For a growing segment of professionals who are celebrating Administrative Professionals Week at the end of April, work means never having to set foot in an office or utter a single face-to-face hello to their employer. For this local virtual assistant, she continues to celebrate Administrative Professionals Week each day that she helps others.
From a home in Lakefield, Minnesota, and throughout the United States, thousands of people, including Staci Jansma, are helping businesses throughout the world as a virtual assistant, also known as VA.
Virtual assistants are professional office assistants who provide office services and support without being physically present by using the Internet, fax, and telephone. Since much of their work is done online, they can work locally or globally.
Jansma began a VA business, Your Online 24/7 Virtual Assistant, in June 2009. “Clients typically hire virtual assistants so they can focus on what they do best,” says Jansma. She got into the profession after years of work in customer service turned her off to cubicles, commuting, and office politics.
Since the term "virtual assistant" surfaced in the mid-1990s, an estimated 5,000 VAs have hung out their shingles. And unlike temporary employees, VAs are entrepreneurs and small start-up businesses – just like many of their clients.
Your Online 24/7 Virtual Assistant offers a variety of services including shopping cart setup, blog posting management, article submission, press release distribution, Squidoo lens creation and more.
Jansma says that many companies that are hesitant to use a VA are usually unaware of the tremendous talent pool available through independent contractors. “With advancements in technology, the VA industry now consists of enterprising individuals -- many of whom have elected to leave corporate positions in order to provide highly skilled services virtually.”
She points out that it’s also quite cost effective to hire a VA. “Studies have shown the real cost of hiring and keeping a full-time assistant at your own site is 2 to 2 ½ times the cost of his or her salary,” Jansma explains. “Since a VA is a contractor, employers don't have to pay taxes, insurance, or any fringe benefits. There's no need for extra office space or equipment. And the employer only pays for ‘time on task.’”
