- you tell her to book a flight to Zurich, reserve a hotel and a rental car (she books everything and prints out confirmations for you)
- you tell her to make a Powerpoint presentation for a meeting in 2 weeks, you send her some files by e-mail to give her an idea about the content (she prepares the presentation and e-mails it to you)
- you tell her to schedule a meeting with a client for next week (she sets up the meeting and you get the confirmation on your calendar)you tell her to translate a document on your drive (she does it and lets you know where to find it)
- you tell her to write an article for your blog and post it (she writes the article and lets you know)
Now, if you worked with a Virtual Assistant, there's not really that much that would change. Instead of telling her in person, you would either send an e-mail, call her, skype her or send her an Instant Message. Instead of printing you those reservation confirmations, she would just e-mail them back to you. Since she would have access to your calendar, she could easily book that meeting and for the translation she could either remotely access your drive or you could just e-mail her the document, whatever is easier for you.
There are so many tools and applications which facilitate this kind of distance relationship. Here are a few examples:- Skype: free calls, teleconferences, video calls, file sharing, screen sharing, instant messaging
- Sendthisfile.com: send large files (for free)
- Logmein.com: remote computer access
Microsoft Office Workspace: free file sharing- E-Fax.com: receive free faxes
So you see, Virtual Assistance works because of the immediacy and efficacy of electronic communications – Instant Messaging, Skype, e-mail, Internet. A successful business partnership does no longer rely on physical proximity.
Click here if you would like to find out more about working with a VA.
P.S. If you are a VA reading this article and have another favorite
