Have you ever heard of a Virtual Assistant? If you are a busy entrepreneur, you need to pay attention! A Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent contractor who provides administrative support services by utilizing advanced technology to complete work and communicate with clients.
Below is a list of 10 ways a VA can help you get back to the business of building your business.
- Secretarial Services. Are you spending too much time scheduling appointments? Do you have piles of routine paperwork to process? Do you wish you had someone to research and arrange your travel? A Virtual Assistant can assist with these tasks including scheduling appointments, completing forms, making travel arrangements, researching topics and maintaining a contact database.
- Research. The Internet is a fabulous tool for research, but it can be quite time consuming. A VA can perform research for you and provide you a report on the findings. Before you know it, your project will be completed.
- Presentations. Do you need a PowerPoint presentation? When you fax your notes, sketches and charts to your VA, they will be transformed into a professional slide show complete with handouts and transparencies.
- Database Management. All business cards need to be in a database. Mail or courier your stack of cards to your VA and they will create a custom database for you. When you acquire new cards, send them to your VA and your database will be complete and up-to-date for your next marketing campaign or Christmas card mail! A VA can handle that too!
- Email Management. We live in a “now” society and with so many people using email, it’s important you stay on top of it. Emails should be responded to within an hour, how are you doing? A VA can regularly check your email, respond where she can and notify you of urgent matters as they arise. This is a great service to consider if you are going on vacation or are often away from your computer.
- Word Processing. Perhaps you need a handwritten document typed. Fax it to your VA and she will type it and either email it back to you or print it on your letterhead and put it in the mail for you. If you’ve typed up a proposal or a manual that needs to be formatted, simply e-mail it to your VA and she will give it a polished finish and send it back to you. Your VA can even convert a document to a PDF making file transfers quick and easy.
- Personal. Do you wish you had a personal assistant to schedule your appointments, remind you of important dates and send thank you cards on your behalf? A VA can take care of all of these things and more. Anything you have an in house assistant take care of can be done virtually . . . except brewing the coffee!
- Purchasing. A VA can order office supplies, hire someone to paint your office or purchase a laser printer by researching the best price, presenting you with quotes, and ordering the items to be delivered right to your office.
- Invoicing. A Virtual Assistant can invoice your customers for you. Fax or email the details and she will create your invoices, print them off, address them and put them in the mail for you.
- Track expenses. Are your receipts in piles around your office, your purse or the glove compartment of your car? You can put all your receipts in one envelope, (one for each month) and mail them to your VA monthly. She can create an Excel spreadsheet, break down the GST and easily track your expenses for you. This year, you will be ready at tax time!
****
Ready to start adding hours to your day? Jaime Lee Mann is the owner of Mann Made Time, a Virtual Assistant business based in Kingston, PEI. You can contact her by phone at 902.675.4008, email jaime@mannmadetime.com or visit her on the Web at www.MannMadeTime.com.
