What is a Virtual Assistant? What do you do?

I am asked this question a LOT! Although a career as a Virtual Assistant is becoming more common, people still kind of wonder about the VA’s who perform common office tasks from home. Well, I wasn’t too sure myself at first. I actually was going to just write resumes, but when I looked online for a way to market that service, I came across the term “Virtual Assistant”. I asked the same question I’ve answered so many times since then. “What in the world is a Virtual Assistant?”

There are some canned definitions floating around on the Internet, but basically, a Virtual Assistant helps businesses, entrepreneurs, or just plain busy people, remotely. This assistance can be by fax, email, or phone. Many people also use shared website docs, like on Google. Using a web-based phone service, such as Skype, adds another dimension. With technology becoming more innovative every day, there are always new ways for a Virtual Assistant to help the client with word processing, appointment management, correspondence management, remote computer maintenance, transcription, accounts payable and receivable, bookkeeping, marketing assistance, gift services, event planning…well, you get the idea. Other than doing your filing for you, a Virtual Assistant can help you with most anything. Actually, why do you want to keep all those documents in hard copy? Why not try digital archives of your important documents? You can fit zillions of them on a flash drive or other backup device.

Not sure how to do that? You don’t need to know. Your Virtual Assistant does it for you. Actually, there are a lot of things you don’t need to know. Why would you want to spend your time learning how to do things that can be delegated? Wouldn’t your time be better spent on working with your current customers and finding new ones? Your business will grow much faster and more efficiently if you work within your strengths. Don’t try to be an expert at everything. Delegate, turn it over, outsource it…whatever you want to call it. Experience the freedom! You get your life back!