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It occurred to me that many people still don’t really grasp the concept of a virtual assistant.

Of course, most get that we can answer calls and keep an eye on your diary commitments, but above that, I’m not sure that the general Joe/Mary on the street understands how much a VA can do for them and their business.

In the interests of showing how well VAs can save businesses time and money (we do it, so you can spend your time on the profitable stuff), I thought I would let you have a small peek into my working week.

So here goes:

Monday
0830 – I get my first cup of tea of the day and down load  a batch of information from India for a client here in Portugal.  This is a daily, first thing in the morning job as the data has to be in Belgium for 10am! I check for coding mistakes, grammar & spelling errors (of course!) & any missed data that should have been picked up from the on-line sources.

1030 – A prospect returns my call.  We’ve been chatting for a while about me managing his overseas properties on-line, taking bookings etc.  I do this for a client in Texas (who has the most gorgeous condos in Santa Barbara), so adding a couple more properties won’t be a problem.

1200 – Spend time on Twitter, Ecademy & Linked In to see where I can give some advice/help other small business owners.  It’s a great way to connect with others when I can’t get out to network face to face.

1500 – A client has asked whether I can manage an on-line survey for them & do I know what websites are good.  I recommend Survey Monkey, as I use this facility for Red Box.  Client emails me the general requirements/questions and away I go.

1630 – A quick Skype chat with a colleague in New Jersey.  Can I help him out with blogs for his clients?  Sure I can and we chat about content and subject matter for a while.

1800 – Time to pack up for the day.

Tuesday
0830 – After the usual start to the day, I’m checking on the emails that have come in overnight from the States for a client whose business is very much customer services oriented.

1000 – I’ve been asked by a client in London to manage their conference in the Summer.  Where, what, when, how much? And I get their credit card details, too, which makes booking exhibition equipment and ordering publishing materials so much easier.  It also shows a HUGE amount of trust from my clients.

1200 – Midday seems to be my on-line networking time.  There’s a guy in Ecademy that has just left his job to start his own business. I know where he’s at!

1500 – One of my clients here in Portugal rings to say that he’s going to be in Lisbon & would like me to meet with his Director of Sales.  We arrange to meet up next week.  It sounds as though he wants me to be the liaison between the DoS & the agents dotted around Portugal & Europe, making sure they’re getting what they need, when they need it.

1700 – Some internet research for a client on on-line plagiarism.

Wednesday
0900 – A late start this morning as I’ve come back from a breakfast meeting with some local businesses.  They are really interested in what I’m doing as working with a VA is a new concept here in Portugal.

1100 – Following up on the phone with some potential clients for a client in Ireland.  A couple of weeks ago I sent out some information about a new course and now I’m following up to see what the response is and whether there’s enough interest to take this to a national level.

1300 – I’m starting work on organising and systemising a client’s contact management system.  He’s just using Outlook, which makes life simple. I add in all his business cards, email addresses & scraps of paper that he’s had lying around the office for weeks into Excel that can then be imported in Outlook.  The postal system to Portugal is really effective, so getting physical stuff to me isn’t a problem.

1530 – It’s newsletter time.  There are a couple of clients for whom I write and manage their newsletters.  Sometimes I’m asked to research a subject/piece of information for an article, which is interesting to do.  It’s a great way for clients to stay in touch with their customer base and I’m happy to support them in this.

1700 – Schedule in calls to the US, & ring some customers of a client who need help with their on-line purchases.

1800 – A quick call to a prospect who needs some support with their Send Out Cards system.  It’s a new on-line contact/referral system, which I’m learning and thinking of using for Red Box, so I’m eager to help this prospect too!

Thursday
0830 – Usual start to the day, checking the data from India.

1000 – A client’s going off to the UK for an exhibition & conference later in the year and needs me to organise his stand, hotel & travel arrangements.

1200 – I’m managing the updating of forms & brochures that a client uses for their organisation.  We’ve used Elance to find the supplier and now it’s a matter of liaising between the designer and the client to make sure the project comes in on time and to budget.

1600 – A client’s expanding into Eastern Europe, so I’m working on getting everyone together for a conference call, bearing in mind time differences.

1800 – Just finishing off the final touches to new content on a client’s site.  They sent me a broad draft of what they wanted and I think I’ve come up with just the right tone.

Friday
1000 – Using LogMeIn, I can access a client’s files & email.  We’re working on getting his email tidy, as well as a new invoicing procedure, so it’s useful to know that we’re using the same documents, rather than batting them backwards & forwards through email.

1200 – A client sends over a new e-book that he’s putting together, so I work through this, proof reading and generally editing.

1430 – Updating availability & adding new properties for a client to their residential sales site here in Portugal.

1600 – Make a phone call following up from the breakfast meeting earlier in the week; the guy’s wife & assistant are both expecting first babies in the summer!  How can I help, does he need assistance for a couple of weeks, months or more?

1700 – A client’s moving offices at the beginning of the summer and will be investing in new equipment.  I start looking at what’s available in desks, photocopiers, chairs etc. and compare prices & delivery options.

1830 – End of the week for this VA.  It’s been busy and interesting and I love supporting my clients.  It’s a great feeling knowing that they trust me with their day to day administration, that I can save them time and money taking on the ‘little’ stuff, while they focus on their core business.

If you think I could support you too, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

About the Author:
Emma Crabtree, Virtual Assistant and Chief Organiser, is the owner and sole-operator of Red Box Virtual Office, an off-site business support service.  Red Box Virtual Office can enable you to free yourself from the day to day admin of your business so that you can focus on what you enjoy and what makes you money. Go to the main website to find out more