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Try the HootSuite dashboard to manage an

sj2401 — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:40:34 +0000

Try the HootSuite dashboard to manage and monitor your social profiles http://ow.ly/48q0q

Do I Need To Tweet?

sj2401 — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:45:06 +0000

I met with a professional speaker recently who is a natural and active face to face networker – she has just launched her second website and is confident and very successful. However, when it comes to technology, she tends to see online networking as a bit of a waste of time. From speaking to other professionals about their online presence, I suspect there are a lot of people who think along similar lines, although not all of them are prepared to admit it! This lady was asking me about social networking sites and what she should be doing to keep up regarding her online marketing strategy.
So, to kick off this week, I thought I’d share some of my answers with particular reference to Twitter (which might help you too if you’re still fumbling your way around the web trying to find information about how social media works).

Twitter
What is it?
Twitter is a real-time information network powered by people all around the world that lets you share and discover what’s happening now.
(taken from the Twitter site)
What does Twitter do?
Once signed up with a Twitter account, you can:

A) Write Tweets (short messages no longer than 40 characters long) to share your knowledge and make recommendations containing links to other websites your followers may find useful. Other members of Twitter can also view your profile to see your previous Tweets, who you are following and who is following you!

TIP: If you’re a technophobe, ask your Virtual PA or Social Media Assistant to sign you up to social media sites and handle your online profiles for you – we enjoy managing this stuff!

B) Follow people whose Tweets you find interesting. Even if its only for half an hour at lunchtime, its worth logging in to find out what’s going on in your world. I’ve recently heard of someone finding their dream job through “Tweeting” their CV!
Why do I need it?
Not only can you easily keep up with news which affects and interests you, rather than having to scour the papers (so last year) or other websites for informative articles but you must agree, your online marketing strategy is important to you – so, very simply put, you need to Tweet if you want to stay ahead of the game! (Who knows, you may even get to enjoy it)

For additional advice on Twitter go to http://twitter.com/about

Read more from the Virtually 247 Blog

Microsoft Exchange Servers
How To Ensure a Smooth Office Move
The Role of the Executive PA in 2010
About using Virtual PA Services
Ideas on what to delegate before you go on holiday
Comparing Costs
A Virtual PA Can Save You Time By Organising Important Events
Newsletters R Us
Utilise Online Organisers to Save You Time
Writing Blog Posts

Microsoft Exchange Servers

sj2401 — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:01:13 +0000

Sharing & Viewing Calendars E-Mail & Contacts Online
If, like many of us, you live by your Outlook Calendar and rely on your reminders to remind you not to forget important stuff, but get frustrated that others can’t see your entries (so have to call you or your PA to find out your availability) you should be accessing your Calendar over a shared server.
The great thing is that by using a MS Exchange Server, your PA or someone to whom you have delegated permissions, can view your calendar online and send / accept meeting requests on your behalf – even view your e-mails! So, if you work remotely and are not able to log in to your company’s server when out of the office, an exchange server just could be an option for you! Yes, I know there are other online calendars (and good ones) out there which are accessible via the web, but why complicate your life by having two and run the risk of double bookings when you can stick with what you’re used to and see everything all in one place!

Share Your Contacts
Whoever organises your mail-merge will need to access your contacts. Why make life difficult for both of you by having to convert them to a different file format and send files back and forth via e-mail when you could allow access via your Share Account?
N.B: Speaking from experience, believe me, it can be troublesome exporting and importing contacts, particularly if you are running a different version of Outlook to your PA so save yourself some trouble, not to mention a considerable amount of time.

If you need help with setting up a shared server, I’d be delighted to help. There are some issues which can crop up depending on your mobile devices and which ones you use so it’s best to seek advice before you start if you want to avoid the frustrating technical stumbling blocks.

SharePoint
If you work with one or more colleagues are fed up with to’ing and fro’ing documents over e-mail, or sharing a PC, have you thought about using SharePoint? For a very small financial investment you can use a shared server which hosts all your documents in one place for everyone to access.
Rackspace offers not only this service, but can also set up SharePoint
for you where you can store all your docs in one place without the worry of losing data, and where everyone you give access to can see and even work on them. So for example, if you are working on an Excel spreadsheet which requires input from a colleague, all you need to do is upload the file to your SharePoint space and hey presto!

Just another great invention from our friends at Microsoft. Love’em or hate’em you have to admit, they know what they’re doing and, let’s face it, if they make your life easier, what’s not to love?

What exactly does a Virtual PA do?

sj2401 — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:28:55 +0000

People sometimes say “great name, but what exactly does Virtually 24/7 do”?
Well, I usually start at the beginning. Not that many moons ago everyone who was anyone in a reasonably sized business had a PA to support them at work. When I started out there was no internet and people didn’t have a Blackberry, I-Pad or even a mobile phone to rely on.
In those days, the word Entrepreneur conjured up images of individuals like Peter Jones from Dragon’s Den. Then the internet came along and changed everything – as people learned to operate their own desktop computers, laptops and technological devices, the role of the traditional PA began to change.
Fortunately for us, life has become more interesting over the last few years. No longer are we called upon to take care of menial tasks like photocopying as we have become too valuable to smart business people who want to save time and use our time most effectively. Adding value is crucial to independent business people who are not only successful because they think “outside the box” and move with the times, but also because they recognise that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything themselves – nor would a lot of them want to!
The beauty of a Virtual PA is that clients only pay for the time they need when they need it and they don’t have to pay the headcount costs associated with hiring an employee such as holiday pay, (nor for office space, furniture, training or equipment).

So the answer in a nutshell is that Virtually 24/7 helps clients save time by creating online marketing campaigns, including setting up Twitter and Linked-In profiles, carrying out research and writing blog articles, designing logos and adapting images, writing reports, creating PowerPoint presentations, updating websites, producing invoices and statements, researching and booking holidays – I also take care of family admin such as running property searches, researching schools and holiday clubs .

If you need to add value to your business and free up your own time, why not make a list of those tasks you’d be comfortable delegating – and note down how long each takes you on a daily, weekly or monthly basis (it doesn’t matter whether they are business-related or not), you might be surprised at how much time you could instead be spending with new clients or simply just making money by doing whatever it is you do best!

Virtually 24/7 works with a number of clients. Some of them are on a rolling contract and others seek help with one-off projects.

To summarise, the greatest benefits of hiring a VA are:

You don’t have to worry about providing office space, training or expensive equipment

There are no headcount costs to budget for (holiday pay, sick leave, NI or tax contributions)

You only pay for the time spent on your projects, which, depending on the level of experience of the VA, will often take less time than if you completed them yourself

Saving-you-time-Virtually247

More from the Virtually 24/7 Blog:

How To Ensure a Smooth Office Move
The Role of the Executive PA in 2010
About using Virtual PA Services
Ideas on what to delegate before you go on holiday
comparing-costs/
a-virtual-assistant-can-save-you-time-by-organising-important-events/
utilise-online-organisers-to-help-you-save-time/
writing-blog-posts/

Ideas on what to delegate before you go on holiday

sj2401 — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:11:08 +0000

If you have children at home during the summer holidays and are trying hard to balance work with your parental responsibilities, have you thought of using the services of someone else to take your calls and answer your e-mails?

It can be disconcerting when a client calls you and you know they must be thinking “what is all that noise in the background!” Not only that, it sounds unprofessional.

There are companies around who will take your calls (for a minimal fee) and e-mail your messages to you so that you can return calls at a quiet time which suits you. This is not a service provided by Virtually 247 although I know from the amount of calls I get it is a service which is sought after and needed by many.

(See my video outlining services which are offered by Virtually 247)

I do however manage e-mail accounts for people when they’re on holiday as, after all, it wouldn’t be a holiday if you’re constantly checking your Blackberry in case a client needs you. If anything urgent comes up which I am unable to action for a client’s client, I make sure I have their authorisation to interrupt them at a pre-arranged time (although this doesn’t happen very often).

Other tasks which can be carried out by your Virtual PA or VA whilst you are in the pool or lazing around on the beach are:

updating your contacts database
clearing out your in-box
electronic filing

Let’s take one at a time:

Your Contacts Database
Crucial to your business and so easy to manage when up to date but how many times have you looked at a pile of business cards from networking events or post-it notes with names, contact numbers and e-mail addresses, thought “I need to do something about those,” and pushed them out of sight? No way to treat your future prospects! All you need to do is mail them to your Virtual Assistant who can upload them into a database so they’re ready for your next mail-merge or E-mail Newsletter, and update your Outlook Contacts.

Prioritising E-Mail
We all know how it feels when you return home to an in-box full of enquiries, unwanted offers, mail from friends or kids’ friends’ parents which somehow find their way to your work account. Some will obviously go straight into your deleted items folder but others, although not required again, will contain information which needs to be transferred to calendars or forwarded or copied to others. Your PA can sort all of these for you so, and probably respond to most, so that you only need to deal with the prioritised mail (moved to an appropriately-named folder of course).

Electronic Filing
If your VA has access to your PC, or you have a shared electronic workspace, it’s a great idea to ask her to set up folders (ensuring of course she names them appropriately and leaves you a hard copy list of what is contained in which folder so that you don’t waste time trying to find files on your return).

If you haven’t yet gone away on your well-earned break, I hope this blog has given you some food for thought and that you will feel more organised and less daunted when you get back to your office. If, like me, you have already returned, I hope you are coping and perhaps you could implement some of these ideas before you next travel!

A Virtual Assistant Can Save You Time By Organising Important Events
Utilise Online Organisers To Help Save You Time

Saving you time ... Virtually 247

About using Virtual PA Services

sj2401 — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:06:37 +0000

If you are considering hiring a Virtual Assistant or VA, it might be useful for you to read about what a client of mine has said about using my services in his business.
“My VA has been very effective in helping me to focus as she has freed my time to concentrate on other, more important, areas of my life and business.” He also gave a few pointers which may help you to decide whether hiring a VA is right for you.

Ask yourself whether you can afford a VA
“The first thing to consider is whether or not you can afford to hire a Virtual Assistant. Personally, I can’t afford not to hire one. As a small business owner, I have too much to do every day, and am a self-confessed workaholic who didn’t take enough time out for holidays, family and keeping fit. I charge my time out at £150 per hour, and before I took Sara on I was carrying out tasks which I now outsource for less than £50 an hour. I certainly wasn’t making the best use of my time. As long as you don’t spend more than half what you charge on a VA service, it will be money well-invested.”

How I have used my VA
“Sara helps a lot with lead generation activities, like blogging, publishing newsletters, submitting articles to directories and maintaining social network profiles (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). She also responds to client emails (some require a personal response in which case she will alert me and we work on the response together on the phone or by email), designs PowerPoint presentations and takes shorthand over the phone if I want to dictate letters and reports.
Naturally, not all tasks can be outsourced. There are certain things which are easier and faster to do yourself. For me, these are tasks which take too long to teach or have a history which is too complex and require too much oversight to justify the cost in time and money. However, this obviously depends on the level of experience of your VA. As business owners themselves some VAs are more than capable of taking on most tasks as long as you are prepared to explain details properly and invest time initially in communicating with them. On example I can think of where my VA has saved me inordinate amounts of time was by organising my household, business and car insurances – I freely admit that these alone would have taken me weeks to sort out!“

My aim in my business is to personally carry out only those tasks which most directly contribute to my income – I leave the rest to my VA.

Have realistic expectations
“Initially it’s a good idea to plan for a trial period and gradually work towards outsourcing over a longer period of time, say six to twelve months. Be prepared to be flexible and welcome suggested changes if your VA thinks there are better ways of doing things which will save you time – in my experience, good VAs are used to working in this way and a good VA will give you tips – it is after all in her own interests to do so. Probably the most important aspect is to communicate clearly and often with your VA, particularly at the beginning of the relationship when you are just getting to know each other.”

When you first sign up for the service, let the VA know what your goals are for your business and how you intend to utilise his or her expertise to best support your needs. My client also lets me know if his requirements will fluctuate from month to month so that we can both plan our calendars in advance.
This is what he says “When I decided to start delegating , I listed everything I needed to do each month and decided to outsource 50 percent of it, mostly my blog posts. I let Sara know the range of topics or subject areas to cover, how often to post, and the average length of each post. I also let her know that if I had ideas for topics, I would email her. Otherwise, she could use her discretion when it came to selecting topics.
Although it can seem really intimidating at first, you’ll soon discover how liberating it can be to solicit help when it comes to your business. You’ll start looking at your business in a new light and imagining the possibilities for growth (or at very least simply enjoy some well-earned and much-needed time off)!

A Virtual PA is an asset not just an expense
A VA should be considered a real asset to your business and not just as another expense. My client was talking with a colleague recently and his colleague asked her why he outsourced work to me. He said, “because she frees up my head space to think about my clients and their needs so I can be more effective and generate more income.” He’d rather be negotiating new deals with clients and be out networking and speaking at business events than designing his presentations, writing his blog, making his travel arrangements, answering his e-mail, updating his websites, and completing his tax return all of which are tasks I do for him.

I hope this article has helped those of you who are struggling to find enough hours in your day –check the links below to read more from the Virtually 24/7 blog:

The role of the Executive PA in 2010

How to ensure a smooth office move

Comparing costs

A Virtual Assistant can save you time by organising important events

The role of the Executive PA in 2010

sj2401 — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:31:11 +0000

The role of the Executive PA in 2010

Years ago PAs acted as gate-keepers to their superior bosses by answering the phone, making the coffee, filing, choosing gifts for his wife, taking dictation and typing letters. (Believe me, this is how it used to be – I was that soldier)!

How things have changed! These days a professional PA in a worthy organisation is expected to :

•   Manage multiple diaries across different time-zones
•   Liaise with clients
•   Set up webinars
•   Upload data & Images to websites
•   Manage events
•   Maintain networking sites
•   Write reports and blogs
•    Design newsletters
•   Write content and advertising copy
•   Take shorthand
•   Design Excel spreadsheets
•   Maintain database information
•   Delegate tasks
•   Manage invoicing procedures using financial software

and sync calendars to their boss’s Blackberry!

Phew, these are just a few which spring to mind – no wonder the good ones have their own dedicated PA!

Also, no wonder they are worth their weight in gold and tricky to find! How many other people are multi-skilled enough with a wide range of IT abilities to be able to provide this type of support?

Advances in technology may have resulted in bosses being able to type and send their own e-mails but they can’t possibly provide the glue which holds businesses together (or they wouldn’t have the time to do whatever it is they do to generate the income – hmmm … or could that be why so many businesses are struggling – speculate to accumulate or live to regret it!

Food for thought …
Thank goodness for the Virtual Executive Assistant or VA –
Read more from the Virtually 24/7 Blog:

how-to-ensure-a-smooth-office-move/

comparing-costs/
a-virtual-assistant-can-save-you-time-by-organising-important-events/
newsletters-r-us/
utilise-online-organisers-to-help-you-save-time/

How to ensure a smooth office move

sj2401 — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:13:53 +0000

Relocation, relocation
Businesses often grow too large for their existing space resulting in the need for additional space or even a complete office move. Either way, it falls upon the Facilities Manager or Office Manager to plan every detail in order to ensure everything runs smoothly with the least disruption to everyday business, clients and employees.
Planning
An office relocation requires more time for planning than a regular house move simply because of the number of people involved, the quantity of furniture and equipment, which, together with the logistics of organising removal companies, IT requirements (and even sometimes building schedules), can prove a daunting prospect.
In an ideal world, it is always preferable to plan a large move for the least busy time of year for the business. Moves towards the end of the week are also popular when employees are typically less stressed and winding down a bit.
Communication is key
The key to a successful move is communication, communication, communication. Advise your employees early on that you will be moving as some of them may decide to leave depending on whether or not their journey to work will be impacted. You will possibly need to work with the HR department to ensure that hiring processes are in place and new people recruited well in time for the move to your new location.

Skip and Re-Cycle
Your next task should be to decide what should stay and what should go. A move is a great opportunity to get rid of accumulated junk and to dispose of any out of date or unwanted items and to re-cycle as much as possible. Ask each department to produce an inventory of all their equipment and supplies so that you know what you will be left with to move to the new location. You can then calculate approximately how many removal crates you will need and ask for removal quotes.
Furniture
Think about furniture requirements as well. Ask yourself whether your existing furniture is going to fit well into your new space and if not, remember that decisions will need to be made early on regarding new orders. Lead times for new furniture can be as long as 8 weeks! You may also need to accommodate additional staff and, if so, they will typically need desks, chairs, computers, printers, phones, pedestals and filing storage units.
Computer Equipment
Work with your IT department early on to ensure they back up all computers, plan for them to be de-commissioned and re-commissioned immediately after the furniture has been installed. It may be that you need a specialist IT removal company to do this depending on how much IT kit you have.
Suppliers
Don’t forget to order new stationery and to advise all your clients and liaise with your suppliers well in advance to avoid any contract penalty clauses if they won’t be supplying you in your new business premises.
Crates
Employees should be given clear instructions to pack the contents of their desks and to name their crates, not forgetting their filing storage units if they use them. Ensure that the floorplan for the new office is clearly marked so that your removal companies will know exactly where they need to put everything upon arrival.
An office relocation is a major upheaval, but, if planned properly without interference along the way, there is no reason why yours shouldn’t go according to plan.

Comparing costs

sj2401 — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:58:14 +0000

Small business owners are often thinking about new ways in which they can save money.

Smart people know that when they hire an employee, wages are only a small percentage of the financial overhead. As an employer, you’re also responsible for tax, national insurance (in the UK) and benefits which may range from holiday, maternity and sick pay to gym membership. Even part-time employees require office space, furniture, equipment and training and even temps now have similar rights to permanent staff.

The cost of a Virtual Business Assistant is very simple to compare –payment for services via an invoice – that’s it. A VA isn’t an employee, so you’re not responsible for the usual costs associated with employing someone. A VA uses her own office space and equipment, and, assuming you taken on someone with excellent experience, IT and people skills, any special training is carried out quickly and professionally.

Technology For businesses with more sophisticated technology, Virtual Assistants are the perfect match as they’re usually skilled in using online applications, project management software and web-based applications including calendars.

Even home-based businesses these days have the technology required to work with a personal assistant. Assuming you have a phone and email tools these are enough for most administrative tasks to be carried out effectively.

Telephone Answering Until I really sat down and thought about it, it was still amazing to me how many people confuse a telephone answering service with a Virtual Assistant, VA or Virtual PA. Then I realised that of course if people haven’t worked in corporate offices and haven’t been fortunate enough to have had a dedicated PA, then why or how could they know that a Personal Assistant carries out tasks such as setting up meetings across different time zones, designing PowerPoint presentations, taking shorthand, (to name just a few) and doesn’t just answer phones (that is the job of a Receptionist). In fact, it is rare within a corporate office for a PA to answer even her boss’s phone – Receptionists or Telephonists are there to filter calls. As soon as you take the plunge, and work with a qualified Virtual Business Assistant for a few days, you will begin to realise the true value of a one on one working relationship.

One on One support A professional virtual personal assistant is a skilled professional in their own right with knowledge above and beyond basic secretarial skills. Many have marketing and web design experience and have worked for years within corporate environments. The Virtually 24/7 service has been designed to offer unique one on one support to entrepreneurs and small business owners. From personal experience I believe that to be able to offer a dedicated one on one service where your VA knows and understands your business, and your way of doing things, is the only way for this relationship to work. I say this because it is crucial for your clients to have one point of contact to represent you and your business and the very nature of outsourcing can lead to confusion and delays – that is not the way forward for anyone looking for fast professional support.

Finally, ask yourself, “Would I find it difficult to speak with a virtual Business Assistant every day?”

If you answered “no”, you’ve got what it takes to build a good relationship with a VA. It’s all about excellent communication. It’s easy to give up the habit of seeing someone face-to-face when you calculate how much money you’ll save!

As business owners ourselves, we need to manage the bottom line. Smart entrepreneurs know this and are already on board.

A Virtual Assistant can save you time by organising important events

sj2401 — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:57:43 +0000

As well as managing your regular office admin, a Virtual Assistant can save you time by organising important events.

Did you know that good VAs love to be involved with organising events, holidays and even house moves? Any PA worth their salt will have had experience of arranging a corporate celebration or summer party. If you have an important event coming up, and are wondering how you’re going to find the time to manage everything it involves, such as sending out the initial e-mail advising people of the date, designing the invitations and refining the guest list to selecting and ordering the wine, flowers and food, why not think about asking a VA for a quote to make the arrangements for you? It doesn’t have to be work-related – it could even be your next big birthday party or, better still, a surprise celebration – whenever details need to remain a secret, a virtual PA is not around to leave clues and can therefore be the ideal solution!

If you’re moving house this spring, and we all know how stressful that can be if you need to organise everything yourself, a Virtual PA can start the ball rolling for you by carrying out online searches and selecting those properties which meet your criteria before sending you the pick of the bunch. If he or she has online access to your calendar, viewings can be arranged at times to suit you and your VA can become your point of contact for property agents.

Once you have decided on a property, there will be forms and paperwork to submit and time can become your worst enemy. A PA can make your life so much easier by maintaining checklists, photocopying crucial documentation, and generally ensuring you have everything you need before handing your file over to your Solicitors to nail the final deal. Once you have found the home of your dreams, you’ll want to delegate as much of the actual move as possible. Use your VA’s organisational skills to secure you the best removal firm and liaise with your service providers to ensure your gas, water, electricity, broadband etc., are moved over to your new address smoothly and without interruption.

Finally, if you’re thinking of a holiday away from the madding crowds this summer, your Virtual PA can run searches for accommodation based on your needs and then source and book your flights, trains or ferries and car hire or taxis for you to ensure no stone is left unturned and that you obtain the best value for money.

For information on Greece and the islands,

visit The Greek House

By delegating the ground work you can relax, safe in the knowledge that the important details are being taken care of while you continue with your every day commitments.

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