When to hire a Virtual Office Assistant is one of the most preliminary questions bothering many businessmen. When would be the right time to start a partnership with a Virtual Office Assistant? An effortless answer to it would be when your administrative burden increases substantially.

There is a time in every business when you can’t handle everything all by yourself. There is a constant shortage of time and administrative tasks demand a lot of it. You don’t have time to post a job, conduct interviews, train an employee, manage payroll and benefits, clear your inbox, update your blog etc and other important responsibilities like business expansion, USP, client retention are also racing your mind. Well, it’s time to hire a Virtual Office Assistant.

For any business the earlier you start the partnership, the better. When the business is new, the number of tasks in hand is comparatively low. You have more time to look for a Virtual Assistant whose skill sets matches your requirements and who would best fit in your business scenario. But if you are already in the middle of a business cycle, its better late than never. An investment of a few hours from a busy schedule will also be beneficial in the long term. So just put in some efforts and pick up the best from the lot!

There are many people who have opted for Virtual Assistance as a career option. Flexibility and independence are the prime reasons for a boom in this profession. But not every VA is equally effective. What skills differentiate successful Virtual Assistants?

A right skill is the one which a VA has perfected overtime. As the Virtual Assistant develops and perfects new skills his/her business could grow accordingly.  Few basic skills required for success as a Virtual Assistant are as follows-

• 3 to 5 years experience in the real world administrative services. This would make a VA familiar with the business which he would indulge in the future.
• Proficiency in the Internet, computers, software, word processing and spreadsheet applications etc. This is important as technical skills would be the basis of his earning.
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written. This is the first noticeable skill of a Virtual Assistant.
• Good business management skills. This would include knowledge about marketing, advertising and public relations and excellent people management skills. Apart from helping a VA operate his/her business this would also make him capable of understanding the client’s business.

There are different ways of setting up payment processes in a Virtual Assistance business model. The Virtual Assistant has to judiciously analyze which method suits him the best.

Traditional invoicing/ Net 30days- The Virtual Assistant issues an invoice at the specified time periods or at the end of the project whatever is agreed upon before the project begins. This method of payment usually works best with the large corporate clients. In reality clients do not pay within 30 days term and it takes approximately 45-60 days till the cheque arrives through mail & is cleared. Since the business with large corporates is lucrative, it is worth the wait.

Traditional invoicing/ due upon receipt- Issue of purchase order or an agreement where terms are due upon receipt helps Virtual Assistant to get paid quicker.

Credit card payment- A merchant account is set up by a Virtual Assistant & payment is collected from the client using a credit card. The Virtual Assistant keeps the client’s credit card number and charges it as soon as the project is completed and the invoice approved. Without setting up a merchant account credit card payments can also be processed through PayPal.

Retainer- Virtual Assistant can also collect a retainer from their clients. The client already makes a payment beforehand so he mostly uses the time. This is a nice way for the Virtual Assistant to estimate how much he or she will work in a month as the client has already committed for certain number of hours.