Making the switch to virtual assistants { 2 }
In about two weeks, I’m losing two people from my current project, both of whom are returning to school for their fall terms.
One is a part-time administrative assistant. The other is a bit further up the food chain, but because of the nature of this project much of his time has been spent on database management.
Looking at this as an opportunity, I’m going to spend the next month replacing these two positions with virtual assistants.
Much of what these two positions are responsible for doing are short, quick projects that I feel can easily be outsourced.
Here’s how I plan to do this:
Set budget for projects.
I do not want to spend more on my VAs than I’m spending on my in-house folks. Actually, I want to spend less, considering that one of the two people leaving me does additional work that cannot be outsourced to a virtual assistant.
Basically, I’ll take 75 percent of his salary and 100 percent of the AA’s salary and use that as my budget. Once all my projects are bid out, I’ll be able to determine if I can stay within my original budget.
Outline all projects and bid them.
I’m thinking that I can get ahead of the curve here. Instead of two people working on projects that will require several weeks to complete, I plan to bid out all existing projects and use multiple VAs.
Going this route, I should have everything completed in approximately four to six weeks.
To be successful, I must stay under the budget that I have alloted for the two people who are leaving.
Review progress over four weeks.
Elance allows you to use milestones — or Key Dates, as they call them — to monitor progress. I’l break up all of these projects using milestones so that I can monitor the quality and efficiency of the work.
If all is going well over the next four weeks, then I’ll continue on with the plan.
As far as what I’m looking for in a virtual assistant, it’s not that much:
- Basic data entry skills
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel
- Some phone skills
- Some Internet search skills
And because this is a political project and because some projects require a lot of phone calls, I’ll use only American virtual assistants.
I’ve been tempted to use a VA several times, but I’ve never pulled the trigger. This will be a good chance for me to get my feet wet and see if I like the system.
I’ll post later about the success — or lack thereof — on this project.
Dawn Lane
August 7th, 2008, 1:53 am #
Why would you expect to work with a Virtual Assistant at less than you would pay an in-house assistant given that using a VA who is located away from your office is actually saving you money through: * No overhead costs * No insurance, taxes, leave pay etc.
Elance may be the way to go to pay less but will you actually get the standard of work that you require? Most people on Elance tend to be from Asian/Pacific rim countries whose grasp of English, and their understanding of the culture in the Western world, may not actually meet the standards you require.
There are a number of forums where you can advertise for a VA whose first language is English, who may have all the skills you require to complete all the projects you have in mind and who can work with you for the long-term learning about your business and helping you in many ways that you may not have even thought about.
Below is a list of some of the VA forums where you can look for a VA many of whom will have been senior/executive PAs in a former corporate life and who are all highly skilled just waiting to help business people and consultants like yourself:
http://www.societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk/ http://www.ivaa.org/ http://www.vadirectory.net/ http://www.ukava.co.uk/ http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/ http://www.vanetworking.com/index.php http://allianceforvirtualbiz.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,399/
Please also look at the book, Finding the Ultimate Virtual Assistant for your Business - http://www.vanetworking.com/find-a-virtual-assistant/index.htm - before deciding to use marketplaces such as Elance or Guru, and if you would like to discuss how a VA (like myself) may be able to help you, please do contact me off line and I will be happy to point you in the right direction to get the person you need.
Dawn Lane Your Office Online YOO a real solution for business
virtualassistant
October 21st, 2008, 2:49 pm #
Great! There are now virtual assistant services that offer more than just basic administration or call center work. If you own an online business you can now get everything from graphic design to keyword analysis.