tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70229947254650507072024-03-13T20:43:23.716+00:00Jude Sach Virtual AssistanceProviding flexible business support and administration services across the UK and overseasUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-79296168708184091772011-07-19T22:56:00.000+01:002011-07-19T22:56:05.027+01:00We've movedWe've moved to shiny new premises here: www.judesach.co.uk.
Please update your bookmarks - we'll be pleased to welcome you to our new home.
Thanks
JudeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-63211135758175951882011-07-10T22:16:00.001+01:002011-07-10T22:16:50.983+01:00Farewell AimHigher Kent and MedwayOne of our clients, AimHigher Kent and Medway, a Higher Education project aimed at widening participation in University comes to a close at the end of this month.
We've been working with them making web updates for some time now and we will be very sad to see it come to a close.
This note is really just to say that the AimHigher Team in Kent and Medway have made a great impact in this Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-67034171732502405902011-06-21T09:04:00.000+01:002011-06-21T09:04:37.246+01:00Virtual contact is all very well....Working "in the cloud" I have found, suits me very well. Unlike many commentaries on working virtually, I am not left wanting by the lack of an office to visit regularly. I find that I can focus better, respond more creatively to client requests and the peace and quiet gives me time to mull over my next blog.
However, I wouldn't go without the face-to-face and telephone meetings thatUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-54621392369581032112011-06-20T23:25:00.000+01:002011-06-20T23:25:59.325+01:00Surveys, surveys, surveys...So, the survey that I posted way back in February revealed some interesting information about outsourcing preferences.
Online research, customer surveys, preparing mailshots, document preparation and formatting all featured highly as tasks that people would outsource given the chance.
This confirms my suspicion that organisations and individual consultants all feel the need to hand a job over Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-2883775680301737292011-06-16T12:10:00.001+01:002011-06-16T12:23:19.000+01:00Been slacking on this blog latelyIt's been a busy couple of weeks. I've been working with a new client who is developing her fledgling business. She's a great customerand it's really exciting to be in at the beginning. I'm gaining a great insight into the rationale and philosophy of her business and this is helping me, in turn, to fine-tune my approach.
I've been producing press releases, blog entries, Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-48253816065723816332011-05-21T08:23:00.002+01:002011-05-21T08:23:00.276+01:00Things your VA could do for you - Part Five: Inbox ManagementWhether you're out of the office for a couple of days at a trade show or even sunning yourself on the beach for a week or more (ooh, that sounds good), it's unlikely you've perfected the trick of being in two places at once. Keeping up with your inbox when you've got your hands full (or even when you're just trying to relax) can be a real headache.
Many businesses call upon a Virtual Assistant Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-44706449095948462632011-05-15T08:13:00.002+01:002011-05-15T08:13:00.329+01:00Things your VA could do for you - Part Four: Research and SurveysKnowing your customers and competitors is fundamental to building a sustainable business. A key tool available to even the smallest business or inedividual entrepreneur is to conduct research. Customer research can take the form of satisfaction surveys and post-event feedback, while competitor research may include evaluations of products and service to identify points of competition and Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-62258238001769275422011-05-12T07:33:00.002+01:002011-05-16T19:11:32.349+01:00Things your VA could do for you - Part Three: Manage Training & Event BookingsIf you're holding a customer training event, open day or even meetings at a trade show or conference, managing responses from customers can add a considerable short-term workload that is just the sort of thing your Virtual Assistant can help you with.
Let us look after the whole administrative element to your event while you get on with delivering the goods on the day. We can handle the influx Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-45365306294192278552011-05-08T09:34:00.002+01:002011-05-08T09:34:00.153+01:00Things your VA could do for you - Part Two: Blog and Twitter UpdatesHaving a social media presence is becoming an increasingly important element of marketing strategies for companies of all shapes and sizes. Talking to customers and responding to questions via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the like is just as important as having an up-to-date website.
Unfortunately making regular updates to your blog or twitter feed can become time consuming, not to mention Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-84076148552412441182011-05-03T23:01:00.000+01:002011-05-03T23:01:17.616+01:00Inbox overflowing?These may be truisms, but it does no harm to be reminded of them occasionally:
Successful businesses know that it's not about working harder but rather working smarter.
Recognising the need to hand over the mundane and repetitive jobs is key to using your skills most productively.
Email is one of the biggest causes of interruption and distraction in the modern workplace.
So, when youUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-13740105376420709332011-05-02T10:42:00.000+01:002011-05-02T10:42:04.923+01:00What's in a name?Now here's a thing: Jude seems to be a popular name for Virtual Assistants.
I've just fallen into the trap of doing a little "vanity googling" (to check for positioning in search results of course) and have found another two VAs called Jude and one with Jude as a middle name just in the first page of natural results... can that be statistically significant?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-83022060157935976362011-05-02T06:58:00.001+01:002011-05-02T07:20:38.838+01:00Things your VA could do for you - Part One: Response HandlingOne of the paradoxes of sales and marketing is that when you're at your busiest is also when you should be redoubling your marketing efforts.
Being flat out in the office processing orders and delivering to customers means it can be hard to stay on top of other acitivities such as responding to new enquiries generated by a recent advertisement, trade event or leaflet drop.
This is a great timeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-47928526848640270202011-04-14T19:51:00.002+01:002011-04-14T22:02:10.070+01:0010 top tips for getting on my nerves...Is it me? It may just be me, but I suspect that it isn't.
Someone, somewhere, once wrote that the way to do online marketing (such as through social networking and blogging) is a little reciprocity, give and take, share and share alike. Absolutely. You will hear no argument from me on that. Helpful people will always get my vote (and my business for that matter). Not rocket science, just Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-5027171330311092862011-04-06T10:46:00.001+01:002011-04-06T14:18:07.490+01:00All hands to the pumpsWell, today, down at Printshop they are busy... really busy. The printing presses are running at full tilt, the phone is ringing off the hook and the emails are pinging into their inbox as fast as the internet can carry them. Settling down to do any work, particularly stuff that requires your full attention like design and print, can be really hard to do under those circumstances.
Desk space Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-24552902857641240072011-03-28T15:48:00.001+01:002011-03-28T15:49:15.598+01:00When using a VA makes sound economic senseObviously I'm keen to say that using a VA always makes sound economic sense, but when I've got my sensible hat on I know that this isn't always the case.
However, I thought I would give you an example that demonstrates when it's smart to use a VA.
If you're currently seeking to recruit a PA/Admin type person, you're probably advertising a post at around the £8.50 an hour mark as a minimum Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-85454172326070176442011-02-24T14:16:00.000+00:002011-02-24T14:16:20.181+00:00What would you most like to outsource?The magic of using a Virtual Assistant is that you get to hand over tasks that cost you time and money but don't support your bottom line. Tasks that take time out of your day and distract you from the things you should be doing.
So, what would you outsource?
Take two minutes to tell us about what you'd outsource given the chance.
Thank you!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-65451221564740984622011-02-11T09:28:00.002+00:002011-02-21T13:06:06.176+00:00Got something to say? Mailshot your client list for £35*Keeping in touch with your clients via email or post is a vital way of generating sales, but organising the communication can be a time-consuming headache.
Infuriatingly, it's not always as simple as just coming up with your email or letter and sending it.
Does this sound familiar?
Spend a couple of hours typing up your letter and tweaking it.
Remind yourself of how MailMerge works.
Produce Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-38219385506464396412011-01-26T19:48:00.000+00:002011-01-26T19:48:39.539+00:00Could you use a babysitter for your business?For small businesses, taking a holiday or even attending a training or networking event can pose a real problem. We will happily look after things while you’re away – everything from enquiry handling, invoicing, web updates to general office administration. Whether it’s just for a day or a full week or two, you can rest assured that things will keep on ticking over while you’re away.&Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-63908845935860382442011-01-06T10:23:00.001+00:002011-01-06T10:33:30.339+00:00A VA is not just for ChristmasListening to a discussion on the radio earlier this week about the impact of the recession on small and medium-sized businesses really highlighted to me that as a Virtual Assistant I have a lot to offer.
Taking on staff is a headache at the best of times. It's time consuming, costly and, occasionally, you find yourself wondering if it was all worth it when the new recruit doesn't Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-15135166208942899222011-01-02T23:57:00.003+00:002011-01-02T23:59:35.203+00:00Happy New YearI hope you had a restful break over Christmas. Here at JSVA the cogs have been whirring about a range of new projects in the pipeline (more of which to follow soon), but this hasn't detracted from my enjoyment of things. No snow on Christmas Day in the end for us, but at least that meant that we managed to visit family without to much fear of getting stuck on the way home.
So it's Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-22282359306904811542010-12-13T23:21:00.000+00:002010-12-13T23:21:21.797+00:00It's always great to see your efforts "out there"Back in the summer we provided a note-taker for a conference held by KAFEC (http://www.kafec.org.uk/) and held on the campus of the Universities at Medway in Chatham Maritime.
There were seven speakers, a workshop session and plenary to capture and the information came thick and fast. We worked hard to capture the information accurately and present it in a coherent and digestible way Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-63787267920479929032010-12-13T22:23:00.000+00:002010-12-13T22:23:16.987+00:00Optimising Your Office SpaceResearch published by AWA reveals some interesting usage statistics about office space, indicating that, in some cases, accommodation costs can be 50% higher than needed because we're intellectually wedded to the idea of going to work and sitting at "my desk".
It's a sobering thought.
When you consider that workers can be away from their desks for much of the time at meetings, visiting clients,Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022994725465050707.post-42873082022608889852010-12-01T15:30:00.000+00:002010-12-01T15:30:45.535+00:00New LookRather than commenting on the unseasonably cold weather, I thought I would mention that we have a new look courtesy of the good people of Printshop. We've gone all sleek and clean in appearance now - much how I hope I will be looking in person too if my new exercise regime ever pays dividends.
I'm so delighted to have some new business stationery and a new logo (that will be uploaded here Unknownnoreply@blogger.com