By Tina Hilton of Clerical Advantage
Since my series “I want a virtual assistant…now what?” went into some details of working with a virtual assistant, I thought it might be helpful to share some information on some of the ‘tools of the trade’ that a virtual assistant may use in their business. This list is no where near complete, as I’ve just listed the ones that I’ve been made aware of. If you know of some that I haven’t listed, feel free to share the information in the comment section.
Phone: Many virtual assistants rely heavily on telephone communication. Some of the telephony type services available are:
Fax: In lieu of a tradition fax machine the following can be used: *note: Onebox and RingCentral also offer fax services*
Time Tracking and Billing: It is crucial for a virtual assistant to be able to track time spent on individual clients and client tasks as well as invoice for those hours. Here are some of the time tracking and billing choices available.
Money Transfer/Wiring: You’ve billed, now it’s time to get paid. You can go the traditional pay by check route or you can try one of these.
File Sharing/Collaboration: Having a central location or ‘online office space’ is important for the sharing and collaborating between client and virtual assistant.
Online Calendaring: Many of the collaboration sites listed above also have calendaring features.
Marketing: Whether you’re doing your own marketing or it’s one of your client assignments, these may be of help.
Remote Access: Being able to access client e-mail, databases and other programs resident on their computers can be a big part of a virtual assistant’s services. To accomplish this, remote access is key.
Freelance sites: Looking for more clients? You can try one of the freelance sites listed below.
As I said, this list is just a jumping off point, as I’m positive there are many, many more tools out there that work well for virtual assistants. Feel free to add to the list, and if we get a huge response, I’ll republish with all of your links added as well.
If you have questions concerning virtual assistance or have an interest in working with a virtual assistant you can contact Tina Hilton or visit her business website for Clerical Advantage.
Time Tracking and Billing: http://www.time59.com
Wow! I feel like I just got the entire list of backoffice goodies all in one list. Some of these I already use, others are new to me. Thanks!
I just wanted to add, I use TSheets as an online timesheet and couldn’t be happier! just a thought for the list.
Hey, Kendra from Box.net here - did you know that you can do a bunch of this all in one place?
Upload, share and collaborate on any of your files, edit photos, e-fax and e-sign documents, access them from anywhere (including your mobile device) and create an online work place - all on Box.net.
Check it out and let me know what you think, I am happy to answer any questions.
Take good care,
Kendra
kendra@box.net
http://www.box.net