You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Virtual PA' category.
Our Virtual Assistant Blog has now moved to our main website – we hope to see you there!
I have just completed our new website for new VAs who may be interested in our licence opportunities. If you would like to become a Virtual Assistant – check it out and download the info pack. You can also find a special fan page on Facebook.
Anne Johnson (our Northern England Virtual PA) has been doing some great work with local businesses and has recently received these testimonials… well done Anne!
“Anne stepped in to assist with the travel and accommodation requirements for my recent trip abroad. As time constraints limit my administration capacity, Anne’s input was invaluable!” Matthew Marshall, Managing Director, Fielden Engineering Limited
“Anne’s help with the administration during the recent company set-up has been a great help and I would absolutely recommend her services.” Stephen Liversidge, Director, Yorkshire Film and TV Solutions Limited
“Anne stepped in at short notice and quickly made herself familiar with the diverse range of organisations and individuals involved in the project. She demonstrated a consistenly high level of professionalism, efficiency and commitment and was a great support to the team. I would have no hesitation in recommending Anne’s services.” Kate Auld, Manager, Yorkshire Gold (Yorkshire’s Regional Olympic Committee)
“Running a very busy Retail Communications Agency for the last 7 years and finding myself disorganised and surrounded by piles of ‘very important’ documents that I didn’t have time to file or put into any form of structure – I realised I now needed to bring in professional help. That’s where Anne Johnson entered my business. After looking at the website and the exchanging of a couple of emails and phone calls during which I described my very ‘messy’ world and what I needed from a Versatile Assistant, Anne came in and took control. After two and a half days she’d shredded years of confidential documentation, restructured my paper documents and even organised the furniture in my office. During this time she also structured my email filing – which entailed researching some ‘easy to use’ software which helps me file the incoming and outgoing emails instantly – so no longer do I have heaps of flagged up and unread emails awaiting my attention. The result – a great working environment for me; I know where everything is and I can focus on running my business. I would highly recommend Anne to anyone who needs high calibre, professional help.” Barbara Boyes, Managing Director, Fourninety Ltd
If you are based in Northern England please contact Anne on 0845 299 0408 to find out how she can help you.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
