A
virtual assistant (VA) is an individual who provides business support services
in a variety of areas. They do not work out of your office, but work
virtually for you from our company offices. Support service areas can
include website development and maintenance, marketing, search engine
optimization, content writing, graphic design and link building. A VA is
not an employee, but an independent contractor who provides services through
our organization for a monthly retainer.
How do I start the process of obtaining a Virtual Assistant?
To
begin the process, you can call or email one of our managers and provide them with a detailed description of your project
and its requirements, including deadlines. Our manager will then work
with you to determine how long you will require the services of one of our
VAs. We will then select a VA for you that have the experience and
qualifications to meet your requirements. The more detailed your request,
the better we can match up the most qualified VA to fit your needs.
How can I be sure that the Virtual Assistant selected for me is qualified?
All
of the virtual assistants employed by Virtual Assistant Inc must successfully
pass an intensive pre-employment screening process. This involves
IQ testing and background checks including personal references and verification of educational
requirements. When they successfully complete
this rigorous process, they are then enrolled in our intensive 160-hour training
program to ensure they fully understand our practices and procedures. Our
innovative training program assures our management team that all of our VAs
have the appropriate skill levels in their particular fields.
Is it really cheaper to hire a Virtual Assistant than a full-time employee?
Without
a doubt. By using one of our VAs, you only pay a monthly retainer for
their services. There are no other hidden fees involved. Hiring a
full-time employee makes you liable for all kinds of additional costs such as
federal and state payroll taxes, FICA, unemployment insurance, vacation pay,
employee benefits and training costs. You also don’t have to worry about
paying for any additional office space or equipment costs for desks, chairs,
computers, etc.
Your Virtual Assistants are located overseas. Will this cause communication problems for me?
Not
at all. All of our VAs are located where English is a second
language. Many of our VAs attended Catholic grammar and high schools and
have been using English since they were small children. Our VAs all hold
college degrees and our pre-employment screening process weeds out individuals
with poor communication skills. Also, U.S. citizens manage all of our
offices.
Most Virtual Assistant
companies only offer administrative and secretarial support. Is it
possible to get skilled support for my website?
Yes,
this is our specialty. The vast majority of our VAs hold degrees in
computer science. They are proficient in all areas of website support
from graphic design to SEO to content writing and all things in between.
We teach our VAs our proven formulas in our 160-hour training program and in
our unique 5 hour per month Continuous Training Program. This additional
training ensures that our VAs are up to date on all new emerging technologies
and gives our managers a way to monitor their progress.
How can I accurately track the time my Virtual Assistant spends on my project?
We
fully understand the anxiety of many clients who wonder how much actual time is
being spent on their project when their VA is thousands of miles away.
For this reason, we use sophisticated tracking software that allows our
managers to see every keystroke made by every one of our VAs. This
innovative software keeps accurate and up to date records of every time one of
our VAs “punch-in” and “punch-out” of your project. All of our VAs work
out of our company offices, not their homes, with management supervision to
eliminate any potential “goofing off” on your nickel. The VAs work off of our server with a secure network and behind a firewall. Your information is only accessable from our office. We also provide our
clients with a detailed invoice each month.
How can I trust that my intellectual property is secure?
At
Virtual Assistant Inc, we realize that trust is one of the most important
factors in our collaboration with our clients. Therefore, we take several
steps to ensure your intellectual property is safe. Prior to employment,
all of our VAs are required to read, understand and sign a Confidentially
Agreement. We also have a strict Code of Ethics that our VAs must abide
by or face dismissal. Other important measures we take to
protect your privacy include: Internet firewalls, security software to prevent
any unauthorized downloading, forwarding or printing of your sensitive data,
security cameras in every office, fingerprint based building entry & exit
systems and security guards.
It is beneficial for companies, including small businesses, to outsource to virtual assistants to do some tasks. Cara Brook admits that by saving money...
