Virtual Assistant - A Boon for Online Business

Posted on Friday, May 24, 2013 by

"You can't do today's job with yesterday's methods and be in business tomorrow". This popular saying fits perfectly in today's scenario of tough competitions. Today's business demands quality with perfection and innovation.

Big entrepreneurs and officials in large business organizations are looking for innovative and supportive solutions for generating more and more profits in their business. With their common concern, a term virtual assistant services is said to be quite beneficial for the businesses. Though a new concept but more and more people be it a small business entrepreneur or an individual businessman, are accepting it.
A lot of discussion has been made on this term but still people are confused with its real meaning. When a business organization outsource its various administrative services to a person sitting miles away from him without actually meeting him physically then that person is said to be working virtually for the organization. This is the meaning of virtual assistant services.
Availing the services of a virtual assistant never cause any added cost to your business. This is because you neither put any infrastructure or resources nor there is any need for insurance and health benefits. In fact, you can hire a virtual employee as per your project's requirement. Quality from a virtual assistant is assured because the success of your company will give him/her better rewards thus adding positive aspects of his/her career. Additionally, as the person can be hired from the global market, you have an amazing choice of skilled and expert personnel in the required field.
For contacting a virtual employee, you can use communication sources like email, telephone, facsimile, courier and other postal services. There is no need to have any physical meeting with the person.
What activities can a virtual professional handle?
You name it and they have it, yes!! A virtual employee can efficiently handle transcription services, designing and maintenance of websites, setting appointments, desktop support training, answering your calls, travel and transport arrangement and a lot more. Even all types of secretarial and personal assistant jobs are handled perfectly by this virtual service provider.
Owing to the growing popularity of these services, there are several organizations who have started virtual services for their offshore clients. These organizations have a team of experienced and skilled professionals who carry expertise in different arenas and thus deliver their services to the remote clients.
If you also want your business to take a leap towards success in available resources then virtual assistant services are fruitful option. When such person would handle your daily tasks, you can channelize your energy in some productive ideas and innovative tasks. Go ahead and search for reliable services on the internet and see the change after outsourcing business to virtual professionals.

Virtual Office Help Means More Green For Your Wallet and the Environment

Posted on Sunday, May 12, 2013 by

With gas and food prices rising along with the expectation to go green, virtual office assistance has now found it's place in the competitive world of administration. Currently most companies, when in need of office help, have to pay for wants ads or staffing agency fees, spend hours going through resumes and interviews and then spend additional money for federal taxes, benefits and overhead costs. Now there are a growing number of administrative assistants who provide all of their services virtually (hence the name) via phone, fax and internet based technology. Most daily office tasks such as faxing, copying, returning emails, data entry, mass mailings, travel itineraries, internet research, word processing and bookkeeping can all be done from a home office with the right equipment and training.
If a company has a database that is internal, then the company can use an online tool such as http://www.gotomypc.com which allows them to set up a log in to the company database from a home computer. This allows greater freedom and financial control and also allows businesses to only pay for the time they need an assistant. For example the cost to hire a new individual can be up 100% of their salary. This can impact the bottom line of a small business tremendously especially if the individual may not be needed 20-40 hours per week permanently. Hiring a virtual assistant requires a phone call, email or fax entailing the job needed to be done and an estimate to approve for the job task entailed. Once the estimate is approved, the job is completed and the payment is made. The taxes, overhead costs and other usual full time employee expenses do not apply since you are hiring out an independent service provider.
An added benefit of using a virtual assistant is the impact you are making on the environment. Since these individuals provide their services virtually, the daily commute to and from an office location is eliminated thereby saving hundreds of gallons of gas and vehicle emissions that pollute the air. Most practices also use recycled office paper, ink cartridges and eco-friendly office supplies.
Hiring an intelligent, trustworthy and trained individual who can provide convenience and long term financial savings while helping to protect our precious environment is a benefit to any company.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1230861






Location: Hotel Felix 111 West Huron Street, Chicago

Hiring virtual office services: Call center services

Posted on Sunday, May 5, 2013 by


Author: WebNetLet
Hiring virtual office services can be as complicated or as straight forward as you like. Multinational virtual office providers have delivered exponential growth during the recent recession as companies seek to downsize their operations in remote locations while at the same time, correctly, not wishing to show signs of retraction from their desirable markets.

In these times of 24/7 constant online communications, customers and suppliers alike expect and demand to be able to talk to their contacts at a time that they wish and it is interesting that the larger companies who embrace unified communications are the slowest to adopt all that this technology offers. Perhaps their view is we’re big, you’re small, or at least not as big as us, so “speak to the hand” or the usual “leave a voice mail after the tone” and maybe they will get back to you eventually – this is a huge mistake.

Users and customers are not lacking in the intelligence department, they want to speak to a human being. In a recent survey, most callers valued the option to speak to an operator or call agent as worth 90% more than most of all the other options presented on an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Essentially, they just want to talk to somebody and often wanting to be able to clarify doubts easily.

Virtual office services therefore divide themselves into two categories and therefore, 2 price ranges. If for example, you are a US company with the need to service your clients in Portugal and you are considering virtual office services but only comfortable negotiating for these services in English, you will have to pay a certain premium. If however you have someone on the ground who has a mother tongue in Portuguese, this is another matter; a locally brokered deal will work better for you every time. The basic maxim is “the further away you are, the more you will pay”.

Before buying or contracting a service, ask for user references from companies similar to yours, the most important thing is that the call agents should be professional and look after the caller, even if they know that the party sought by the caller is on a sales trip to Timbuktu and cannot be reached for 2 weeks, they should be seen to try to transfer the call. If all fail, note the caller’s correct name and contact details and promise to get the called party to get back as soon as possible to the caller.

The call agent from a virtual office service center should also take note of the callers who have called in, even if the agent who took the call is not working on the shift, they should pass the details on to their colleague with key details. Assuming the caller has something urgent to discuss, the real value of the virtual office services come into play here. If the operator is able to say with true conviction that they have talked with the called party and he or she understands the matter is urgent and will get back to the caller as soon as possible with the caller being satisfied, the mission will be accomplished and the reason for using a virtual office service will have been justified.

Posted in Articles | Tags: call center services

Location: Sunny Isles Beach Sunny Isles Beach

Virtual Assistant Service Provides Crucial Emergency Communication Service for Business Owners

Posted on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 by



Virtual Assistant Service Provides Crucial Emergency Communication Service for Business Owners


Miami, Florida, April 24, 2013  

Intelligent Office of Miami, a virtual and professionally staffed office concept that provides concierge-style business and back office services, has rolled out a new virtual assistant service designed to help businesses with their communication needs during emergency situations.
Many businesses have experienced a down phone system, flooded office, building evacuation or even a receptionist that has called in sick at the last minute. These interruptions can halt normal business operations and cost money. Intelligent Office's Intelligent Assistant service can come to the rescue in dire situations like these.  
Intelligent Office of Miami’s highly trained Intelligent Assistants can ease the woes of a business emergency by temporarily handling phone calls, emails and other vital administrative tasks while businesses deal with getting their operations back on track.  Intelligent Assistants are local and professionally trained virtual receptionists and assistants who can handle a wide array of other administrative services.
Intelligent Assistants can be hired temporarily to mitigate the effects of many emergency situations like disabled or down phone systems, power outages, last minute receptionist absences, unforeseen office closures, hurricane or storm closures, building evacuations, and any other business emergency that calls for extra manpower. 
Recently, one of Intelligent Office of Miami’s clients Gina Polo, who runs a busy law firm, experienced the benefits of using an Intelligent Assistant in an emergency situation.  “Intelligent Office’s Intelligent Assistants came to the rescue when our office phone system stopped working,” said Ms. Polo. “All I had to do was call Intelligent Office and explain the situation. Within a few minutes, our phone lines were transferred to their system, and our new emergency virtual assistants were there to answer all of our calls. They answered our phones for six full business days before we were able to get back up and running. I don't know what we would have done without them.”
Prices and service plans for Intelligent Office’s emergency virtual assistants are uniquely tailored for every situation and budget. For more information about Intelligent Office of virtual assistant service and customizable packages, please contact Richard Rey at (305) 777-1300.


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About:  Intelligent Office Miami is a virtual and professionally staffed office suite concept that provides, virtual assistants, concierge-style business and back office services, located in the heart of Downtown Miami on the 37th floor of One Biscayne Tower.  The location features private office space, two conference suites, a kitchen, and private, locked mailboxes, all of which are available 24/7.  You can rent office space by the hour, day, week or month. For more information, please visit http://www.intelligentoffice.com/locations/florida/miami/miami-downtown.aspx

SOBE SPRING NETWORKING EVENT

Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 by

In 2013, the “Company Man” Will Become the Solopreneur

Posted on Thursday, April 11, 2013 by


Our series of Work IQ surveys has continued to show that the work style and desires of modern workers is undergoing a drastic change, shedding light on a new, more independent generation of workers. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder, their priorities are shifting to place more importance on things like flexibility and mobility, wanting to take their work with them, rather than being confined to a desk.

It would seem that former corporate employees are also starting to re-evaluate their life direction and career paths, choosing instead to add to the ranks of small businesses. Since small businesses in America have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade, this may be exactly the boost the economy needs.

In 2013, we think that this trend will only continue to grow. The landscape of working professionals will continue to favor entrepreneurialism, independent working, and mobile working. And in doing so, more and more will wave goodbye to the corporate lifestyle and it’s demanding schedules and structured environments. 2013 is likely to see a continued growth in the number of what we’ve termed “solopreneurs”.

As the economy continues to show signs of improvement, the opportunities for solopreneurs will only continue to rise, and the tools available to them are becoming more readily available. Here are a few of the things that we think will be the solopreneurs best friend in 2013:

The Cloud: Being able to do business in the cloud has translated into increased productivity and efficiency for businesses across the board, and the associated costs are often minimal or even free. Taking advantage of tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, Skype and Quickbooks Online will give businesses owners and independent workers an opportunity to get the most value out of limited resources.

Alternative Workplaces: 2013 will be the year of the shared or alternative work spaces, like coworking spaces and virtual offices. As rent costs in desirable locations have continued to skyrocket, more and more professionals are turning to these shared spaces. In fact, our latest survey showed that 70% of workers today are working from alternative locations on a regular basis. Our recent surveys have also found that professionals who simply want to take their work on-the-go are also taking advantage of these resources in order to be able to stay productive without being confined to their offices.

Working from Home: In that same vein, more and more people are going to take advantage of the opportunity to work straight out of their home. New information from the US Census Bureau is showing that the number of people working from home at least 1 day a week has been on the rise for over a decade. And with the ability to conduct business in the cloud, productivity from home has never been so easy.

The opportunities for those wanting to start businesses, work independently, and work with more mobility are only going to continue growing in 2013. By taking advantage of the tools and opportunities available to them, this is likely to be the year of the solopreneur.

How do you know if a Virtual Assistant is right for you?

Posted on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 by


So, how do you know whether hiring a virtual assistant is the right move for you? That's easy. I'm going to provide a list of questions for you to consider to help you determine if you're ready.  If you're new to the term "virtual assistant," it simply describes a professional who works from a remote location and typically from their home. Our virtual assistants, called Intelligent Assistants, are professionally trained, local and capable of a variety of administrative tasks. They'll save you money on employee benefits and taxes, office space and equipment and unnecessary working hours when business is slow.

Are you regularly working overtime?
If you find yourself extending your working hours to catch up on business tasks because there's just too much to do in the day, you can take the pressure off your schedule to allow more time for your family and other priorities by hiring a virtual assistant.

Do you feel overwhelmed by work or have difficulty focusing?
When tasks pile up, it will become more difficult for you to focus on everything that needs to be accomplished. A virtual assistant can ease the grind by taking on your low priority tasks that impede your productivity.

Have you missed client/project deadlines?
If you're not on top of your to-do list at all times, it's easy to fall behind. If you are having difficulty meeting important deadlines, your business will start to stagnate. If you want your business to grow, you have to constantly move forward.

Take some time to carefully evaluate exactly what your goals should be for your business and how you might delegate some responsibilities to one of our qualified virtual assistants. If you answered yes to any of the questions above, I'd recommend you inquire about Intelligent Office's Intelligent Assistants. They will relieve some of the pressure, before you burn out or your business suffers.

Contact me today if you're interested in learning more about this valuable and reliable business service that starts at only $2 per day!

Sincerely,

Richard Rey
Manager
Intelligent Office of Miami
RRey@IntelligentOffice.com
ph: 305.777.1300