By IAN ROSS
Northern Ontario Business
They do everything but fetch your morning coffee and pick up the dry cleaning.
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Virtual assistants like Lisa Bosch are well-suited for SMEs that do not have the resources to hire full-time staff to provide administrative support and often technical support. |
Virtual assistants are making inroads in Northern Ontario, and the trend toward home-based businesses has opened a door for one entrepreneurial-minded Thunder Bay woman.
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 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.
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. Many are computer literate 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 as part of their membership associations.
