What is a Virtual Assistant?

Definition
A virtual assistant (often called a VA) is a business owner dedicated to providing secretarial, administrative, Internet
marketing, social media, website, graphic, bilingual, legal and/or real estate services from a home office to help businesses,
entrepreneurs and busy individuals focus on what is the most important to them.

Flexible solutions
Your virtual assistant can be:

a long-term collaborative partner

the answer to a one time project

a short-term staffing solution

Affordable solutions
A virtual assistant provides the support and assistance that you need at a fraction of the cost you would expect to pay if you
had to hire a permanent or temporary staff member. Why invest in payroll, benefits, insurance, etc. when you can delegate
that money to growing your business?

VAs offer very competitive rate plans and a variety of convenient payment options to meet your needs. They generally
charge between €25 - €55 per hour ($30 - $75), depending on skill set. Clients are billed for the actual number of hours
spent on a task or project, or for a set piece of work.

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 Benefits of partnering with a virtual assistant
VA solutions are the answer to your recurrent or occasional needs in administrative and business support. Partnering with a
virtual assistant means that you can:

free up time to focus on strategic activities that require your full attention

increase productivity and income-level

create a smooth system that runs on automation

spend more time with your family and being outdoors rather than behind the
computer.

Where Can I Find a Virtual Assistant

There are many ways to find a virtual assistant.

You can get referrals from professionals in your environment who are reaping the benefits of partnering with a VA.

You can do a Google search on virtual assistant and keywords.

You can submit RFPs to VA forums, such as RPSVA or VAF.

RPSVA - Réseau des professionnelles en soutien administrative virtuel - http://www.rpsav.com/rfp.html
VAF - Virtual Assistant Forums - http://www.virtualassistantforums.com

You can place a job advertisement at several online websites, like Elance, Guru.
or… tweet about it !

What are the tasks I can delegate to a virtual assistant?

You need to look first at your daily workload, then make a list of your non productive tasks and prioritize them. The biggest

time wasters are the first things you should look at outsourcing to a VA.
Here is a non exhaustive list of tasks VA can handle while you focus on more income-generating activities.

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 General administrative services

Schedule/calendar management
Your VA can manage your schedule so that you can get maximum slots to develop your strategy. Depending on your
needs, have your VA:

Support the development of

your business at regional,
national or international
levels, prospect and make
appointments

Manage your electronic Plan and confirm your

calendar and send you meetings & teleconferences,
reminders to you via e-mail or prepare your interviews &
text message briefing materials

Schedule your luncheons and

dinners

Correspondence management

There are so many reasons why a mail out can help you keep in contact with your clients and keep them informed. But
these tasks are time-consuming and there is just too much to do for you to be able to achieve them yourself.

Focus on what is the most important to you and have your virtual assistant:

type letters, format, print on your company letterhead, address and mail,

prepare your invoices & quotations,

create and send welcome kits to your new clients,

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 prepare mailings on a daily basis in response to inquiries from prospective clients,

type manuals and other documents, design customized invoices and other forms, pay the bills, send invoices to
clients,

make PowerPoint presentations,

create a complex report with linked references, tables, diagrams, charts, images and table of contents.

Phone/Email support

Your virtual assistant can help you with:

answering phone calls and taking messages, so you don't miss that all important next order,

sorting, routing and answering routine messages, based on your specific request and criteria,

following up with your clients to insure client satisfaction.

Travel arrangements for your business trips or personal vacations

Whether you travel sporadically or live on the road, your virtual assistant can book and confirm all your travel requirements,
air, hotel and vehicle, as well as plan your travel itinerary, set up the tools and resources you need for meetings and
presentations.

Internet Research and data compilation

There is so much information being shared online about your market, customers and competition. Your virtual assistant can
collate important pieces of information and summarizing them to you.

Editing, proofreading, writing services

A virtual assistant can proofread your newsletters, ezines, articles, blog posts, ebooks and website.

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 Bilingual services

It is difficult to communicate in a country when you are not able to speak the language fluently. Some VAs offer bilingual
services that are designed to meet your needs, whether you are an expatriate living in a foreign country, an executive on a
business trip, a tourist on vacation or a company conducting business in that country.

A bilingual virtual assistant can help you with:

translating business documents, letters and emails with speed and accuracy,

writing letters,

proofreading and editing your documents, newsletters, ezines, articles, blog posts, ebooks and website,

making easier your integration or your stay in a foreign country.

Marketing assistance

The more understanding the public can gain about your business and
your products, the more willing they will be to purchase your products.
VAs can help you save time, increase your visibility and achieve greater
impact.

Have your virtual assistant:

produce and submit articles to directories to give you a higher expertise status and draw traffic to your website,

compile your material in newsletter format and send it out at the appropriate time,

set up and implement your email marketing campaign,

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 set up and manage your social media accounts,

manage your blog and post new content on a regular basis,

send cards to your clients for birthdays and holidays.

Transcription service

Press briefings, seminars, webinars, phone calls, dictated letters & memos and any other recorded materials, VAs can
transcribe your audio into a professional transcript with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.

Event planning

Planning a party, conference or seminar, your virtual assistant can handle logistics by finding and booking locations, making
invitations, booking suppliers for the event, arranging payment and preparing your handout material.

Handout
Location Suppliers Invitations Payment
material

Contact-list and data base management

To grow your business, a thorough knowledge of your customers, your prospects, your products as well as your prices is
required. Your VA can help you with:

creating spreadsheets and entering data,

entering information from business cards you collect into your database,

developing a customer feedback questionnaire, sending it to your clients, receiving the completed questionnaires,

summarizing the responses, and preparing a report.

There are many other areas where you can utilize VA talent for your business such as bookkeeping, website development,

search engine optimization, graphic design, paralegal, real estate services.

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Virtual assistant solutions are particularly relevant in today’s economic climate, enabling you to increase revenue and cut

costs without compromising the quality of your products and services.

Stop losing time and money completing tasks a virtual assistant can do more quickly, at a lower rate than you do.

Delegate those tasks to your VA and start devoting more time to more income-generating activities!

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 Virtual Assistant Services
Online Administrative and Business Support

A dynamic partner fully invested in your success and your interests

Paris (France)

www.optimoffice.fr

contact@optimoffice.fr