What is a VA?
VAs are professional, self employed people who provide services remotely. They offer services that would normally be done by a personal assistant in the offices, for example; admin support, call minding, message taking, diary management, filtering emails, book keeping, marketing, project support , typing, internet research, cold calling etc. VAs have their own offices and equipment and are generally highly professional entrepreneurs. Many VAs specialise and you should find one suitable for your business.
What are the advantages of using a VA?
Using a VA means you can concentrate on the business rather than the paperwork and admin. You get more time to do what you do best, without having to supervise, train or worry about staff.
VAs are flexible and available outside of normal hours. They have no minimum hour commitment and are only paid for the hours they work. This means you can keep control.
There are no recruitment or agency fees to pay. There are no additional tax, national insurance or employee benefits to worry about. If you do not employ anyone else other than the VA you may not need employer’s liability insurance, or pay someone to supervise your staff.
You do not need to find workspace or equipment for a VA.
What are the disadvantages of using a VA?
You don’t get to see someone face to face and there is limited contact. Though this could equally be an advantage!
Do I need a VA?
VAs are not suitable for everyone, but if you answer yes to most of the following questions you should at least consider it.
- Do I spend too much time on administration when I should be talking to clients or building up business?
- Do I lose business because calls go to voicemail when I am out of the office?
- Do I spend valuable time on repetitive, mundane tasks that someone else could do more effectively and more cheaply?
- Do I want to avoid taking on staff, but need help with routine tasks?
- Is my office too small for more staff?
- Do I want to pay for resources as and when I use them to expand my business?
How much will a VA cost?
VAs generally set up their own fee structure, usually based on an hourly rate which depends on the complexity of the work. There may be a flat rate for more predictable workloads, or you may be able to negotiate depending on what you want. Expect to pay £20 an hour or more for a good VA, although mundane tasks may be much cheaper and more complex work more expensive.
How do I find a reputable VA?
Check the Virtual Assistant bodies, which provide listing of VAs. The main ones are:
The International Association of Virtual Office Assistants www.ivaa.org this organisation provides an online directory of VAs in England and Scotland.
How do I choose?
Talk to several VAs until you find one you feel comfortable with. Ask them the same type of questions you would a potential employee. Start with a relatively small job and if you are not happy it is easy to change.
What will a good VA offer?
A reputable VA will do all the tasks you specify, on time and professionally. In addition VAs should have risk management procedures in place to help protect their business and yours. He or she should also have business security processes, procedures and systems and contracts for any work undertaken. The VA should have very high standards and demonstrate complete professionalism – make sure they have membership of the relevant professional bodies and you check the listing on-line. They should be up to date with skills and training.
A good VA will also have personal indemnity insurance and processes and systems to ensure client confidentiality as well as registration with the Data Protection Act. This should protect your business and give you some confidence in their professionalism.
Check the VA has a professional looking website, business stationery etc. Read references and testimonials for previous work and check they are current. They should also produce timesheets for work undertaken.
VAs should be able to advice on technology and tell you exactly what they are able to achieve for your business. Agree in writing precisely what work is to be carried out, the timescales involved and the cost.
