General Questions
A virtual assistant is a remote-working professional, who specialises in administrative services. As most VAs are self-employed, they generally work with multiple clients.
There are so many benefits! Because a VA is not an employee, you pay solely for the work they do – no NI, no sick pay, no insurance or other overheads – so it’s a cost-effective option. In addition, a VA typically requires minimal training, if any – they are experts in what they do and can generally get going quickly. Finally, a VA’s support will free up your time, leading to increased productivity, better focus and an improved work-life balance.
You don’t, yet. During our consultation we will have a chat about what you are looking for and if we feel we are a good fit for each other. It’s important that we both think the partnership is workable, and it’s totally ok to walk away if we are a mismatch – it happens!
The fact that you are here suggests you do, but if you are in any doubt, try this short quiz.
Working Together
When we have agreed on the support you need (and this is typically agreed during the consultation), I will send you a contract and invoice. Once the contract is signed and the invoice paid, we will book an onboarding call, so I can get set up with any logins, systems overviews etc, and really get to know you and your business on a deeper level. After that, away we go!
My client hours are Monday-Thursday, 9am-4pm and Friday, 9am-2pm UK time. I work flexibly as it suits me, but this is my choice and does not mean I am available for calls or meetings, or to send updates/respond to emails. As I work with multiple clients, I cannot guarantee to be available at set times unless agreed in advance.
I am happy to communicate through email, pre-arranged phone/video calls or any project management software that you use, and I encourage regular check-in meetings.To allow me to focus fully on my clients, I don’t take phone calls unless arranged, except in the case of a true emergency. In this case, short calls (up to 10 minutes) will not be charged, but anything longer will be.
Yes, absolutely. Everything I do for clients counts as billable time, so if you would like me to check emails twice per day (for instance) this will need to be taken into consideration when purchasing your package.
Standard turnaround time is 48 hours. If you have an urgent request I will do my best to accommodate. Please note that tasks considered urgent will be subject to an additional fee.
Time Usage
I will send you a report each Friday, which outlines how much time has been used (rounded to the nearest five minutes), and which tasks have been actioned.
Providing I have capacity, I will be happy to add hours. These will be available on receipt of payment.
Unfortunately, unused hours do not roll over to the next month, so use of time forms part of the discovery call.
Provided I have one month’s notice, you can adjust your hours up or down. So, on the first of the month you can adjust the package for the following month – if the 1st falls on a non-working day (eg a weekend), the nearest working day is fine. Again, any amendments will be subject to availability.
Legal
Absolutely! I am registered with the ICO and comply with all GDPR regulations for the UK and EU.
Yes, I have professional indemnity insurance through Policy Bee.