In short, a VA can do just about anything a regular employee can do. You just won't see his or her face every day and the manner in which you send tasks to him or her will vary slightly.

Instead of walking paper files into the next office, you can simply attach those same electronic files to an email and hit send. Your virtual assistant will work on those files according to your instructions and return them, mail them, or do whatever else you request with them.

As a real estate professional, you need to constantly have new leads flowing you're your sales pipeline. A virtual real estate assistant can help you find those leads, help you qualify them, and basically act as an extension of you. This keeps you out there selling and can ensure a constant flow of new leads. Virtual assistants work best when plugged into your current marketing system. If you're doing marketing campaigns that already work well, but need to do more of it to keep the leads coming, task portions (or all) of that out to your virtual. Let her do the prep work so-to-speak and free you up for the more important activities like closing the sale.

They're the savviest of the savvy when it comes to operating on a low budget and using technology to their advantage. Their cost consciousness should extend to your business expenses as well.

Most are equipped with the latest software (and lots of it), multiple phone lines, Internet, e-mail, fax machine, cellular phone, copy machines, scanners, and a great attitude. He or she should use all of the latest technology to communicate with you and get your work done as quickly as possible. Hiring a virtual assistant that already comes with all of the best software saves you hundreds of dollars by not having to purchase all of that software programs yourself.

A virtual real estate assistant should only "clock in" when they're on your project. This means you don't pay for their time playing solitaire on the computer or while they are waiting for the next assignment.

A virtual real estate assistant can free your time to do what you're good at and what's important to your company. Whether that's making sales, following up on leads, attending speaking events, or doing the other meaty tasks your business requires.

VA's are as concerned with your business success as they are with their own. In fact, their success depends on your success. So, a virtual assistant can become one of the best assets and business partners you've ever had. Just like you, they are business owners and very interested in helping their clients.

It's also a good idea to get your virtual assistant or the company providing the virtual assistant under strict confidentiality agreement.

At Team Double-Click^®, we thoroughly screen all of our contractors to ensure the best quality. Each goes through a 7-9 step interview process and testing system, which measures flexibility, trustworthiness, reliability, candidness, assertiveness, and whether or not they have a helping disposition. We also stand behind our contractors. If a bad one slips through and doesn't work out, we replace that person immediately. You should expect similar from any staffing agency you work with.

A good virtual assistant will be available almost immediately - if he or she is serious about her job and clients. Most virtual assistants work with a handful of clients and need to prioritize their work. Your virtual assistant should let you know, when you send him or her a new task, when he or she will be able to get to it and the assistant should ask you how high the priority.

Virtually, of course! Isn’t cyberspace great? That's probably the best place to go in search of your very own VA. The best option; however is to find a good virtual staffing agency. An agency will save you a lot of time by screening the virtual assistant for you and choosing the best one to match your needs. As an added bonus, if the VA doesn't work out for you, all you need to do is make one simple phone call and the agency should be able to find another one for you quickly and without additional time wasted, or extra charges.

Training a virtual assistant shouldn't be any different than training an in-person assistant. Use the latest technologies that everyone has access to in order to facilitate training. Communicate your needs via telephone, instant messenger, and by emailing documents for review.

Ask your potential virtual assistant or the virtual staffing agency supplying if there is a free training period. I highly recommend asking for at least two hours free time for training. Assistants do occasionally leave (or not work out): you shouldn't have to pay to retrain a new assistant each time this happens.

Speaking for Team Double-Click^®, we do offer two free hours of training time with each admin for the reasons I mentioned earlier: they do sometimes leave and you shouldn't be penalized.

The best approach, if you're hiring on your own, is to get a complete history of the virtual before hiring him/her. While this isn't always foolproof, it does help.

Next, require him/her to send you a daily reporting of what was accomplished and how many hours logged. I recommend asking for this report in a simple end-of-the-day email. Then you always know the status of your tasks and what you're spending.

Carefully review everything your assistant returns to you completed until you've developed a comfort level with him/her work.

Correct mistakes quickly and immediately when they happen. No one can learn to do things differently if they're not told that they made a mistake. When you catch an error, notify your assistant and tell him/her how to correct it. Don't offer to correct the mistake for him/her but ask him/her to fix it and send it back to you.

Well, do you mean manage or micro-manage? No successful business owner can afford to micro-manage. If you need to micro-manage, you should find someone to sit right next to you in your office. If you can refrain from micro-managing and allow your admin to think and do on her own, you'll have no problems managing him/her from a distance. Through proper candidate selection, proper training, clear and concise instructions, and the daily reporting I mentioned earlier, there should be no serious problems.

A virtual assistant is far more cost effective than a regular employee. You may pay more per hour than a regular employee, but leave out the FICA, state unemployment taxes, Social Security, health insurance, vacation time, sick time, 401(k), profit sharing, Christmas bonus, holiday pay, and other benefits you need to offer a regular employee, and a virtual's wage comes out far lower than that of a regular employee.

A virtual assistant should be set up as an independent contractor - never an employee. You don't want to be held liable later on for his/her office not being ergonomically friendly or for him/her developing carpletunnel syndrome. If you use a virtual staffing agency, check with them first to be sure the admin they assign you is set up as a contractor or at least an employee of the agency - not an employee of your company. Hiring the virtual assistant as an independent contractor is also what gets you out of paying all the taxes, health insurance, and so on.

A virtual assistant can save money in other areas as well. How much does it cost you to maintain office footage, a computer, a phone line or two, a refrigerator, a microwave, a desk, electricity, heat, air conditioning, and parking for your regular employees? With a virtual, you don't need any of those things - he or she supplies his or her own.

The fee for a virtual usually depends upon the area of the country where he or she is located and their area(s) of expertise. Virtual assistants charge between $15 and $75 per hour. But, you only pay for the time he or she actually spends working on your tasks. Others still may agree to a flat fee based upon individual project requirements. Either way, you come out ahead.

ZERO! We don't have a bank of people answering phones. Each and every client is treated as the individual that they are. Each client, regardless of how big or small is assigned just one admin. This admin is then able to get to know your clients/customers, your business, and how you like your work performed. That's how we're able to give that personal touch!