All hands to the pumps

Well, 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 is also at a premium down at Printshop as it's all hands to the pumps, so I'm delighted to say that they've asked me to look after their inbox and 'phone calls so they can get on with things.

I'm working remotely so they aren't tripping over me. I can access email via the web interface provided by their hosting service without the need for messy things like VPNs and so on. The phone is forwarded on to me and here I sit, poised and ready to go.

We've agreed that unless there's something particularly urgent, I will compile a digest of messages, filtering out the rubbish of course, that can be properly dealt with a little later on this afternoon.

Meanwhile, back at Printshop, there's just a little bit less to contend with, which means they can get back into their stride and look after their customers properly.

What's more, the sun is shining, the washing is drying on the line and the birds are singing.

Glorious!

When using a VA makes sound economic sense

Obviously 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 (assuming you'd like to hang on to them for more than 3 months) and you work in the wilds of Kent - elsewhere it will be more.

Add to that those sneaky on-costs you pay for the privilege of offering someone a job (employer's NI and Tax contributions) and you're nuzzling up to £9 per hour before you've even got them a desk to sit at. 

That's a monthly commitment of around £1300.  Every month.

So, next get them a desk, computer, chair, monitor, risk assessment, pension, pens, a phone line, tea/coffee, a printer, heating and light and... whoa hang on a minute, this is starting to seem like a scary contract to be entering into!

Back-of-fag-packet type calculations reveal that employing someone doesn't come cheap.  And now you've made the commitment to shell out upwards of £1450 every month, nearly £17.5k a year, you're kind of obliged to do it regardless of how sales have gone this week.  We all know that asking your full-time employee to be a bit flexible about when and how much they're paid often makes them a tiny bit grumpy.

The natural assumption is that a VA will cost more and, if we're just comparing hourly rates, yes, we do. BUT... for the money you spend in just one week paying the salary of your Admin/PA you could buy 15 hours (at least) of VA time.  That's without having to buy the desk, heating, risk assessments, computer, pension, tea and coffee.

And at the end of those 15 hours, if there's no more work for a while, you won't pay anything else. Simple.

Of course, we hope you come back in a couple of weeks with some more work as we'd be pleased to hear from you, you're lovely people to work for and we enjoy the variety, but you get my drift?

If you need flexibility and direct control over costs, getting a VA is a really smart move - I've the figures right here on this discarded fag packet to prove it.

What 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!

Got 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?

1. Spend a couple of hours typing up your letter and tweaking it.
2. Remind yourself of how MailMerge works.
3. Produce mailmerge to 100 contacts and smile.
4. Spot a mistake, re-do MailMerge.
5. Print the first 30 and spot another mistake.  Start again.
6. Break off to deal with a customer query.
7. Return to the mailshot. 
8. Remind yourself of how MailMerge works.
9. Pat self on back for having produced 100 beautifully crafted mailshot letters.
10. Remind yourself on how to produce labels using MailMerge and start again...

We can produce mailshots for you for delivery via post or email.  What's more, we'll do a list of up to 200 contacts for £35*

If you are looking for something a little different, we can help you source leaflets, postcards or brochures to communicate your message in a fresh new way.

Email now to tell us what you need.

*£35 does not cover the cost of postage and letterheadings.  The cost of address labels and envelopes will be re-charged to you at cost.  If your mailshot is to be delivered via email these costs won't be payable of course.  You will need to provide a pre-prepared mailing list along with your letter or email and we'll take care of the rest.

Could 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.  Email now to tell us what you need.

A VA is not just for Christmas

Listening 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 cut the mustard.  Equally, using agency staff can provide a short-term solution but believe me, if you've had the same temp back twice you've been lucky. The strength of a Virtual Assistance service is that you get the best of both worlds: a low-cost, low-risk injection of extra help AND the benefits that building a long-term relationship can bring.

Virtual Assistants are, by their very nature, resourceful, enthusiastic and committed individuals.  VAs have had the gumption to establish themselves in the marketplace, develop a client base and respond to varied requirements from day one.  The goal of course is to develop a fruitful, long-lasting relationship with clients so that you can slot straight back in whenever you're needed.

For those who haven't used a VA in the past, it can be something of a leap of faith that using a remote worker is feasible.  My advice: give it a go.  An initial meeting to discuss the project or assignment is always a good starting point, and regular contact by email, Skype or online meeting is absolutely vital and much easier to arrange than you might think. 

We also tend to use online shared workspaces to facilitate project work.  It means that you have access to project documentation, minutes, meeting updates, templates and presentations whenever and wherever you need them.  Working "in the cloud" quickly becomes quite natural.

So, at times such as this when SMEs need to respond to customers' requirements or, quite literally, risk going to the wall, knowing that you can call upon a VA is a real strength.

Happy New Year

I 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 time to get back to work and fire up the online office.  And in the non-virtual world, it remains for me to reclaim the home from trees, wrapping paper, new toys and, of course, the inevitable turkey mountain.

I won't be the first to say this I know, but can I take this opportunity to wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2011.

Best wishes

Jude