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