Some people still believe that hiring a personal assistant is something that only executives do. Or, they believe that the costs would be too great for them to consider hiring their own personal assistant. I have to admit that I was unfamiliar with the entire concept of a personal assistant outside of the work setting until I tried it myself. My 70-80 hour per week career was very demanding, leaving little time for me to handle my household and personal affairs. In fact, there were many times that things just simply did not get completed as I was more interested in keeping my personal time to spend with loved ones instead of running errands.
One day I was driving home from a busy day at the office around 9 p.m. thinking to myself, I am exhausted and I know I am walking in to a pile of things that need to be completed in my household. This was the breaking point for me and what caused me to search for available options to help me. I searched online and found a company called 274 Virtual Assistant. After reading the information on their website, I decided to give the program a try. I was comfortable trying their entry level plan as I saw it as a small risk and potentially big reward if it worked out. The program that I chose gave me access to 10 hours per week of various tasks.
To start, I was given a log in account and access to their database of virtual assistants. I created a personal list of items that I thought would be a good place to start with my personal assistant. The holidays were coming up and the thought of organizing my holiday card database, finding and ordering holiday cards and then addressing them seemed simply overwhelming. So, I added this to my list. I also knew that I would be responsible for planning a holiday party for my office, so I added a variety of those related tasks to my list as well. Then, I considered how nice it would be to have holiday gift web research organized for me to make the final ordering decisions from. I prepared my list of items and sent my first task to my virtual personal assistant.
I have to admit, I was a bit unsure of the process the first time around as I had never tried a service like this before. But, not only was my initial task completed on time, but it was completed above and beyond my initial standards. So, I sent the next task and the next task through their secure system. Now, anything that can be delegated I give to my personal assistant. And, as a result, I have more personal time and more time with my loved ones when I am not at the office. I don’t have to worry about spending my time off to do errands and research tasks that I don’t enjoy. I wish that I had located this service earlier as it would have saved a tremendous amount of my valuable time.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Need Transcription Services? Hire a Virtual Assistant
If you are in sales, marketing or in education it is likely that you record and transcribe material on a regular basis. If you are like me, you were spending your own time to transcribe the recorded information for either later research or a presentation for clients or staff. Over time I have found that transcribing can be a very labor intensive process that took my time away from other important professional tasks and my own personal time.
In an effort to reduce the amount of time that I was spending on transcribing, I decided to search for available options. To start, someone in my office had recommended the concept of a virtual assistant. I was not someone that was well versed in online programs or services so I was at first sceptical of the concept. But, I decided to begin my research both online and offline for a virtual assistant who would be willing to perform transcribing services at a rate lower than my perceived hourly rate.
After looking at several available options, I decided to try a virtual assistant as opposed to an offline assistant primarily due to the difference in costs. I found a company called 247 Virtual Assistant and I liked their overall platform, their pricing and their customer service. I decided to try the service out by paying for their beginning program as I determined that it was a small initial investment and if I did not like the service I would not be out a significant amount of capital. Once I had hired the company, I was given a log in and instructions on how to post my first job.
I had organized a small transcribing job to try for my first project. I posted the information and the audio that I was looking to have transcribed. I also posted a due date in which I needed the materials returned to me. In a few days time, my several hour audio had been returned to me transcribed in perfect English. I reviewed the documents, was impressed and decided to send the next assignment to my virtual assistant.
I have been using 247 Virtual Assistant to help me professionally for several months. And, because I was so happy with my initial round of services, I have actually increased the level of services to their next plan. Having more time to myself has enabled me to complete several projects within my organization that I had not previously had the time to complete. And, I have enjoyed more personal time. To me it is a simple math problem; hiring someone to do something at a lower wage that it would take you to complete the same task makes perfect financial sense.
In an effort to reduce the amount of time that I was spending on transcribing, I decided to search for available options. To start, someone in my office had recommended the concept of a virtual assistant. I was not someone that was well versed in online programs or services so I was at first sceptical of the concept. But, I decided to begin my research both online and offline for a virtual assistant who would be willing to perform transcribing services at a rate lower than my perceived hourly rate.
After looking at several available options, I decided to try a virtual assistant as opposed to an offline assistant primarily due to the difference in costs. I found a company called 247 Virtual Assistant and I liked their overall platform, their pricing and their customer service. I decided to try the service out by paying for their beginning program as I determined that it was a small initial investment and if I did not like the service I would not be out a significant amount of capital. Once I had hired the company, I was given a log in and instructions on how to post my first job.
I had organized a small transcribing job to try for my first project. I posted the information and the audio that I was looking to have transcribed. I also posted a due date in which I needed the materials returned to me. In a few days time, my several hour audio had been returned to me transcribed in perfect English. I reviewed the documents, was impressed and decided to send the next assignment to my virtual assistant.
I have been using 247 Virtual Assistant to help me professionally for several months. And, because I was so happy with my initial round of services, I have actually increased the level of services to their next plan. Having more time to myself has enabled me to complete several projects within my organization that I had not previously had the time to complete. And, I have enjoyed more personal time. To me it is a simple math problem; hiring someone to do something at a lower wage that it would take you to complete the same task makes perfect financial sense.
Increase your Productivity by Hiring a Personal Assistant
As a small business owner, you are likely still performing a large proportion of tasks on your own. Many business owners go through growing phases where they don’t want to make the financial investment in hiring staff so they take on more tasks that they actually have time to do. But, if they were able to perform hiring earning tasks such as sales and marketing instead of administrative tasks their overall bottom line would grow. While I understood this concept, I was still not entirely convinced that I was ready to hire help for my business.
After struggling for a few weeks with my stack of paperwork in my office, I decided to consider the math of hiring someone to help me out. I jotted down some numbers with regard to what I was presently earning per hour net of the business profits. Then, I considered which tasks I would delegate if I had the opportunity and why those particular tasks would help me to yield more money in the business. Once I determined what I was earning per hour and which tasks I should spend more time on, I decided to research the costs of hiring a virtual or personal assistant.
I researched pricing for both online and offline personal assistants. With the competitiveness of the global economy I quickly found that the pricing for a virtual assistant was much less than an offline personal assistant. I was impressed with the pricing that I was able to find and after completing research, I decided to hire a virtual assistant from a company called 247 Virtual Assistant. I liked their overall professionalism, their available plans and their method for communicating to the assistants.
Once I had hired the company I needed to create a list of tasks that my virtual assistant would perform for me. One of the things that was told to me was that it was important to create clear instructions when working with professionals online. So, I posted my first project with instructions and a deadline for my virtual assistant to complete. I waited a few days for the assignment to be returned so that I could review it.
I was pleased when the assignment was returned as it was completed early and precisely as I had outlined in the instructions. So, I decided to continue with the services and posted my second assignment. After working with the virtual assistant program for the past several months, I have gotten into a smooth routine with posting and receiving assignments and have slowly been more willing to delegate business and personal tasks. I can tell that the services are beneficial as I have been more focused on the business tasks that drive revenues and have seen a boost in sales.
After struggling for a few weeks with my stack of paperwork in my office, I decided to consider the math of hiring someone to help me out. I jotted down some numbers with regard to what I was presently earning per hour net of the business profits. Then, I considered which tasks I would delegate if I had the opportunity and why those particular tasks would help me to yield more money in the business. Once I determined what I was earning per hour and which tasks I should spend more time on, I decided to research the costs of hiring a virtual or personal assistant.
I researched pricing for both online and offline personal assistants. With the competitiveness of the global economy I quickly found that the pricing for a virtual assistant was much less than an offline personal assistant. I was impressed with the pricing that I was able to find and after completing research, I decided to hire a virtual assistant from a company called 247 Virtual Assistant. I liked their overall professionalism, their available plans and their method for communicating to the assistants.
Once I had hired the company I needed to create a list of tasks that my virtual assistant would perform for me. One of the things that was told to me was that it was important to create clear instructions when working with professionals online. So, I posted my first project with instructions and a deadline for my virtual assistant to complete. I waited a few days for the assignment to be returned so that I could review it.
I was pleased when the assignment was returned as it was completed early and precisely as I had outlined in the instructions. So, I decided to continue with the services and posted my second assignment. After working with the virtual assistant program for the past several months, I have gotten into a smooth routine with posting and receiving assignments and have slowly been more willing to delegate business and personal tasks. I can tell that the services are beneficial as I have been more focused on the business tasks that drive revenues and have seen a boost in sales.
Increase Your Online Traffic Using SEO and a Virtual Assistant
One of the most effective ways of increasing a business’s revenue is to increase website traffic to the home URL. Not only can a business increase their online sales but they can also capture lead information for offline or online marketing techniques. But, in order to be effective with an online marketing campaign, a business needs to drive the most qualified traffic to their website. With search engines still driving the majority of online search activity, businesses need to leverage search engine marketing techniques such as optimizing their website’s content.
In order to optimize a company’s website, relevant keywords need to be chosen and utilized properly within the written content. While some companies choose to do this task themselves, others find value in utilizing professional services to perform this research for them. By delegating web research tasks to someone else, the business owner can spend more of their time on business development and client service tasks which are crucial to the business’s bottom line. I am one of the business owners that decided to outsource the research required for search engine optimization to a professional company.
I see the value in creating my company’s website with search engine optimization in mind. However, it is not something that I am well versed in and I am already pressed for time. So, I searched for available options of professionals that could perform this web research function for me. I came across the concept of a virtual assistant and after further research discovered that web research including search engine optimization services were provided by a company called 247 Virtual Assistant. And, after reviewing their pricing, I decided to give the program a shot.
I provided information about my company, our URL and the types of traffic that we were looking for. I requested SEO keyword information and options for content that could be used to drive traffic to the company’s website. My virtual assistant through the company provided a well researched list of keywords, information on options that I could use to increase my website’s SEO and implementation strategies. I realized then that utilizing a virtual assistant would not only streamline my SEO process but would reduce the overall budget that I needed to allocate towards the project.
I have been working with my virtual assistant on web research projects and SEO requirements for several months now. My online website traffic has increased substantially, my business’s revenues are up, my expenditures on staff are lowered and I have more time to focus on the business tasks that are demanding my attention and time. Before, I was spending money hiring talent to perform tasks at higher rates than my virtual assistant is working for and was getting results that were of a lower standard. Now, I use the services of my virtual assistant for all tasks possible.
In order to optimize a company’s website, relevant keywords need to be chosen and utilized properly within the written content. While some companies choose to do this task themselves, others find value in utilizing professional services to perform this research for them. By delegating web research tasks to someone else, the business owner can spend more of their time on business development and client service tasks which are crucial to the business’s bottom line. I am one of the business owners that decided to outsource the research required for search engine optimization to a professional company.
I see the value in creating my company’s website with search engine optimization in mind. However, it is not something that I am well versed in and I am already pressed for time. So, I searched for available options of professionals that could perform this web research function for me. I came across the concept of a virtual assistant and after further research discovered that web research including search engine optimization services were provided by a company called 247 Virtual Assistant. And, after reviewing their pricing, I decided to give the program a shot.
I provided information about my company, our URL and the types of traffic that we were looking for. I requested SEO keyword information and options for content that could be used to drive traffic to the company’s website. My virtual assistant through the company provided a well researched list of keywords, information on options that I could use to increase my website’s SEO and implementation strategies. I realized then that utilizing a virtual assistant would not only streamline my SEO process but would reduce the overall budget that I needed to allocate towards the project.
I have been working with my virtual assistant on web research projects and SEO requirements for several months now. My online website traffic has increased substantially, my business’s revenues are up, my expenditures on staff are lowered and I have more time to focus on the business tasks that are demanding my attention and time. Before, I was spending money hiring talent to perform tasks at higher rates than my virtual assistant is working for and was getting results that were of a lower standard. Now, I use the services of my virtual assistant for all tasks possible.
Does your Business Need Help? Hire a Virtual Assistant
With the economy affecting virtually every business, many are searching for alternative options for staffing to reduce their overhead. I am no different. In fact, I have been reading and researching available options for the past few months to reduce overhead and increase efficiency in my manufacturing company. One of the concepts that I decided to explore for my business was that of a virtual assistant to perform daily functions such as data entry.
As a sales organization, I was constantly updating sales leads, sales data and prospecting information. And, I was either paying someone $15-20 per hour to complete these tasks or I was completing them myself which was taking time away from other important activities that needed my attention. During this economy I was interested in exploring other options to complete these tasks. So, I decided to experiment with hiring a virtual assistant to perform these tasks for my business.
When I was searching for options online, I came across a company called 247 Virtual Assistant. After reading their information online, I decided to try their virtual assistant services. They offered several packages to me and I did not see a significant financial risk in hiring their company at the opening level plan. After signing up I was given a personal log in and instructions on how to delegate my first task.
I decided to send out a small data entry assignment as my first project with the online company. I established instructions and a deadline for the data entry project to be completed. So, I hit send and waited for my project to be completed. After a few days, I was pleased to find out that my project was not only completed exactly as it was posted but it was completed earlier than it was originally scheduled for completion.
After my first project was completed with success, I began to send work regularly to be completed for my business. And, I have increased my level of services over the past few months and now delegate any task that can be completed virtually to their team of professionals. Not only did my virtual assistant complete data entry projects, but they also were able to complete sales call information, web research and other tasks that only required access to the Internet and a telephone. Overall, my business’s payroll budget decreased and my productivity increased. I found a solution that will enable my business to remain competitive in this struggling economy.
As a sales organization, I was constantly updating sales leads, sales data and prospecting information. And, I was either paying someone $15-20 per hour to complete these tasks or I was completing them myself which was taking time away from other important activities that needed my attention. During this economy I was interested in exploring other options to complete these tasks. So, I decided to experiment with hiring a virtual assistant to perform these tasks for my business.
When I was searching for options online, I came across a company called 247 Virtual Assistant. After reading their information online, I decided to try their virtual assistant services. They offered several packages to me and I did not see a significant financial risk in hiring their company at the opening level plan. After signing up I was given a personal log in and instructions on how to delegate my first task.
I decided to send out a small data entry assignment as my first project with the online company. I established instructions and a deadline for the data entry project to be completed. So, I hit send and waited for my project to be completed. After a few days, I was pleased to find out that my project was not only completed exactly as it was posted but it was completed earlier than it was originally scheduled for completion.
After my first project was completed with success, I began to send work regularly to be completed for my business. And, I have increased my level of services over the past few months and now delegate any task that can be completed virtually to their team of professionals. Not only did my virtual assistant complete data entry projects, but they also were able to complete sales call information, web research and other tasks that only required access to the Internet and a telephone. Overall, my business’s payroll budget decreased and my productivity increased. I found a solution that will enable my business to remain competitive in this struggling economy.
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