Project Based Contracts: Hiring a Virtual Assistant for Short Term Work
December 21, 2009 by Lisa Santos · 3 Comments
There are two major ways that you can work with a virtual assistant. The first of these is with management projects, which are done over a long period of time. The second of these is based off of short term work, where you simply hire a virtual assistant for a shorter term project that you will need. Depending on the state of your business, you can determine the time allotment for your virtual assistant.
There are two types of ways that you can approach short term work with a virtual assistant. Both of these will make a difference in the type of contract that you decide to sign with the assistant, as well as the types of projects you will have your virtual assistant for. Of course, even if you are only hiring a virtual assistant for a short period of time, you can always use the assistant in the future, as they will be familiar with the company and its needs.
The first type of short term work that you can hire a virtual assistant for is with maintenance that will only need to be updated a few times a year. For example, if you have specific book keeping that you will need to have maintained once every quarter, a virtual assistant can work on this and consider it a short term project. Most likely, this will be considered a per-project agreement between you and the assistant.
The second type of short term work will be for when you need extra help for a specific time of year. Often times, virtual assistants will be hired for an event that is taking place or for an extra busy time of the year. This will allow the extra customer service and maintenance that is needed to be taken care of. There is also the possibility to hire a virtual assistant to do a short term project, such as build a website without the maintenance. This will allow you to find the best solutions for the extra push your business may need.
No matter what type of extra help you need, you can find a virtual assistant who can catch onto the vision and help you to reach your goal. No matter what the time frame is, you can easily find a virtual assistant who has the ability to do what is needed for your company.
Signing the Line: Contracts and Forms in Virtual Assistance
November 11, 2009 by Lisa Santos · 1 Comment
One of the most important parts of becoming involved with a virtual assistant is making sure that the final offers are clear. This means that all of the contract work and forms should be understood and signed by both sides. This will prevent any problems from occurring later on, and will help to define all of the terms of services that you need.
There are a variety of forms that a virtual assistant may decide to use, all which will make a difference in the type of services that are negotiated between you and the virtual assistant. The first of these that you may see is a retainer agreement. Basically, this will let you know what the work is and will define what the important aspects of the work will be, whether long term or just with a project.
If you are only working with the virtual assistant with one project, you may be looking at different forms. Most likely, a per-project agreement will be looked at, which will define the terms and conditions of the project. Most likely, this will be signed once a year, and will be used if you are only using the virtual assistant occasionally.
From this point, you may also be signing other alternative agreements. Confidentiality agreements may be important to consider if you have the virtual assistant working with paperwork in your office. Non-solicitation and non-competition agreements can also be looked over with a virtual assistant. This will ensure that a virtual assistant that only works with you every once in a while won’t go and tell someone else what your business is doing, causing you to be in conflict with competition.
Depending on the type of work you will need from the virtual assistant, you will want to make sure that you have the proper forms to sign. Having the agreements clear and legal between you and the virtual assistant will help you to make sure that everything is done correctly from the beginning to the assistance that you need.
Finding the Right Match: Working with Independent Virtual Assistants
October 27, 2009 by Lisa Santos · 1 Comment
Finding someone to help out with your business is about finding the right match. You want to make sure that everything works out on both a business level, as well as with a well defined relationship. This will help you to get the best quality of work that is possible for your business, and will help when you need to build a long term working relationship.
One of the ways that you can be sure to get the right relationship is to look at the possibility of working with virtual assistants. Virtual assistants can be found in a variety of areas, all working with other agencies or by themselves. If you are considering a virtual assistant, you will want to make sure that you decide whether to work with them when they work for themselves, or are working under someone else.
If they work for themselves, you have just as much of a chance as finding someone that is effective with what they do. The best way to see what the virtual assistant is doing is to simply look at the ‘about the owner’ page on a website. Most virtual assistants will let you know who they are, what their experience is and what they specialize in. This will give you a good idea of what type of work you will be getting and the quality that is offered through the virtual assistant.
You will also be able to see what types of business credentials a virtual assistant has by finding their website. You should be able to see links to virtual assistant networks on the site. Things such as the International Virtual Assistant Network or the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce can help to verify that they are virtual assistants as a business and that they have the ability to function as a complete business.
Working with an independent virtual assistant simply means finding the right credentials through the individual. By examining the website and learning about the person, you will have the ability to determine whether the person can work with you in a professional member and to build a relationship through the business terms that you have found through their individual site.
Making it Clear: Giving Your Virtual Assistant the Information They Need
October 22, 2009 by Lisa Santos · 2 Comments
When one is hired for a job, it is expected that the first two weeks will be for training. This will allow the person to become familiar with the job and to understand all of the details that are a part of the description. If you have decided to work with a virtual assistant, this may not be the case. Whether it is a project or long term maintenance, it is important to provide the information that is needed.
The first few times that you work with a virtual assistant, you should expect that the communication will be partly about the training into the job. It will be important that you let the assistant know what your business is all about. This includes allowing them to see the vision of the business, let them know the details of what you do, and allow them to see how you are running.
From here, you will need to make sure that you have an idea of what you want from the virtual assistant. For example, if you are telling them to answer the phones for you, make sure that they will answer it with your business name. This also means that you should provide them with some general information that may be related to the business. By doing this, you will have the ability to keep a professional look, even on the first day of the job.
Most likely, you will not have problems with the training. Because virtual assistants work for several people, they know the routine of the first few days. You can not only expect to provide a fast training. Most virtual assistants will have a list of questions that they will ask their clients when they are hired. This allows them to catch onto the job quickly, and will save you if you miss any of the details.
Making business decisions and passing them to a virtual assistant is one of the ways that you can be sure to keep your business image the way that you want to. By doing this, you will have the ability to pass the business to someone who has had some quick training and can make sure to uphold the quality of service that you want to offer.
Seeing in the Back of Your Head: Understanding Virtual Assistance through Business Visions
October 20, 2009 by Lisa Santos · 1 Comment
Every business has a vision of what it wants to be and where it wants to go. At times, this business may only be one person. However, they have taken the step of being the business, which means they want to get somewhere and do something. If you are working as your own business with other businesses, you want to make sure you see both sides of the story.
As a business owner, you begin with a vision. Once this vision starts to be reached, you can begin to expand into seeing the broader picture. Typically, this will be when you hire a virtual assistant. However, hiring a virtual assistant doesn’t just mean understanding your own vision. It also means understanding the vision of the virtual assistant.
As a virtual assistant, this same scenario also applies. It is your responsibility to understand what every business owner needs and where you can fill in the gaps. This is the best way to offer service at a good quality. While there are limits to what you can say and offer, there are also great ways to see at the same level as the business you are working towards.
No matter what side of the coin you are on, this is the best way to work with or as a virtual assistant. This is the beginning to creating a great business partnership and working towards the goals together. Beyond the contracts, the terms and policies, is the understanding of the overall vision. By doing this, it will allow one who is a virtual assistant to work towards quality in their business.
Being a virtual assistant or a business owner at any level begins with a mission and vision statement. This same mission and vision needs to be focused on whenever someone else is brought into the larger picture for assistance. This will help everyone involved to work towards the potentials of each small or large business owner.
Sign Up For Blog Updates
Subscribe Below and Receive Our Free Report and 10 Day Email Series on "Local Business Domination: 10 Easy Ways to Attract Local Customers"
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe with us.-
Gallery
