WHAT IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?

           A Virtual Assistant, typically abbreviated as VA, is generally an  individual who renders services such as administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients remotely from a home office. Common modes of communication and data delivery between the VA and the clients include Internet, email and phonecall conferences, online work spaces and fax machines.With the availability of VoIp and other services as Skype it has been possible to have a VA who can answer the phone remotely. Meetings and conferences can also be held by different people from different places.

          A Virtual Assistant sees this as an opportunity to work from home when they live in a remote area and transportation is difficult;when they can’t leave the house due to family responsibility like taking care of small kids or due to physical disability;and/or when they prefer to get self-employed. VAs may not also worry about how they look while working. They may not wear make-up and shoes although there are times that decent clothes/tops should be worn when working in front of a camera.

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           Clients or employers on the other hand have a lot of advantages to gain when hiring VAs. They can avoid the logical problem of providing extra office space, equipment or supplies. They are not responsible for any employee-related taxes,insurance or benefits. They can choose from a wide range of applicants even from different parts of the world that best fits their need. Working hours will not be an issue because VAs may come from different time zones and some may render service even during holidays.

           Contrary to what others thought of Virtual Assistance as a secretarial job only,a VA can do more than just typing and data entry.

           Other Services that VAs provide are:

• ·         Article/content writing
• ·         Blogging
• ·         Spin writing,ghost writing
• ·         Copyrighting
• ·         Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – is an internet marketing strategy that increases the visibility of a website or web page in a search engine’s search result.
• ·         Call –Center-at-home
• ·         Web Designing – may include graphic designing;CSS,HTML and XHTML creation;Photoshop
• ·         Video Creation
• ·         Data Entry
• ·         E-mail management
• ·         Social Networking Sites Account creation,maintenance,and commenting

And a whole lot of services that can be done with the computer and internet to give the client extra convenience even during holidays and uncertain hours.