An administrative professional who outsources his or her talents and expertise to business whether big or small for either on a small term or perhaps even a long term basis.  Most virtual assistants or VAs as they are know have several years of experience in the corporate world and bring that experience to their business and clients.  Virtual assistants who have left the corporate world often keep up with technology and education to be able to provide their clients with the best and most professional va services available.  Virtual assistants provide expert yet flexible administrative support via the technological advances of today such as email, phone, and instant messaging just to name a few.

Virtual assistants are not employees.  They are small business owners who do business with other business owners to support their business goals and needs.  As small business owners themselves, virtual assistants understand your business needs and provide professionally, timely, reasonable priced services.  Client satisfaction is the key to the succes of a virtual assistant business therefore you can expect solid and reliable service on a continual basis.

Virtual assistants can be hired for a single project if needed but to truely get the most from their services an ongoing business relationship is the optimal option.  Virtual assistants can become more familiar over time, with how your business works and therefore will be able to better support you and your business’ success.

Though “work-at-home secretaries” existed in the 1980s, the technology was not available for the industry to be truly virtual.  The true virtual assistant began to emerge in 1995, after the explosive growth of the World Wide Web (WWW) in the mid-1990s.  Through the Internet, faxes, and the telephone, these pioneers  proved time and again that they could fully support their clientele virtually, from their home offices.

Today the virtual assistant industry continues to grow.  The many small business owners and entrepreneurs of today’s business world have found virtual assistants to be an invaluable resource to their businesses.  Virtual assistants have come a long way from being “work at home” secretaries.   They can be writers, proofreaders, editors, database creators, researchers, marketers, web designers … The list of possibilities goes on and on.  Business people no longer have to do everything on their own.  They are hiring virtual assistants to take care of tasks they no longer have time for, or that they don’t enjoy doing.

With the current trend in business outsourcing the role of virtual assistants will become more significant.  As technology continues to develop and business needs grow, a virtual assistant may soon become a vital part of every successful business.