subject: Reasons To Use A Virtual Secretary [print this page] First of all, let's define "Virtual Secretary"? A virtual secretary is a person who works for a customer, but from a distant location. To illustrate, perhaps you have a small (or large) company in Houston, and your virtual secretary works from his or her residential home in Los Angeles. Or perhaps a place offshore ... say, in China or India.
A virtual secretary may communicate with his/her client in various ways: by email, by online instant messaging such as Skype, Yahoo! Instant Messaging, or ICQ or a variety of comparable services, as well as by phone. In addition, services like Skype render it possible to correspond in real time by typing, speech (using a head set), and even visually making use of a webcam... and the service is free (apart from the minor price to buy a headset and web cam).
A virtual secretary (often known as a virtual assistant) can execute virtually any kind of activity as a person working for you in the next room, such as:
planning events, administrative work, telephone support, past due invoice followup, research, arranging travel, transcription, handling orders, word processing, order placement, mailings, making appointments, sending letters, e-mail processing, manage freelancers, taking telephone calls, follow-up with customers, human resources, concierge services, setting up meetings, data processing, procedure documentation, handling support by email, live IM support, preparing letters, data entry, managing your schedule, marketing, personal assistant duties, email management, bookkeeping, handling reports
Hey... there's a great big list!
However will a virtual secretary (or VA) brew coffee for you personally? I'm sorry... than won't happen. If you are looking for someone to brew coffee, that won't be happening.
Needless to say, if brewing coffee and fetching your dry cleaning will be necessary duties you want to have someone else to execute, then you could always appoint someone close to you. But then, why wouldn't you just get somebody in your neighborhood from the beginning? Just what is the advantage of choosing a VA anyhow?
Well, there are many.
For instance, she will have a computer, workdesk, furniture, workplace items, utilities, and communications devices. You won't need to buy those items, now will extra work space for your virtual secretary be necessary.
For another, the VA may be prepared to settle for less compensate, mainly because she will not have the expense or the trouble of transportation both to and from a normal "job."." It will save her time, money, and stress! Consequently in the end, she comes out ahead, though the salary is a less.
Hey, what person wouldn't be delighted with this sort of situation?
But undoubtedly the major advantage to acquiring a virtual secretary is to enable you to utilize something called "Arbitrage." Arbitrage, basically, is the practice of taking advantage of price differences between two markets. As an example, assume that you live somewhere like New York City, where the living expense is quite high (in contrast to most other places) but the VA resides on a farm in Texas, where the living expense is a lot less. Since 10 bucks where she lives will buy 2 times the amount of products and services as 10 dollars in New York (and perhaps "twice" is even a conservative estimate), your VA will, once more, be prepared to take less pay in comparison with what you may need to pay a local person.
But suppose the virtual secretary resides in a different country... for example, in India, Romania, Pakistan, the Philippines, or another nation where English is a common (if not primary) language?
This is when the advantages seriously begin to multiply! The American dollar goes quite a bit farther in numerous other places compared to in the United States. As an illustration, in the Philippines fifty bucks will buy food for a whole month. How far does $50 go in your town? Where I live, you head off to the local grocery, purchase 2 bags of groceries, hand the cashier two twenties and a 10, and you're given back a small handful of change!
"But... " as they say on TV "hold on... there's more!"
Profiting from arbitrage is just the beginning. You can also avoid the cost... not even considering the headache... of health insurance, payroll taxes, lots of IRS forms, worker's compensation, ss taxes, retirement contributions, as well as the myriad legal demands related to work compliance laws. Hey, you won't need to pay an accountant to do all of that!
Beginning to get the picture?
If you run a business, and are caught up in a "Catch 22" of seriously wanting help, and yet you're unable to afford it... a virtual secretary may well be just the ticket!
