A Virtual Assistant or VA, is generally defined as a small business owner who is contracted to provide professional and quality administration support to other business owners and leaders, from a different location.
Imagine a Personal or Executive Assistant, but without the days off, training or staffing overheads and working from a different location. That’s a Virtual Assistant.
A Virtual Assistant is:
- An independent business owner – we’re running a small business too!
- Works remotely to your business – we don’t take up space in your office.
- Use our own resources – you don’t need to provide or maintain our equipment.
- Detail-oriented – the clearer you are with expected outcomes, the better our work will be.
- Communicates with technology – we use email & online programs, plus phone to connect with you.
- Represents your business seamlessly – your clients will never know we’re not in your workplace.
What are the benefits of using a VA?
When business owners, and entrepreneurs partner with a VA, their business receive support from a skilled professional at a more affordable price than an on-site team member. They wont be paying for operating costs, insurance and employee benefits such as leave and superannuation.
A VA is trained, ready to step in to support ongoing or new projects. Saving money, but importantly giving clients back their valuable time!
How is an Online Business Manager different from a Virtual Assistant?
While a Virtual Assistant is task based, an Online Business Manager is focused on the overall operations of the business. An OBM is a manager, while a VA is a doer. Therefore, while a VA may be paid for short-term projects or tasks, an OBM is a longer-term relationship paid on retainer for greater outcomes.
Read more about an OBM.
We have a few more creative definitions of a Virtual Assistant, which have mostly been prompted by our clients.
