Posts Tagged ‘virtual assistant’
Tech Support is Vital to Small Biz Owners
Who is your Tech Support Department?
I recently did a presentation to the IAAP Halifax Dartmouth Chapter (International Association of Administrative Professionals) on Working Virtually with Clients. Essentially I was giving traditional Admin Professionals a view on what you need to start your own Virtual Assistant Business and how you can work virtually with people.
The essence of the talk is that as a Virtual Assistant (VA) you are a small business owner and now responsible for all things related to your business: operations, sales, marketing, accounting, as well as the main business services you offer and then of course, technical support.
Technical support as a small business owner is not something to be taken lightly. Especially for a business like a Virtual Assistant. Everything we do is on our computers – client files, info are stored here and almost all of our business is done via our computer. Without our computers we could hardly carry on any business. Yet, it is an area that many people take lightly and tend not to weigh as important as it should be.
In my talk to the IAAP, I recall using these exact words when it came to technical support:
You now own your own business and are solely responsible fro Technical Support – there is no longer a helpful person on call when needed to help fix your computer issues or help you when your computer screen goes blank for no reason. There is also no mysterious backup system in place that backs up all your files overnight while you are home sleeping.
You will need reliable tech support and I do NOT mean your friend’s 14 year old son who is “good with computers” .
A friend who owns her own business recently took the plunge and got a computer; prior to this all paperwork had been done by hand or in a spreadsheet: client records, orders, inventory… everything. They have moved into the computer generated world, which is a good step. I learned of this upgrade when I drove my son home from school last week – he mentioned his friend will not be going to Scouts that night because he was going to be setting up his mom’s laptop and computer for her business. His age?? 14. 
Her computer will help run the business in an easier more efficient way and allow clients to make online orders via email from away… a good step forward. Her choice of tech support professional however, is not one I would recommend.
As a business owner you need to make certain you have reliable technical support. Get a professional to help you determine the needs for your computer system, recommendations for firewalls and anti-virus systems and the most important part, your backup system. You need to make certain if your computer crashes that you can be up and running as soon as possible. If you have lost all your files, records, and programs you can be sure that it may take days or even weeks to restore everything you need.
Think about this… and think about what system you have in place. Don’t let a poor choice of support for your business be the cause of days and weeks of lost work and revenue and worst of all – your client’s confidence in your services and abilities.
The Benefits of Gmail
Hello, my name is Kathy. I am addicted to Twitter
Staying Productive: The Magic of Checklists
What do emergency room physicians, airline pilots, and kindergarten classes all have in common? They all use checklists to make sure they’re doing the right things at the right time. While they’re not sexy or fashionable, checklists are the backbone of many a successful business. Here are some ways checklists can help entrepreneurs keep their businesses running smoothly and productively:
- Checklists provide a guideline for outsourcing or delegating.
Want to outsource slideshow creation to a contractor? Send them the details with your “slideshow creation” checklist, and they’ll know exactly what you want them to do, in order. - Checklists make it easy to replicate best practices.
Once you’ve pinpointed the exact way to create killer sales pages, you can document that and do it over and over again. Brilliance! - Checklists save time by eliminating the “what’s next?” stage.
You know when you finish one thing and have to stop and think, “What the do I do next?” Or “What did I forget?” Well, with a good checklist you won’t have to do that anymore. You’ll know. - Checklists ensure that everyone is on the same page.
When you’re collaborating with partners, assistants or virtual assistants, it’s easy to lose sight of who’s responsible for what and when. Checklists make it easy to assign tasks and remind yourself the proper order of execution.
Not all checklists are created equal, though. Research has shown there are a few key ingredients for making good checklists:
- Keep it to one page. Longer checklists are intimidating and make it easy for people to get lost. Or they’ll avoid using the checklist because it’s just too darned long.
- Be specific. Especially if you’re outsourcing or delegating, you have to leave no room for ambiguity.
- Test it out. Once you’ve created what you think is a great checklist, give it a go. See if you’ve left anything out or put too much in. Then refine it and test it again.
- Have someone else test it. Of course, you know what you mean by “add graphic to web page,” but will someone else? Give it to someone else to test and see what they come up with, where they get stuck, and what works well.
- Use it! Checklists don’t do any good if they’re languishing on your hard drive. Use them – and if you find yourself NOT using them, ask why. Is it too complex? Too self-explanatory? Too simple? Then use that information to create a better checklist.
While checklists won’t solve all of your productivity issues, they are a fantastic way to simplify complex information and provide guidance for outsourcing. They can be a bit time-intensive to create, but the time that you’ll save on the back end will be well worth the effort.
Workshop for Biz Owners – Learn how to find a Virtual Assistant
My friend, client and role model, Tawnya Sutherland of VAnetworking is hosting a fabulous workshop tonight for small business owners to learn about using a virtual assistant:
Learn how to Outsource your business tasks to a Virtual Assistant
She also has an opportunity to network and meet some Virtual Assistants – virtually of course!
If you have a business and are feeling stressed, overworked and feel you never get everything done that requires your attention then …this FREE workshop is for you!
Tawnya Sutherland is VA Outsourcing Expert and founder of the world’s largest online Virtual Assistant Social Network. She will share with you the knowledge, tips, tactics and secrets she’s accumulated over the last 10 years on the right way to hire a Virtual Assistant and make it work!
Join Tawnya tonight (Wednesday July 7th) at 6pm EST (along with many other Virtual Assistants, including me) to learn:
- How to gain more time in your business day and in your personal life
- How to become more profitable by working smarter
- How to rid yourself of that extra long to-do list that never gets done
- How to delegate your tasks to a Virtual Assistant
You can do this all and you can learn how tonight! Simply visit this site to register for the call. You can also pick up a copy of her ebook – Finding the Ultimate Virtual Assistant for your Business.
Virtual Assistants who are VAinsiders will be on the networking session at 7pm EST (If you are not one yet, you can be by tonight – visit here to learn what being an Insider can do for your Virtual Assistant business)
Hope to see you there, whether a business owner or a VA!
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