Secretarial services are often mistaken same as virtual office assistance. The latter is an evolution of the other. Stacy Brice envisioned the business model concept where the role of an administrative secretary is raised to equal & collaborative partnership with the clients of his/her choice and thus the concept of virtual assistance originated. Though similar, there are few remarkable differences between the 2.
Focus- The focus of secretarial services is one-off, occasional piecemeal-work whereas virtual office assistant focuses on ongoing, across the board & systematic administrative support.
Client expectations- The client of secretarial services is not looking for a partner but completion of the project or task in hand. A client seeking virtual assistance is looking for an administrative partner who would understand the business as intimately as the client himself and provide support for any number of tasks or projects in a continuous capacity.
The relationship- The relationship between the secretarial service provider and its client is very transactional whereas in the other case the relationship is that of an ongoing partnership. The personal involvement which a virtual assistant puts in his/her client relationships is absent in the former case.
Many organizations are seeking a Virtual Office Assistant rather than hiring an employee. A rise in the number of VAs is obvious by the valuable business benefits of hiring them.
Business benefits of hiring a Virtual Office Assistant
Economical- Absence of taxes, insurance costs, medical benefits, training, vacation, sick time, office space, equipment, holidays, other overhead costs and also the direct cost of hiring an employee (salary) significantly reduce the cost factor, making it economical to hire a Virtual Office Assistant.
Time on task- You pay only for “Time on task” or by project and not for inefficiencies. The productive time & resources are only paid for, further reducing business costs.
Save time- Routine administrative paperwork takes a lot of time in a business. A Virtual Office Assistant at your service would reduce this time tremendously.
Efficiency improvement- You can offload your work on a Virtual Office Assistant and concentrate on other necessary tasks of your business. This would improve efficiency of your organization manifold resulting in a concentrated and uninterrupted work output.
Professional relationship- A Virtual Office Assistant learns & understands your business and in your success lies his, thus making the relationship very professional.
The term ‘virtual’ means working remotely. Thus many believe that since Virtual Office Assistants are working from home to do tasks for others they are by definition Virtual Assistants. But there is more meaning to the term.
A Virtual Office Assistant or Virtual Assistant (VA) is an independent entrepreneur providing administrative, technical and/or creative services. A VA assists clients in his/her area of expertise from his/her own office or home on a contractual basis. These professionals use technologically advanced modes of communication & data delivery.
Their business is to understand the business of the client & grow along with it. To form an absolute relationship with the client is what they aim at. They set their own hours of operations, their own rates, do their own marketing & decide which clients they want to do business with.
Several benefits of hiring a Virtual Office Assistant have led to a sudden upsurge in their numbers. Along with a good finished product, good service is what would distinguish an effective & an efficient Virtual Office Assistant.
