Simply put, a virtual assistant is someone who provides administrative support to business owners but does not necessarily perform these services in the owner’s office. This is the aspect that makes us “virtual.” Although some virtual assistants do spend time in the offices of their clients, most do not.

Most virtual assistants work with a wide variety of clients from across the country they live in or from around the world. Being that the work is virtual, the possibilities are limitless when it comes to location.

Virtual assistants also charge for their work on an hourly basis. Every virtual assistance business is different in that they may have hourly packages setup or retainer rates but most just charge a flat hourly rate for their services. The clients then pay the virtual assistant for the work that he or she performs for them in a given pay period. These pay periods are also defined by the virtual assistant themselves.

Most virtual assistants work from home and have their own home office setup. This allows flexibility in the hours that you would work and it also allows you the comfort of working in your home.

There are various types of virtual assistants. Most virtual assistants are focused on the administrative aspects of assistance and they provide services such as word processing, editing, proofreading, document creation, scheduling, event management, file organization and other similar tasks. These virtual assistants generally charge in the $15 to $25 dollar range per hour.

The next type of virtual assistant would be what I call the ‘web savvy’ virtual assistant who does administrative based support but also has experience in the operations that are required to run an online business. The tasks that are included here include shopping cart setup and maintenance, website maintenance, autoresponder management, blog posting, etc. These virtual assistants can charge a bit more since their knowledge is at a higher expertise level than the administrative based virtual assistant. These virtual assistants generally charge between $20 and $40 per hour.

The last type of virtual assistant would be someone who considers themselves more of an online business manager. This person would work with their clients in a business partner role and provide a mutually beneficial relationship for them. What I mean by this is that this type of virtual assistant would be much more inclined to evaluate the operations of a client’s business and suggest ways in which he or she could improve their processes. These virtual assistants generally charge $50 and above per hour.

The types of skills you would need to be a virtual assistant really depends on what type of virtual assistant you are looking to become. At the very least, one must be knowledgeable with the office based software programs – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc. – and the Internet. You must be able to have general knowledge of these things before you can begin to serve your clients or you will cause frustration to both yourself and your client.

On a higher level, you will learn and acquire a broad spectrum of new skills. You may already be talented in the area of web design or copywriting, as an example, but you may not know aspects of shopping carts and autoresponders. The best part about being a virtual assistant is that you can take the time out to learn these things because it will only help to further your business.

Being computer savvy is a requirement – you won’t become a successful virtual assistant if you are not computer savvy. Most business owners want to trust that when they send their work, they won’t be paying for training time or time spent figuring out how to do the requested task. If you aren’t yet computer savvy, I would highly recommend taking a course at a local college or career development institute so that you can learn the basics.

Other skills that a virtual assistant must have are communication skills and the ability to manage their time. Focus is also a key part of being a virtual assistant. Due to the fact that most virtual assistants work from home, it can be very easy to get distracted by friends, family, the phone, the television, a good book or your bed.

Communication is important because you will be the sole operator for all aspects of your business. You will need to talk to your new customers; you will need to send e-mails to potential clients who are asking questions about your services and most of all, you want to be able to clearly communicate what it is that you do.

Time management plays a huge part in being a virtual assistant. You need to know how to prioritize your to-do list so that you don’t fall behind and miss deadlines.

You also want to be someone who is eager to learn and willing to put in the time to learn new technologies and new industries. Not all of your clients are going to be in one specific industry. I work with people from the fitness industry to the marketing industry to the body esteem industry. It’s never the same and it’s ever-changing.

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The major thing that a PA and a VA have in common is their understanding of office and clerical tasks as well as the knowledge of a daily business practices. Also, they both have the capability to do tasks at the same time.

Both of these kinds of workers will be educated and trained to use both office tools like PC, fax machine, multi line telephone system, printer and copier. They both offer services such as marketing, website maintenance, website design, entry of data, customer service etc.

So where does the similarities end? Let’s talk about the VA first. The Virtual Assistant has the freedom to do his/her tasks from any place that is convenient for him/her. Of course a lot of them work from their homes but they are able to perform their work anywhere that they have the right to use all of the equipment needed.

The Virtual Assistant doesn’t have to deal with their customers’ face to face or even their customers’ associates, family, and friends. They can do their job even with their nightwear or whatever. These freedoms are maybe why others prefer to be a VA rather than a PA.

The Personal Assistant, even as performing a lot of the same tasks as a Virtual Assistant, they are often obliged to be actively involved in their customer/client’s business. They can be asked to do more personal stuffs like walking the dog, bill payments, and a lot of other things.

So which job would you prefer? Normally it boils down to the personality and personal preference. If you favor a more flexible schedule that will allow you more time in your house and you will not deal with you customers face to face, then maybe being a VA is the right course for you.

If you’re comfortable with being actively involved with your customer’s life and following their calendar as well as dealing with their personal lives, then perhaps being a PA is just right for you.

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With today’s rough economical times, it is hard to hire somebody to help you but it might be cost effective. You probably are spending more money and time on plans, bookkeeping and a lot more duties than an assistant can do.

A VA only works when they are needed. It means, you only pay them when there is work that needs to be done. You might be in need of someone to help you in sending out newsletters, bill your customers etc. With today’s high technology, your VA can live anywhere, so you don’t need to give him/her office space or tools. Taxes and benefits will not be your responsibility because your Virtual Assistant is working just for her/himself.

Finding and employing a Virtual Assistant is just a very easy procedure. A lot of assistants are leaving their jobs and starting to make their own business from their house and bringing their experiences with them. You can get the applicant’s resume or just hire them for just a small kind of work to start. There are a lot of resources out there if you’re looking for a Virtual Assistant. You can do a web search and you’ll find a hundreds of names in front of you. Also, there are a lot of websites that have Virtual Assistant directories
, so if you like better that your Virtual Assistant to be in the same state, after that, that would narrow the results of your search. There are many kinds of Virtual Assistants, some are expert or have been educated to be a VA and others, like me, I’ve taken our corporate understanding and translated it into a Virtual Assistant business.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant might be the greatest thing for you and your business whether it is a big business or a small one. Try having a Virtual Assistant and you’ll be surprised of what he can do and bring to you and your business.

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