The Rise of the Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistance services are increasingly becoming a viable and regular option for business owners to bring in additional help to reach their short-term and long-term business goals. Virtual assistants offer their services remotely, or at a distance, by using computers, software, Internet tools, email, documentation, and phone meetings to interact with their clients and provide the final products. The virtual part is made possible by Internet conferencing and collaboration tools in partnership with cellular, wireless and other networking advances available today. Services that used to be only possible on location can be administered from a distance. It seems like we are getting closer to the visions of science fiction every day.

With the economic shifts and company downsizing of recent years, people have had to strike out on their own and offer their skills as independent agents. More and more experienced professionals are cutting the commute and offering their skills while working from home. For both traditional employees as well as virtual assistants, working at home is a perk because cities are so congested with traffic that people can spend a full eight-hour day each week just driving to work. With technical talent being in short supply nationwide, information technology resources are being scooped up quickly making it harder for smaller and rural businesses to find the help they need. These brave virtual assistant pioneers are part of a rapidly growing movement that allows people to work from anywhere while improving their work life balance and saving valuable resources by cutting out the commute.

There are many benefits to hiring virtual assistants. First, businesses can draw talent from further away than having to rely only on those who live nearby. Most important to business owners, virtual employees do not require the overhead involved with keeping a permanent employee. Once you have found your perfect virtual assistant then they will continue to be ready and willing to get started on your work with a little notice very little overhead. All you have to do is take the time to research to find the virtual assistant with the right skill set. Don’t skimp on this step because it’s an investment in the future. When done properly, you will find a talented employee that will participate in your success. Their success is your success. All that remains to achieve results are good communications, complete documentation and regular meetings to keep everything moving forward.