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VA virtual assistants are becoming a popular alternative to traditional site office support for many entrepreneurs and small businesses. Now that there more qualified, in the available, are also the biggest decisions to make. When a small business owner decides it's time to delegate some of the workload for can focus on growing the business, it can be difficult to know where to start.

There are a variety of skill levels and services to choose from. Most of the VA fall within one or more of the following categories:

• Traditional administrative support, such as writing correspondence, transcription, data entry, basic accounting, information, support, customer service, scheduling and management of telephone, travel arrangements, proofreading, etc.

• Executive administrative support such as meeting and event planning, complex PowerPoint presentations, and the proposed contract review, project coordination, vendor management, budget management, presentation financial reporting, staff management, etc.
• Web 2.0 and marketing support includes network management social (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc), blog design and management, article writing and submissions, SEO, press releases, copies web sites and updates, Teleseminars, ezine and newsletter design and management of the Shopping Cart set up and maintenance, autoresponders, e-books, promotional materials, brochures, etc.

In addition, a number of specialist niche markets that VA can focus on the inclusion of real estate, insurance, law, finance, business, nonprofit and small business.

STEP 1 – Identify your needs

Decide what you need help. Are you falling behind in billing customers? Is it necessary standardized internal processes and documentation? Is it necessary to expand and target your marketing efforts? Will you be launching new products or services? It is important think about it – you need to know where you are before you can move safely to where you want to be.

Decide how much help they need. How many hours per week / month are required to complete these tasks and achieve their business objectives? This should not be an arbitrary value. If you can use a little help estimate the time and find out what tasks should be delegated, click here to get my check list "> List of delegations (at no cost one!).

Determine whether you need short-term or ongoing support. Depending on where you are in the growth of your business, your needs support may be different. A new start-up may need considerable help in the short term to implement, while a more established business may need assistance regular ongoing with a reliable list of tasks.

An estimate of their support needs for next year. On the basis of your business plans and goals, how fast you want your business to grow in the next 6-12 months? How will this affect your workload?

Determine skill levels necessary to complete their tasks. Administrative tasks are mostly traditional (eg, managing calendar, documents, presentations, bookkeeping) or specific to a niche market (eg real estate)? Does it require special skills or experience, like design web pages, writing the article, or online shopping cart maintenance?

STEP 2 – Set your budget

What is your budget for the maintenance support services? Obviously, this is a consideration critical in deciding the level of administrative support required. Individual VA tend to have a lower rate than VA teams. The reason for this is that teams VA offers a range of skills, from basic to highly specialized and are capable of covering a wide variety of needs. This often results in a combined rate for most tasks with flat rates quoted for special projects (eg web design).

STEP 3 – compare the benefits

At this point, you should know what their needs are and what you can afford. The following is a list of benefits to consider when choosing between an individual VA and a team of VA.

Benefits of working with an individual VA

• Single point of contact
• Opportunity to build a strong-on-one business relationship
• Easier to manage a person
• You may have highly specialized skills niche / experience applicable to your business
• More willing to accept assignments of small and lesser number of hours guaranteed
• Lower pay

Benefits of working with a team of VA

• Team people can handle increased workload
• Multiple tasks can be accomplished in a short period of time
• Opportunity to build a multi-faceted support
• They offer a wide variety of business skills / experience
• Able to take on large projects and accommodate rapid growth
• Many offer discount packages retention

Every company has unique needs, that change and evolve over time. Take time to carefully examine your needs, consider your options and choose the type of virtual assistance services that best suit your business.

About the Author:

Kim Christensen is the owner of Virtual Admin Pro, which offers a wide range of virtual administrative support services to entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – How to Decide the Best Fit: Individual Virtual Assistant or a Va Team?