What Virtual Assistants Can Do for A Business

When time and money are tight, hiring highly experienced virtual personnel could make good sense for your business.

SAVE TIME + MONEY | Although Canada has not experienced anywhere near the economic downturn that has occurred in the U.S., businesses here are on the lookout for ways to save money. One way is to include virtual assistants (VAs) as part of the employee mix.

Websites such as oDesk.com and Elance.com offer a global community of freelance professionals ready to do everything from simple administrative tasks like email handling and word processing to more complex technical assignments like graphic design and web development. These are talented, well-educated entrepreneurs, self-employed individuals who set their own rates and use outsourcing companies like brokerage firms to market their skills and services, typically at very competitive rates.

Vancouver Local Goes Global

Vancouverite Shelley Mantei, principal of Mediatonic PR and founder of glamour blog theitlists, works with local talent but also strategically seeks virtual assistants in time zones that accommodate her busy work schedule.

“Being in publicity, we’re so reactive to media that by the time we can give instructions to our support team, it’s sometimes late in the afternoon,” Mantei says. Her assistants through oDesk are in the Philippines and have performed tasks such as setting up and managing Facebook pages, making Twitter backgrounds and doing administrative work. “I’m giving them instructions at the end of my day, and by the time I come back in the morning they’ve done the work!”

Picking the right candidate can be the most time-consuming part of the process, according to Mantei. It requires sifting through portfolio pages listing skills, location, pay rates and how prospective assistants have performed on technical, creative and communications exams. The portfolios also provide ranking and feedback from past employers.

Once you find the right person, you may interview them and eventually hire them. Progress reports are posted regularly, and communication is mainly done through message boards. Would she use these companies again? “Absolutely,” says Mantei. “They’re a great resource for my clients.”—Marina Shevchuk

For more on oDesk, visit www.odesk.com; for more on eLance, visit www.elance.com. To contact Shelley Mantei  at Mediatonic PR visit www.mediatonicpr.com

Photo: Corbis, Casey Phaisalakani