If you’ve never worked with a virtual assistant before you may have no idea what we do, how we work, how to hire one or how we can help your business.
That’s why we created this Virtual Assistant FAQ. Hopefully it answers many of those questions.
We”ll update it as new questions come in, so please contact us if you have any burning questions that we don’t cover in this FAQ.
According to Wikipedia:
A virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA) is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients remotely from a home office.
Basically it’s an assistant who works remotely.
A VA typically works with entrepreneurs, small businesses or individuals assisting with the day to day running of their business.
They provide administrative support, freeing up your time to do the more important/fun aspects of your work.
This can come in the shape of general office administration, managing your social media or making trip arrangements, all the way up to project management, event organisation or product launches.
By outsourcing the non-core tasks, you’re free to shine.
You know your business and you know your strengths. You also know that there are a million and one other things that need doing if you want to be successful.
Daily social media posts, weekly blog posts, monthly newsletters… regular recurring tasks or a one-off project.
Maybe you’re fine with the content creation and it’s the administration side that’s holding you back. Or maybe you just need help with marketing to boost your brand and get your products in front of the right people.
We can handle all those support tasks, thus freeing you up to do what you do best.
If you’re a creative entrepreneur or business and you want to shine, that’s where we come in.
While you focus on your core business, we’ll help grow your online presence, research your opposition, create a winning strategy and help you implement it.
They say two heads are better than one, and with Nomadic VA you’ll get two of the finest. If it’s written content – blog posts, newsletters, ad copy, SEO and geeking out over keyword research, that’s where Adam shines. Carol brings social media management, stunning visuals, press kits, press packs and years of experience working as and alongside press agents and journalists.
If you want to shine, we’ve got your back.
It’s not a sales call.
The consultation call is for us to get to know about your business and see if we’re a good fit. Before the call we’ll evaluate the questionnaire you submit when booking the consultation.
We’ll discuss your current situation, your dream outcome and how we could work together to help accomplish that.
Our services aren’t for everyone. We’re not going to take a contract just for the sake of it. If our styles clash, that makes for a miserable working environment.
We also know our strengths. You can find them listed in our Services section. This list is constantly growing as we both love discovering new tech and expanding our skillset, but it’s not exhaustive. Do we do accounting, bookkeeping or wedding planning? Not a chance. Can we do video editing, create podcasts and facilitate live streaming events? Yes, but they’re things we’re still working on.
After the call, if we’re a perfect match, then we get the ball rolling.
Depending on the level of work we decide on, the operation will be different but some things are always the same.
We’ll send out a contract and establish how and when we’ll communicate – a weekly email, monthly live video call etc
Once everything’s signed and sent back, we’ll have one more call to clear up any questions and then we’re ready to begin.
We’ll discuss this during our consultation call. Different projects lend themselves to different levels of communication.
If it’s a recurring job like managing a social media account or producing a monthly newsletter then it’s easier to communicate through shared Google Drive documents, Trello, Asana or weekly emails.
If it’s a more complex task then a weekly or monthly video call via Skype, Zoom or Meet is usually more appropriate.
If there’s an emergency then a direct phone call or video call will provide the quickest resolution.
At the moment we’re working with the following systems:
CRM
– Dubsado
Project Management Tools
– Asana
– Trello
File Sharing
– Google Docs
Email Marketing Tools
– Mailchimp
– ConvertKit
If you use different tools, that’s fine.
Over the years we’ve worked with many more. In the initial questionnaire we ask that you list your current systems. We’re experienced with most of the big programs, but if it’s one we’ve never used then we’ll quickly get up to speed.
We consider learning new tools, programs and software as a challenge… and we love challenges!
The reason we don’t list specific times for specific jobs is that they vary depending on the client. How much time a job takes depends on several factors.
If you’ve got all the material there, all researched, proofread and ready to roll then jobs will be much quicker. If we need to research, create and approve each task then it will increase the working time.
At the start of the project we’ll discuss all the variables and deadlines. If, for any reason, we’re unable to make a deadline then we’ll notify you in advance.
This will be a rare event indeed though as we’re both committed to overdelivering with every project we undertake.
We do – $25 per hour. While it’s possible to contract us on an hourly rate, if we’re working together on a regular basis then it works out much cheaper to purchase one of our packages.
You can see them on our Prices page.
If you purchase a package but need just a couple of extra afterwards, then we recommend the hourly rate.
Different projects take different amounts of time and circumstances change. We understand that.
If you have outstanding hours we’ll contact you to discuss moving forward.
If it’s in our wheelhouse, absolutely. If it’s related to a product we work with or have recommended then we’re happy to troubleshoot issues.
We’re constantly setting up new systems so we’ve come across many of the common hurdles.
What we won’t do is claim to solve all issues. If it’s very technical, requires specialist support or is something we have no knowledge of, we won’t waste your time by claiming to be all-knowing geniuses.
We’re currently in Brazil and working between 09:00-18:00. Our working days are Monday to Friday, although we do check and reply to emails on Saturdays.
For a simple time conversion check here.
If you need to contact us for an emergency outside of those hours then you will have access to our phone number, but that should be a last resort.
For absolute emergencies (we’ve not had one in the last 2 years of working with clients) we do our best to provide instant support, but the majority of queries can be dealt with within our working hours.
We understand that you may have additional business requirements and we’ll always attempt to be flexible (within reason).
As Digital Nomads we do move around. If we change time zones you’ll be informed well in advance to ensure we continue to provide a seamless service.
Yes. It protects you and it protects us.
It avoids any uncomfortable conversations later on down the line and ensures a smooth operation for all involved.