IS A ​VIRTUAL ASSISTANT THE WAY TO GO?

Virtual business assistance is not at all new. It’s been around for many years. Faceless people working behind the scenes of companies both large and small making decisions and performing functions that are often critical to the business at hand. Even some of your most savvy businesspersons have never heard of a virtual assistant or have they? 

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Just think about it, corporate America has always had employees that have worked off-site or remotely for years, long before the term “virtual” was ever adopted. Generally these individuals were high-end sales and or management personnel that generated significant revenue or managed functions that required little to no face-to-face interaction with other employees. Heads of departments and organizations just left these superstars to themselves, because they were high producers and sometimes excellent managers of resources, systems and even people.  Just ask most senior managers and they will tell you that some of their best achievers work remotely. So are these individuals good at their job, or do they have a little something extra that makes them consistent winners?



The truth is many companies have discovered a painful reality after corporate cutbacks and policy changes forced their virtual workers back into the office.  Not to take away from natural high achievers that produce regardless of their environment, but  many of those force back into the office no longer were the high achiever's they once were. Why? Perhaps they're work environment gave them the means to perform above the rest.



We've all seen those nature shows where an innocent species is removed from its natural habitat and surprisingly no longer functions optimally.



So is the case with many virtual workers who have been plucked out of their home office environment and dropped into a world filled with interruptions from staff members, clicks, ticks and sounds of machines, and keyboards, office politics, water cooler gossip, and even the occasional co-worker with a secret crush that finds every excuse in the world to be seen, if not heard. This jungle is not the world that most virtual superstars thrive in.  It’s even been documented that these everyday interruptions have cost companies millions of dollars annually.

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For the virtual professional, they’re habitat is one of rising early, juggling perhaps a handful of morning daily personal and or family activities and then moving into a quiet private work space. This space is an oasis filled with an equal share of personal and professional necessities, the smell of hot coffee coming from the kitchen just a few feet away, a familiar view that includes the occasional neighborhood pet coupled with the sounds of garage doors closing as neighbors head to the same jungle our virtual friend rarely if ever misses. The comfort and security of home is just the beginning of it all. Other perks include, perhaps an afternoon walk in the neighborhood which serves as a wonderful substitute for the $40 a month corporate gym. The ability to dress down every day and the best perk of all, a gas tank that is almost always full. Ultimately, these little niceties are empowering and can contribute to the winning attitude most virtual professionals possess.
 

Bottom-line is the virtual world offers a host of win-win opportunities that has caught the eye of not only small businesses, but large organizations like AT&T and American Express. These senior corporate players have come to recognize the value of the virtual business model and quality of work it generates.  Yes! Virtual business assistance does work.

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L.Todd
Virtual Business Professional