To start with, just what IS a “Virtual Secretary“?
A virtual secretary is somebody who performs work for an employer, but from a distant place. As an illustration, you could have a small (or large) company located in Detroit, and your virtual secretary works from his or her apartment in Denver. Or possibly a place in another country altogether … say, in Pakistan or the Philippines.
A virtual secretary (or “Virtual Executive Assistant“) can converse with her employer by many different means: by online instant messaging, by phone, or through email. In addition, services like Skype make it possible to correspond in actual time by typing, voice (utilizing a pair of headphones), and even visually utilizing a webcam… and the service is cost-free (except the minimal price to buy a web cam and headset).
A virtual secretary (often known as a virtual office assistant or virtual assistant) may easily execute almost any chore as an employee working for you in the room next to you, for instance:
bookkeeping, personal assistant chores, research, past due invoice followup, live instant message support, arranging travel, mailing, manage freelancers, managing your schedule, taking telephone calls, telephone support, e-mail processing, word processing, marketing, planning events, handling reports & spreadsheets, letter preparation, appointment setup, transcription tasks, managing your email, placing orders for you, handling orders, handling email support, concierge services, administrative work, procedure documentation, data processing, data entry, arranging meetings, human resources, client follow-up, sending letters
Whoa… that makes for one lengthy list!
However could a virtual secretary (or VA) brew a cup of coffee for you? Sorry… than won’t happen. If you really want somebody to brew coffee for you, you’re out of luck (LOL).
Needless to say, if making coffee and picking up your laundry will be needed chores you are looking for someone else to perform, then you can just find someone in your community. But then, why wouldn’t you simply hire someone in the area in the first place? Just just what is the benefit of hiring a VA in any case?
Well, the benefits are numerous.
For one thing, she will have a computer, worktable, furniture, office materials, utilities, and communications apparatus. You’ll not have to acquire those accessories on her behalf, neither will you have to have additional working space for a virtual secretary.
For another, the virtual secretary could be happy to take a a bit lower compensate, for the reason that she is not going to have the expense or the inconvenience of travel back and forth from a typical “job.” It will save her time, expense, and annoyance! So that at the end of the day, she comes out ahead, even though the salary is a not a great.
Who wouldn’t be happy with such a setup?
But most likely the most significant gain to engaging a virtual secretary is to exploit something known as “Arbitrage.” Arbitrage, simply put, is the act of benefiting from a price differences between two markets. As an illustration, imagine you live somewhere like New York City, where the cost of living is extremely high (ın contrast to most of the country) and your VA lives on a farm in Texas, where the cost of living is a whole lot less. As 10 bucks where she lives and works may buy twice the amount of goods and services as 10 bucks in New York (and the actual figure may be 3 or 4 times as much), your VA will, once again, be in a position to accept lower pay when compared to what you could need to shell out to a local employee.
But let’s say your virtual secretary is working from another country altogether… for example, in the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, or some other place where English is a secondary, if not primary, language?
Now here’s where the advantages truly take effect! The American dollar goes much farther in quite a few other places when compared with in the US. For instance, in the Philippines $50 buys a month’s worth of food. How much does $50 buy in your area? If your situation is anything like mine, you drop by the market, buy a couple of bags of groceries, hand the cashier a couple twenties and a ten, and you’re given back a a few coins!
“But… ” as they say in the Television ads “hold on… there’s more!”
Taking advantage of arbitrage is only the start. You can also avoid the expense… never mind the annoyance… of payroll taxes, tons of IRS forms, providing health insurance, worker’s comp, social security taxes, retirement contributions, and all of the countless legal demands associated with labor compliance laws. And, you don’t have to use an accountant to do all that stuff!
Are you persuaded yet?
If you run a business, and are caught up in the “Catch 22″ of desperately requiring assistance, but you’re unable to find the money for it… a virtual secretary may be the answer to your problem!