A few things you might be wondering...
If you've never worked with a Virtual Assistant before, or you're simply wondering how working with me actually works , you probably have a few questions.
I've answered some of the things clients tend to want to know before we get started. And if yours isn't here, just ask me.
1. What types of businesses do you work with? Most of my clients are growing businesses with small teams who have reached the point where there's simply too much happening behind the scenes for everyone to keep fitting it in around their own roles. I work remotely from Surrey with businesses across the UK, and particularly enjoy becoming part of a team rather than simply dipping in and out to complete individual tasks. You can read a little more about the businesses I work best with on my About Me page.
2. I've never worked with a Virtual Assistant before. How does it work? Lots of my clients hadn't outsourced before they started working with me, so don't worry if you're not quite sure how it all works. We'll start with a conversation about your business, your team and what's taking up too much of your time. You don't need to arrive with a perfectly organised list of things to hand over. From there, we can work out where I could be most useful and what level of support might make sense.
3. What can you help me with? Quite a lot! My support broadly falls into three areas: Business & Executive Support, Systems, Processes & Projects, and Marketing & Content Support. That might mean managing diaries and meetings, looking after your CRM, organising information, creating SOPs, supporting a project, setting up a simple automation, preparing newsletters or helping keep your marketing moving. Most client relationships involve a mixture of different things, and the support can change as your business changes. You can see more examples on my Services page.
4. Do I need to know exactly what I want help with? Not at all. Quite often, clients know they're spending too much time on certain things or that something in the business isn't working as smoothly as it could, but they aren't necessarily sure what they should hand over first. That's something we can work out together. Once I understand what's happening in your business, I can help identify where my support could make the biggest difference.
5. How does ongoing support work? For new clients, ongoing support starts from 10 hours per month at £40 per hour. We'll agree a regular number of hours based on the support you need, and I'll reserve that time for your business each month. Your hours can be used across different areas of my support rather than being tied to one particular type of work. I'll keep track of my time as we go so you always know where things stand. Because that time has been reserved for your business, unused hours don't normally roll over into the following month.
6. Do you offer one-off projects or ad-hoc support? Yes. Although most of my work is ongoing, I also take on selected one-off projects and ad-hoc support where I have availability. That could be a particular project that needs someone to take ownership of it, some extra support during a busy period, or simply something that's been sitting on the we-really-need-to-sort-that list for far too long. Project and ad-hoc work is charged at £45 per hour and is subject to availability around my ongoing client commitments.
7. What happens if I need more support one month? That's usually not a problem, providing I have the availability. I'll keep an eye on your hours throughout the month and let you know if you're getting close to your agreed amount. If there's still more to do, we'll have a chat and agree any additional time before I carry on. And if your business regularly starts needing more support, we can simply look at whether your ongoing hours still feel right.
8. How do you keep my business information confidential and secure? Client confidentiality is incredibly important to me. I use secure, password-protected systems and take care with the way client information, logins and documents are accessed and stored. I'm also happy to sign a confidentiality agreement or NDA where required. If your business has particular security requirements or systems I need to use, we can discuss those before we start working together.
