What is a Virtual Assistant?

You may have heard the term on TV, seen it on the web or maybe by word of mouth and wondered, what exactly is a "Virtual Assistant?"
According to Wikipedia, A Virtual Assistant (or simply VA), is an independent contractor providing administrative, technical, or sometimes creative assistance to clients such as entrepreneurs and solo and small business practices. Virtual assistants work from their own office (hence "virtual"), thus making it a fairly popular (and growing) profession. It is estimated that there are about 5,000-8,000 virtual assistants worldwide. Common modes of communication and data delivery include the Internet, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and fax machine. Although the occupation gives a degree of independence, work is on a contractual basis, and a long-lasting cooperation is standard. Many virtual assistants have their own specialized niches in where they focus and specialize to a particular industry such as the legal field or real estate.
There are different reasons as to why companies and individuals decide to hire a virtual assistant, the main being that the services they receive are cost efficient and they pay only for the time spent on the task, not coffee breaks, personal surfing of the web or socializing with other office workers. Another reason companies hire a virtual assistant is that they can hire them for as little or as many hours as they need, and on a 'as needed' basis, allowing full control and freedom. The fact that a virtual assistant does not need formal training and also has all the needed equipment such as computer software, phones and other necessary items needed for operation also makes it a smart and economical choice.
If you are a business owner or simply an individual who needs an extra hand with a particular task, consider using a virtual assistant, it may be the right and best choice you ever made!