Virtual Assistant Blog » outsourcing

Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tips – Travel Arrangements

Sam — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:02:38 +0000

If you need to travel frequently on business you will know how time consuming it can be to research your destination, obtain competitive quotes and confirm your reservations. A virtual assistant can take care of all of these tasks on your behalf and will even be able to put together a detailed itinerary for you.

Your virtual assistant does not have to be limited to arranging only your business travel, if you have a holiday planned they can also assist you with the planning. This is fantastic if you are planning a surprise trip for someone special!

Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tips – Digital Transcription

Sam — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:59:10 +0000

Transcription has come a long way over the past 5 years – there is no longer a need for tapes to be used as modern transcription machines enable recordings to be made into digital files. These digital files can then be emailed to your virtual PA. Virtual PAs use special transcription software which allows the files to play on their computer while they type. The Virtual PA still has a headset and possibly even foot controls but these work with the computer rather than the old fashioned tape deck. Once the PA has completed the typing the completed document can be emailed back to you.

This process is remarkably fast and it is ideal for professionals who dictate a lot of reports or documents. There is no need to risk posting tapes and documents and digital transcription machines are relatively inexpensive making them an excellent addition to your business equipment. Contact Versatile Assistant today to find out how you too can delegate your digital transcription to our professional team of Virtual PAs.

Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tips – Recruitment Support

Sam — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:56:32 +0000

If you need to advertise a vacancy within your company your virtual assistant will be able to help you target appropriate publications/websites and place advertisements on your behalf. Your virtual assistant can also assist you in writing the job specification and presenting it professionally. You can also give your virtual assistant some guidelines for screening CVs, providing responses to candidates and scheduling interviews on your behalf. Recruitment can be a very time consuming process so it makes sense to delegate tasks when you can. Start delegating today!

Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tips – Direct Mail Campaigns

Sam — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:53:08 +0000

Direct Mail can be an important marketing strategy for small businesses but finding the time to formulate the mailing list, merge the letters, collate flyers and envelopes can take up your valuable time. If you struggle to find the time or lack the expertise this is a great task to delegate to your virtual assistant. Mailing lists can be purchased or you may decide to formulate a more specific, researched list from available data. You may also hold your own valuable database which you can include in your direct mail campaign.

Your virtual assistant will be able to assist you in formulating a cover letter and merging the data with your database of contacts. They will then be able to print the letters, collate envelopes and any promotional materials, and finally arrange for posting of the letters. Your virtual assistant can also help you with tracking the results of your direct mail campaign so you can evaluate the success of the campaign. If delegating your Direct Mail Campaign sounds inviting, contact us today for more information.

Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tips – Procedural Manual

Sam — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:49:47 +0000

Every business has a series of procedures whether they realise it or not. A procedural manual is very important particularly if there are only one or two key people involved with running the business. Let’s imagine the worst case scenario… the business owner is hit by a bus and will be out of action for six months. Could your business survive in this situation? Contingency planning is important for all businesses regardless of their size however there needs to be detailed procedures in place for anyone who will step in and run the business in your absence. Most business owners know an enormous amount about their business and industry but they never document the information that is kept in their heads. This is fine while everything is going well but what happens in the worst case scenario?

Your virtual PA will be able to help you prepare a detailed procedural manual for your business. The benefits of doing this are two-fold; it will help you think about and formalise your processes as well as providing comfort that your business could continue to operate (as you would like it to) in your absence. If a procedural manual is something that has been sitting on your to do list for too long, contact us today and let our Virtual PAs do the work for you.

Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tips – Bookkeeping/financial reporting

Sam — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:46:04 +0000

Bookkeeping is one of those essential tasks for every small business but it is often neglected creating a nightmare at the end of the financial year. Regular and up to date financial reporting is important as it will help you gain a snapshot of your businesses financial position. Do you know how many of your sales invoices are overdue or when your purchases need to be paid for? An effective financial system will help you track every transaction ensuring that you are always on top of your books.

A Virtual PA can help you choose and set up your financial management system. It is then possible for your Virtual PA to keep the system up to date with all of your sales and purchases meaning there is very little work for you to do in keeping your business in the best financial shape. You can even ask your Virtual PA to assist with calling or chasing your outstanding payments.

If you’re ready to take the next step and find a Virtual PA to assist you with your bookkeeping, contact us today.

Announcing Our New Virtual Receptionist Service

Sam — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:23:17 +0000

Did you know that over 80% of callers will not ring back if they can’t speak to someone?

What is the first impression that potential clients receive when they call your business?

What would it mean for you and your business if you could guarantee that all of your calls would be answered by a professional receptionist while you are in meetings, busy completing income generating work or simply enjoying your family holiday?

The great news is that our Virtual Receptionist service is a cost effective solution which will offer your business greater professionalism and a better chance of securing more business from your callers.

We are so convinced that you will love our Virtual Receptionist service, we are offering you the first month’s fee and £10 worth of call handling COMPLETELY FREE – valued at £50.

Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tip – Confirming Appointments

Sam — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Following on from last week’s tip about outsourcing your diary management to a Virtual Assistant, this week I am going to discuss one of the simplest and most useful tasks a VA can do for you if you have a lot of meetings. If you share your diary with your VA then it is simple to have them confirm appointments for you but you can also do this if your VA doesn’t access your diary - it will involve you emailing them a copy (usually a pdf) of your diary for the week ahead.

There is nothing more frustrating than having meetings cancelled at the last minute or even worse ‘no shows’! The week prior to your meetings, having your VA call or email your meeting contacts to confirm the meeting is a valuable way of ensuring that the meeting goes ahead as scheduled. Of course illness or transport delays can still occur on the day but meetings are much more likely to go ahead if they have been confirmed in the week prior. Having your personal assistant confirm your meetings also helps you create a professional impression on those people you are meeting.

Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tip – Diary Management

Sam — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:33:41 +0000

Sharing a diary with your virtual assistant is a very simple and effective way of increasing your time management skills. If you currently use Outlook as your calendar you need to ensure that you choose a software package which will sync your appointments with the online diary your virtual assistant will access.

Two of the most popular online diaries are Google Calendar (which is free) and MyOffice.net. Both of these diaries enable syncing with Outlook as well as team diaries for accessing other staff members’ diaries.

Enabling your virtual assistant to access your diary has many benefits and it will enable your VA to keep on top of your commitments. You may decide to have your virtual assistant arrange appointments on your behalf and an online shared diary is essential for this task. If your virtual assistant has access to your diary they can also confirm your upcoming appointments – a real bonus if you are often faced with late cancellations or ‘no shows’.

: MyOffice.net diary

Another benefit of having your virtual assistant manage your diary is that will be truly aware of what is happening in your business life without you having to provide regular updates.

We have teamed up with MyOffice.net to offer a free trial so that you can experience the benefits first hand.

Save Your Sanity – New Weekly Outsourcing Tips

Sam — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:26:25 +0000

Introducing our new weekly blog update – ‘Save Your Sanity!’

From next week I will be reviewing a task which can be outsourced to your Virtual Assistant; the systems and processes they may use and of course most importantly – the benefits to your business. If you have any particular tasks you would like reviewed please add your comments.

Next week we will be starting with diary management and how you can share your diary with your Virtual Assistant.

Sam Cannell
Director, Versatile Assistant Ltd