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February 16, 2010 By Kathy Colaiacovo 5 Comments

Share your Screen with Skype

Have you ever tried to teach your Mom – via phone – that the google search box is NOT the address bar on her browser? And that the website won’t open if she types the ‘www thing‘ in there. Life cannot get more frustrating than this!

During one – on – one training sessions with clients, I sometimes run into the same type of frustration as I help them learn to maneuver about in their twitter and facebook accounts. Teaching them what to look at, what to click and where to go to find something. Describing the screen and where I want them to click or visit can get frustrating because descriptions of buttons and links don’t always sink in easily.

Lately, I have started using Skype’s Share Screen feature with people to easily be able to show them what I mean. It allows you to chat via Skype with your computer screen visible to the other party – they are not logged in and cannot use your computer, but they can see it and more importantly, your mouse. In my case it allows the other party to see what I am talking about and we make much more effective use of our time and with less frustration.

Skype can be used for text chat, video chat or phone chat as well, in order to use the Share Screen feature, you need to be upgraded to the latest version which has the Share Screen function. Check it out and save yourself some frustration. Of course you may need to walk ‘Mom’ though the download of Skype – but it will be well worth it!

Here’s a quick video on using the share screen function…

and thanks to Grace White of Virtually Amazing for helping us on the screen share video!

Technorati Tags: office solution, virtual training

Filed Under: Tips to Save Time Tagged With: office solution, virtual training

September 12, 2009 By Kathy Colaiacovo 2 Comments

Why did I hire my Virtual Assistant?

Recently, I met with one of my clients, one who had started working with me back in January. We have had a lull in work lately mostly because she was trying to make everything perfect before handing it over. Finally at this week’s meeting she realized that this was actually holding her back in all areas of her work.

As we talked about a timeline when I would get the work and what the deadline was for some of it, she then mentioned how she was going to block off two days in a few weeks to go through all her files and sort everything out to give to me. She was also talking about how her workshop was coming up and that she had a conference out of town in 3 weeks as well. Very busy time.

So… I casually asked ” Why did you hire me?”
The answer from her was “To help me get this work done and off my plate”.
I said “Right, but look what you are doing now. You are actually thinking of blocking off two entire working days to sort the work for me; and when I get it I will have to do that to most of it anyhow.”
I paused, “Now think, how many client appointments could you book and what income would you earn from those in the two days?”
“Four clients”, she said. “And about $1,000.00.”
“And…. how much money will you pay me to do the work?” I asked.
“Argh!” was her answer. “You are so right. I will box it up right away!”

I think the stress of all she had going on, finally made her see the light.

Working with a Virtual Assistant (VA) shouldn’t be stressful – it should be the absolute opposite. As long as you have good communication and trust, you can easily give your VA what she (or he) needs and the work will get done. A simple system for assigning and handing over the work and it will get done.

You will gain what you wanted by hiring your VA in the first place… your time back to work on more important tasks and the work not requiring your special skills gets done.

Technorati Tags: office solution, Organization, virtual assistant

Filed Under: Entrepreneurs, Time Management, virtual assistant Tagged With: office solution, Organization, virtual assistant

May 3, 2009 By Kathy Colaiacovo Leave a Comment

Follow Up ~ a vital task for any business

Following up is often one of the most overlooked tasks with a business. It’s easy to put follow up on hold because, as a priority item, it tends to lose out over doing ‘work’ for an upcoming client or meeting.

Sometimes this can be a grave mistake. One phone call, email, or contact of any method, can make or break your relationship with a client or joint venture partners. Keeping in touch keeps your name in the minds of others. When it’s time to do business again, if your name is in someone’s mind they are more likely to contact you. If they have forgotten all about you and your service, they may not think to call you again.

I am reminded of a mortgage broker I spoke with last summer. One of her main issues was that she had no time for contact management of her clients; no time to keep in touch. She worked on current files and clients and kept up with those, the list of names to email and call kept growing. One day she had time and spent an afternoon calling clients to say ‘Hello. How are things?’.

What she got that afternoon was an eye opener. [Read more...]

Technorati Tags: Customer Service, Follow up, office organization, office solution, office support, Small business, virtual assistant

Filed Under: Business planning, Entrepreneurs, Organization, Service, Small business, virtual assistant Tagged With: Customer Service, Follow up, office organization, office solution, office support, Small business, virtual assistant

February 28, 2009 By Kathy Colaiacovo 1 Comment

The solution is Remote Reception

I’ve decided that telephone answering has got to be the most requested service I am asked for as a virtual assistant. Unfortunately, it is also a service I do not provide. It just does not fit into my work schedule, which is also tied to my family’s schedule.

However, there is a solution to all those telephone answering requests – Remote Reception. Remote Reception is simply that , people will answer your business telephone calls, remotely from their office. Better yet, I have just the company to help you out - SmileDog!

A business colleague of mine, Jeff Doyle, owns this business and his service is a must for anyone who has trouble answering their telephone. [Read more...]

Technorati Tags: cost effective, office solution, office support, Small business, telephone answering, virtual assistant

Filed Under: Backup plans, Business planning, Entrepreneurs, Small business, virtual assistant Tagged With: cost effective, office solution, office support, Small business, telephone answering, virtual assistant

August 27, 2008 By Kathy Colaiacovo Leave a Comment

Is your business growing? Do you need help?

If your business is growing, then you probably have been pondering hiring someone to help. If you are looking at hiring, have you planned out what your company needs and how you can you best spend your resources to get the most benefit.

What do you need? Administrative help, or are you thinking, or dreaming, about hiring another “you“, an associate. Think for a moment… what brings in your revenue; the work you do, or the admin work needed to run your business.

The work you, the business owner does, tends to be the backbone of your income, not the filing, bookkeeping or even writing your monthly newsletter. Yes, these tasks support your business and help it grow, but you are its driving force.