Searching out for a virtual assistant is an important task.  Here are some of the important things that you need to know before hiring one.

There are two kinds of Virtual Assistant Service: Individual Freelancer and VA Firm.  Choosing might be a bit of a challenge.  It is better option to go with a virtual assistant service.  This ensures that your needs are covered at all times.   As an example, the well-known author Tim Ferriss uses a particular VA firm (AskSunday™) for almost 80% of his tasks.

Here are other details to think about.

Price: Getting a lower rate for this service does not guarantee a good deal.  Lowest priced VA's tend to produce sub-par work.

Language Barrier: You should always ensure that there is no language barrier.  Verify your VA’s English Comprehension.

Reliability: Give simple and repeated task to test if they are able to complete it on time and gradually increase complexity of task.

Reputation: Ensure a solid reputation for customer service and accuracy.

I'm going to plunge into the details of the service that I use for most of my tasks, along with Tim Ferriss, see The Four Hour Work Week, and many other busy entrepreneurs.

AskSunday™ is a VA service based in New York City.  They offer personal assistants and concierge service rates based on a tier-based structure. Pricing is offered as 20 hours, 40 hours and 90 day plans. Corporate plans are also available.

AskSunday™ offers two types of services:  Dedicated Assistant and 24/7 Assistance.

• Dedicated Assistant – a specific assistant is designated to help you with your ongoing needs, such as data entry, web research, phone calls, scheduling, etc.   Available 10:30am-7:30 pm EST by email and phone.

Plans range from 20-160 hours per month.

• 20 hours/month: $279
• 40 hours/month: $549
• 80 hours/month: $1087

• 24/7 Assistance: The 24/7 personal assistant plan provides you with access to a team of assistants available by email, phone and the Internet on an as needed basis.

Two plans are available for this option including:

• • 90 Day Silver: Includes 45 requests for $97 plus $3 per additional request
  • 90 Day Gold: Includes 90 requests for $147 plus $3 per additional request

The 24/7 assistance requests are for tasks that less than 30 minutes. Anything over 30 minutes gets kicked up the AskSunday™ Project team, for $15/hr.  If you feel that the assistant can work for you on a regular basis then I would suggest you get the Designated Assistant.

AskSunday™ offers a wide range of incredible services.  These include Internet research, data analysis and data entry, phone calls to clients, vendors and others, as well as the ability to setup a repeating task that you need to perform on a regular basis. You can request an answer in less than 60 minutes, or set a different priority.  AskSunday™ remains one of the top ranked in the world. This is the best reason why you should choose AskSunday™.  They assure you of high quality service, offers an excellent range of services, so therefore valuable for both business and personal needs.

You can give them a try first and you can always request a refund once you realized that you would need a dedicated assistant than 24/7 assistance.

Try AskSunday™

Finding a virtual assistant is an important task. There are numerous pitfalls that can crop up, as well. If you fail to make the right decision, your life can be seriously affected. What should you know about choosing a VA? Where should you turn?

Before you launch into the meat of the subject, you’ll need to know more about what a virtual assistant service is and why you need one. VA firms are a type of outsourced service. These services enable you to take much of the headache and hassle out of your daily life.

For instance, if you have far too much to do, and cannot afford to take time out to call the dentist to change an appointment, or you need to know more information about a particular topic but haven’t the time to dig for it, then a VA can be the best thing in the world.

Virtual assistants offer several things, including convenience, lowered stress, fewer hassles and more uninterrupted time during your daily life. As an example, the well-known author Tim Ferriss uses a particular VA firm (AskSunday™) for almost 80% of his tasks.

How to Choose a Virtual Assistant Service

Individual Freelancer vs VA Firm

Choosing a VA service might be a bit of a challenge, particularly if you’ve never had to use such an assistant before. You might be tempted to go with a freelancer, but this is a mistake. It’s a better decision to go with a virtual assistant service rather than a single provider. This ensures that your needs are covered at all times. In addition, should you have to get rid of a freelancer, it can be harder to replace him or her with another individual. Services are simpler and easier, so stick with them.

You will also have to check a few other details before you choose any service. As mentioned earlier, there are numerous pitfalls that you might encounter in the process. These include the following:

Price

While you should never let price be your sole guide, you should certainly shop around for the best rates, but be aware that lowest priced VA's tend to produce sub-par work.

Language Barrier

You should make certain that there is no language barrier between you and your VA service. While this might lead to some rather humorous situations, it can also lead to disastrous ones. Always test your VA's English comprehension skills, by asking them to summarize a one page article in their own words.

Reliability

Any VA service you choose should have a solid reputation for timely responses to your queries. As with language, you'll also want to test with reliability. Give your new VA a simple and repeatable task, just to see if they are able to complete it on time and to your specifications, then gradually increase the complexity of the task.

Reputation

This is perhaps the most important aspect of choosing a VA service. Make sure that the service you choose has a solid reputation for customer service and accuracy. I'm going to dive into the details of the service that I use for most of my tasks, along with Tim Ferriss, see The Four Hour Work Week, and many other busy entrepreneurs.

AskSunday™

AskSunday™ is a VA service based in New York City. They specialize in answering your questions, taking care of the minutia of your daily life and generally helping you alleviate stress and gain more free time. AskSunday™ offers personal assistants and concierge service rates based on a tier-based structure. Pricing is offered as 20 hours, 40 hours and 90 day plans. Corporate plans are also available.

AskSunday™ offers two types of services:

• Dedicated Assistant: This is my personal choice. This plan provides you with a specific and dedicated assistant to assist you with your ongoing needs, such as data entry, web research, phone calls, scheduling, etc. Dedicated assistants are available 10:30am-7:30 pm EST by email and phone. Plans range from 20-160 hours per month.

  • 20 hours/month: $279

  • 40 hours/month: $549

  • 80 hours/month: $1087

• 24/7 Assistance: The 24/7 personal assistant plan provides you with access to a team of assistants available by email, phone and the Internet on an as needed basis. Two plans are available for this option including:

  • 90 Day Silver: Includes 45 requests for $97 plus $3 per additional request

  • 90 Day Gold: Includes 90 requests for $147 plus $3 per additional request

The plan you select is really dependent on what your needs are. If you only need an assistant a few times per month to do some basic data entry, research or phone calls, then you may want to go with the 24/7 assistance option. The 24/7 assistance requests are for tasks that less than 30 minutes. Anything over 30 minutes gets kicked up the AskSunday™ Project team, for $15/hr. If you really feel as though the assistant could become your personal virtual secretary because you have so much that they could help you with on a regular basis, the dedicated assistant plan will be the right option to choose.

You’ll find that AskSunday™ offers an incredible array of services that can be useful in your personal or business life. These include Internet research, data analysis and data entry, phone calls to clients, vendors and others, as well as the ability to setup a repeating task that you need to perform on a regular basis. You also have the ability to request an answer in less than 60 minutes, or set a different priority.

Pros:

• Decent price tiers

• Excellent response time (sometimes faster than requested)

• Wide range of services offered

• VA service, rather than an individual

• Great customer support

• Easy to use interface

• Versatile dedicated assistant program

Cons:

• Some tasks are simply easier to accomplish on your own

• Pricing can be high if you do not use the service consistently

• 24/7 Assistance only for tasks that take 30 minutes or less

Why Choose AskSunday?

Out of all the VA service providers that have sprung up lately, AskSunday™ remains one of the top ranked in the world. Their services are of high quality and there is no language barrier for English speakers. In addition, Ask Sunday offers an excellent range of services, so they’re valuable for both business and personal needs. In addition, the assistants are available during your peak business hours Eastern Standard Time. From 10:30am-7:30pm you can access your dedicated assistant should you choose that option. 24/7 assistants are available day and night. Dedicated assistants can also be setup with repeating tasks that you need taken care of on a regular basis. I suggest you give them a try first and you can always request a refund, which is what I did, once I realized that I would need a dedicated assistant than 24/7 assistance. Since there are only a limited number of dedicated assistance, I wanted to make sure I locked one down before they were all all taken.

Try AskSunday™

What Do Other People Think of AskSunday™?

Time Magazine - “Vote #2 Website of the Year”

CNet.com – “This seems like a great service for a busy parent or businessperson juggling too much to handle so much minutia themselves”

PC Plus - Editors Choice Award

Tim Ferriss author of "The 4-hour Workweek" "Top virtual concierge service"

KillerStartups.com – “AskSunday™ is a great idea.”

What Are Some Popular Alternatives?

YMII (Your Man in India) – This company offers everything from concierge services to property management. They are based in India, and provide global service.

TasksEveryday.com – This firm offers everything from accounting services to transcription, appointment setting and call answering. They provide dedicated VA services for clients.

Elance.com – Elance is not the same sort of service as YMII or Ask Sunday, but rather a place to hire freelancers. However, you can find VA services here, but they will be independent contractors for the most part.

Clickfire.com – “Elance is a great tool for both finding people who can skillfully do work that you otherwise couldn’t, and for finding work online.”

GetFriday.com – GetFriday.com offers numerous services, from website design to accounting, online research and even home assistance. Their services are designed to help clients take care of almost anything they might need, whether business or personal.

R3R.com – “My Get Friday VA’s performed some tasks to satisfaction (basic research and spreadsheet creation), but I found that tasks of any higher level of complexity or requiring any creativity were executed very poorly.”

Try AskSunday™