Executive assistants work virtually anywhere.They do everything but fetch your morning coffee and pick up the dry cleaning dry cleaning, process of cleaning fabrics without water. Special solvents and soaps are used so as not to harm fabrics and dyes that will not withstand the effects of ordinary soap and water. Dry cleaning began in France about the middle of the 19th cent. . Virtual assistants are making inroads inroads Noun, pl make inroads into to start affecting or reducing: my gambling has made great inroads into my savings inroads npl to make inroads into [+ in Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is the part of the province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron (including Georgian Bay), the French River and Lake Nipissing. Northern Ontario has a land area of 802,000 km² (310,000 mi²) and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it , and the trend toward home-based businesses has opened a door for one entrepreneurial-minded Thunder Bay Thunder Bay, city (1991 pop. 113,946), SW Ont., Canada, on Thunder Bay inlet of Lake Superior. The city was created in 1970 by the amalgamation of the twin cities of Fort William and Port Arthur and two adjoining townships. woman. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With everything in today's office environment going high-tech, why not administrative assistants? Lisa Bosch discovered the concept while reading about virtual assistants--or VAs--in a business magazine last year. Intrigued with the idea, Bosch, 32, who also works full-time as an administrative assistant at a Bowater sawmill sawmill, installation or facility in which cut logs are sawed into standard-sized boards and timbers. The saws used in such an installation are generally of three types: the circular saw, which consists of a disk with teeth around its edge; the band saw, which in Thunder Bay, spent months researching this burgeoning field before launching her home-based business - The Distant Assistant--this past June. With 13 years' experience providing administrative support for both small businesses and large corporations, she has secured a handful of mostly small business owners in the Thunder Bay area through her networking contacts and word of mouth. "It was an opportunity for me to do what I enjoy and give others the benefit of my administrative experience." VAs are administrative professionals who provide the same services as a traditional assistant, but work off site--virtually--using the latest technology tools of e-mail, Internet, phone, fax or instant messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or . They do not have to be based in the same city, province or even the same country. Typically, they are home-based, self-employed independent contractors who can answer phones and handle other office-type duties or administrative tasks. Bosch views her job as a VA as a terrific opportunity to meet a variety of different clients from "other cultures" since it's not inconceivable for virtual assistants to connect with clients around world. Bosch says VAs are suited for small business owners, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, travelling professionals and home-based business people who do not have the resources to invest in office space or staff. "It gives a business owner the opportunity to spend more time growing their business instead of focusing on administrative tasks," says Bosch. VAs generally charge by the hour, with the standard rate being between $20 to $50 per hour. "And clients never pay for breaks or other personal time," says Bosch. Many VAs will even shape their schedule around that of their clients. Bosch offers an emergency response service for business owners who work irregular hours. With five independent VA contractors on call, she is looking to hire more as business picks up. She also has plans to form an association in Northern Ontario as a professional resource for mentoring, networking and educational support. Nadine Heitz, a Canadian representative with the International Virtual Assistants Association and owner of her own two-year-old Toronto-based VA service, Virtual Business Alternatives, says VAs are a "step beyond" traditional temps or business support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services . Many are computer literate computer literacy n. The ability to operate a computer and to understand the language used in working with a specific system or systems. computer literate adj. in the latest technologies and can specialize in Web design or database management. In choosing a VA, Heitz encourages individuals to ask for client testimonials or conduct their own interviews as well. VAs have to adhere to 100 per cent confidentiality agreements and a code of ethics Code of Ethics can refer to:
www.thedistanceassistant.ca www.virtualbizalt.com BY IAN ROSS Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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