “virtual bookkeeping” thing is that it’s just not necessary. A bookkeeper is a bookkeeper is a bookkeeper. Virtual has absolutely nothing to do with it because a business is a business regardless. I think people get too hung up on the word, thinking that it has something to do with the definitions and it doesn’t. They are merely descriptors of relatively unimportant characteristics.
It can be said that basically, ALL businesses are virtual because just about everyone these days uses the Internet as a tool to market and promote themselves and deliver services. But that doesn’t mean that anyone who happens to have a website, regardless of whether their office is rented or out of their home, needs to add “virtual” to the name of what they do. A business is a business.
Do you see what I mean? :)
June 20th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
One other thing you must keep in mind is that paying your VA a low hourly rate will not provide you the value you’re looking for. In order to receive the highest value, including quality work in a timely manner, you must collaborate with your VA over the long term at a professional’s rate. After all, they are business owners who are trying to sustain a business as well as provide for their household — just like their clients who wouldn’t consider working for $10 an hour for their professional services.
They also have multiple clients they must serve just as you do. However, when they’re working with the right clients, they will have the ability to be there for each and every one of them for their allotted time without having to over-extend themselves. A VA just needs to make sure their policies and procedures for working with clients is made clear — and even stated in their contract.
However, if you’re looking for someone to provide their services in excess of 40 hours a month, then a VA might not be the right option for your business and you should consider a part- or full-time employee. You also have to keep in mind that a VA is not an answering service who covers your phones and handles your email — those are actually receptionist-type duties, which are quite different from an administrative assistant’s duties. So, if you’re requiring these types of services, you need an answering service or a virtual office, which is NOT virtual assistance.
That said, you shouldn’t be considering these types of services as part of your monthly requirements of a VA. A VA is there to help decrease your workload by taking over certain administrative tasks, thereby allowing you more time to conduct revenue-generating business activities. Administrative tasks do not include web design, bookkeeping, copywriting, or anything of that sort. If those services are required, they would be offered separately from their VA services — either directly or by contracting that work out if they don’t personally have that experience. Either way, a consultation process would help determine just how a VA may be able to assist you and provide the highest value.
None of the above sounds much like what most people are saying about Virtual Assistants, does it? One thing most business owners looking for a VA fail to realize is that choosing to work with an experienced VA is an investment in their business — one that will actually provide a return on their investment, especially over the long term. A VA is a professional business owner providing a service on certain terms, just like their clients. They are not employees who are at your beck and call and they don’t work at typical administrative employee rates.
At those rates, they couldn’t possibly sustain a business, provide their own health benefits, or plan for their retirement, all while also providing for their household. How does that effect their clients? Well, it would mean they couldn’t afford to stick around for the long term in order to provide you the highest value you’re looking for. So, if you want the best return on your investment, you have to be willing to invest in your VA. Simple as that.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:51 pm
What a great discussion!
It’s interesting but when I 1st started, I marketed myself as only virtual assistant. However, my skills have migrated elsewhere and now I market myself as a virtual assistant AND a Web Designer.
I would agree virtual assistants are different than bookeepers, web designers, graphic artists etc. However - I think people who work “virtually” can offer different types of skills. For instance, I also have logo design and picture editing services which clearly isn’t a virtual assistant type skill.
For me - if clients want updates on their website, a new myspace profile or a new website then it falls into my “web design” category. However, if clients want administrative services like help create presentations, gather data, edit documents, or help market their business though social networks, link building etc… then it’s virtual assistance. Basically I seperate 2 different sides of business. For new business development (design) is web design/web development and operational support (virtual assistant) is another. I have different rates for both services….. and clients know they get different skills depending upon what they purchase.
Ironically most of my clients 1st start out with needing a web design. Then they like the service I provide so start thinking about the other things they need and convert to a VA client.
So I think it’s possible to offer both…..but if you do, you have to market yourself as 2 different things.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:59 pm
You’ve got it exactly right, Kimberly. :)
Just because a business might have more than one division of service (e.g., Virtual Assistance for administrative support; Design for Web design and/or graphic design; Bookkeeping, etc.) doesn’t mean those services are the same thing.
Love to see clear thinking like yours.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Feeling somewhat misinterpreted in previous posts, so I’ve attempted to clarify my interpretation of working “virtually”…and what works for me…whether that be right or wrong in anyone else’s opinion.
Last 2 entries - http://www.virtualofficeservices.ca/blog/
Have a great day!
Tana