Start Up Journal reports today that the demand for virtual assistants is growing.
Virtual assistants are typically self-employed workers who handle administrative work for other businesses from a home computer. Some are generalists, who carry out whatever chores a business may need done. Others specialize in an area such as Web design or legal transcription. Most set their own rates, charging an hourly fee between $25 and $70, depending on their experience and the complexity of the task. Clients who put them on retainer often get a better rate.
The number of people calling themselves virtual assistants has blossomed from a few hundred in the mid-1990s, when the industry first defined itself, to more than 5,000 world-wide today, according to the Alliance of Virtual Businesses, one of the many trade groups representing the industry. Most live in the U.S., though the profession is quickly growing in other countries.
Most VAs today are hired by other small-business owners who don’t want to be bogged down in administrative work, says Sharon Williams, president of the alliance. But the industry is trying to sell itself to larger companies looking to cut costs. One nagging problem: “In a lot of industries, people aren’t comfortable releasing confidential information” to an outsider, Ms. Williams says. Moreover, many companies still don’t know exactly what a virtual assistant is.
Related Link: Bizymom’s Virtual Assistants Kit & Website Package
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