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P.O. Box 942
Brighton, MI 48116

VAs in the News . . .

Virtual Assistant, The 21st Century Secretary - Women's Lifestyle Magazine
Helping Hand - Lansing State Journal
Virtual Assistants gain popularity - Reno Gazette-Journal
Cyber-secretaries Find Niche Online - Philadelphia Enquirer
Help From Afar - NFIB.com
Virtual Assistants Enjoy Flexibility, Independence - Puget Sound Business Journal
Virtual Assistants Get It Done From Home - The Morning Call Online
The Virtual Assistant - Monster.com
Virtual Assistant - Symantic Small Business
Virtual Assistants Can Be Online Life Savers - Denver Business Journal
Virtual Personal Assistants Can Be a Real Help - Austin Business Journal
The Real Advantage of Farming it Out - Business Week.com

Virtual Assistant
The 21st Century Secretary

Office support personnel were called secretaries throughout most of the 20th century. In the 1980s, they were called executive assistants, and in the 1990s, they were called administrative assistants. In the 21st century, we need a more technical sounding name. Virtual assistant will do nicely.

Virtual assistants are the answer to a small business owner's prayer. Paperwork can get in the way of productivity and cost hundreds of dollars in lost revenue if the business owners do it themselves. Temporary employees are an expensive alternative, and there is no guarantee of getting the work done right. A permanent employee will expect benefits and a constant paycheck, not to mention the state and federal taxes that have to be paid out for them. Add to the above costs the extra equipment that must be purchased for these employees, additional office space and liability insurance. It can become very expensive quickly.

Virtual assistants have their own equipment, their own offices, are trained in their field, and are paid only for hours actually worked. They are skilled professionals who can handle virtually anything given to them. "It is amazing what a virtual assistant can do off-site," says Sheryl Michilli, owner of Kaisana Administrative Support, a virtual assistant practice located in Brighton, MI. "Everything from word processing and spreadsheet design to database management and desktop publishing is done through e-mail and telephone calls. By using today's technological advances, a virtual assistant can even help a business owner stay on top of their bookkeeping records."

A good VA, as they are often called, offers a variety of services to their clients. Word processing and desktop publishing are only the beginning. VAs can also answer telephones, schedule appointments, make travel and conference room arrangements, take transcription, and type invoices for mailing. Some will even make sales calls for their clients. Fax machines, telephones and e-mail play an important role in the relationship between VA and client, as well as online messaging, which means all projects can be worked on by both parties without them ever meeting. And for those rush jobs, there is overnight delivery.

Although many small business owners think they can handle the paperwork involved in running their business, the reality is they may be losing money. It may be time to give up the "do it all myself" way of thinking and to start delegating duties that are taking up too much precious time.

For more information, contact Sheryl Michilli at smichilli@kaisana.net. Kaisana Administrative Support has offices in both Brighton and Grand Rapids, MI.