A virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant), per Wikipedia, is “generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients remotely from a home office.”

Most virtual assistants are independent contractors. A VA works from their office, usually at home, and for several clients at once. The field has exploded in recent years to include services from concierge and bookkeeping to web site design. They often specialize in specific areas, for example, Public Relations or marketing work. Some will even narrow their clientele down to a specific industry such as real estate or publishing.

They are your off-site personal assistant. The internet has made this possible. VAs can log in remotely to your computers, or share files via web sites like DropBox or Box.com. Theoretically, a virtual assistant can do anything an on-site personal assistant can do, except a coffee run for the office.

Clients hire VAs long-term for tasks such as social media marketing, or for time-limited projects such as power point presentations. Businesses pay VAs on a monthly retainer or hourly, depending on the project or situation. Fees are based on the complexity of the work. The more specialized the service, the higher the rate.

A VA has to be organized. They are juggling several jobs as the same time, and have numerous deadlines to meet. Some important qualifications for a VA to have are:

• A resolve to see clients succeed
• The ability to work as part of a team
• A basic understanding of business operations, such as contracts and time management
• A willingness to admit and correct mistakes
• Respect for others’ intellectual property (no plagiarism or software piracy)
• Excellent customer service skills (phone, email)
• Good organizational skills
• Good spelling, grammar and punctuation skills

If a VA is specializing in a particular area such as web design, they would also need the skills associated with those tasks. That is, they need to know how to use WordPress or another web design software, how to register a domain and set up hosting, and how to set up email accounts for the domain. A VA providing blog entries must have good writing skills, knowledge of social media and knowledge of how to keep their fingers on the pulse of the industry they represent.

Companies are turning more and more to Virtual Assistants, both to save money and to be assured the person helping them has the skills necessary for the tasks at hand. It isn’t unusual for businesses to hire more than one, each for their specific skill set. It’s less expensive in the long run than hiring two employees.