20 Ways to Utilize a Virtual
Office Assistant (VOA)
Sending information can be done via email,
fax, scanning, phone, express or regular mail.
1. You know bookkeeping is crucial to your business, but don’t
want to pay for a full-time employee or high hourly rates for a CPA.
Your VOA can handle all of your bookkeeping functions, including
standard accounting entries, invoicing customers, paying bills, collections,
and standard accounting reports. This also has you fully prepared
for your tax accountant at year end.
2. You need to hire a new employee, but don’t have the time
to spend handling the project. Your VOA can write and publish the
job ad, sort through the responses, and pre-screen possible candidates.
You only have to handle the final interviews and decision.
3. You’re company doesn’t need a full-time Human Resources
person, but does need someone to handle HR functions such as employee
paperwork, benefits administration, tracking dates for probation
periods and reviews, and employee questions/issues as they arise.
Your VOA can handle this work on an as-needed basis.
4. You’re starting a new company and need the standard manuals
and forms for employees, company policies, and/or work procedures.
You give the general information to your VOA and she creates the
manuals and forms for you.
5. You know in today’s world, you need a web presence, but
aren’t ready to spend thousands of dollars to create and maintain
it. Your VOA can find you web hosting, set up your email accounts,
and create your basic website for you.
6. Whether you have employees working from home, branch offices,
or all in one main office, a company intranet is the easiest way
to share information and procedures they can access at any time they
need them. Your VOA can create an intranet for you and add more information
as needed over time.
7. You don’t have time to monitor website traffic. Your VOA
can monitor traffic and analyze it to make adjustments or find better
website promotional options for you.
8. All businesses need research done on various topics, and seldom
have time to do a complete job. Your VOA can do that in-depth research
and give you a summary of the specifics you wanted.
9. You have daily/weekly reports/forms that have to be turned in
to a home office. You send the info to your VOA, who compiles and
submits the report/form.
10. You need to do some purchasing, whether it’s software,
office supplies, a new vendor, or anything else. You tell your VOA
what you want, and she researches your options, gets price quotes,
and gives you the compiled info for your final decision.
11. You do a lot of writing, which needs to be turned into typed
copy. You send it to your VOA, who converts it for you.
12. Your email is out of control, and you’re missing important
emails. You and your VOA discuss your needs on how to handle it,
whether it involves her screening them and handling routine requests,
or setting up your email software to sort and filter for you.
13. You work out in the field all day. You can send your work to
your VOA to process it into the right forms and invoices, as well
as send them where they need to be.
14. You prepare the content of a report and send your draft to your
VOA to edit and format it.
15. You want new business cards, certificates, product/price lists,
or marketing materials. Your VOA can design and print or have them
printed for you.
16. You collect business cards and send them to your VOA weekly/monthly
to enter them into your database.
17. You need a printed manual converted into an editable electronic
format, so you send the document to your VOA, who types it and gives
it back to you in an e-file.
18. You’re preparing a seminar or presentation and send the
text, sketches, diagrams, and/or charts to your VOA, who prepares
the PowerPoint slides for you.
19. You want to publish a newsletter. You provide the info to your
VOA, who designs and sends it for you.
20. You know client follow-up is a great way to get return or referred
business, but don ’t have the time to do it. Your VOA does. |
