“Copyright and Terms of Service
Copyright © Texas Education Agency. The materials found on this website are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of the Texas Education Agency and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the Texas Education Agency, except under the following conditions:
1)Texas public school districts, charter schools, and Education Service Centers may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for the districts’ and schools’ educational use without obtaining permission from the Texas Education Agency;
2) Residents of the state of Texas may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for individual personal use only without obtaining written permission of the Texas Education Agency;
3) Any portion reproduced must be reproduced in its entirety and remain unedited, unaltered and unchanged in any way;
4) No monetary charge can be made for the reproduced materials or any document containing them; however, a reasonable charge to cover only the cost of reproduction and distribution may be charged.
Private entities or persons located in Texas that are not Texas public school districts or Texas charter schools or any entity, whether public or private, educational or non-educational, located outside the state of Texas MUST obtain written approval from the Texas Education Agency and will be required to enter into a license agreement that may involve the payment of a licensing fee or a royalty fee.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2012. All rights reserved2
What is a Virtual Office?
A virtual office is a combination of services provided by a business through electronic forms of communication and an address other than a traditional office location.
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Why Virtual?
Main benefit is low overhead costs Flexible hours Can use personal strengths, talents,
and skills Match your strengths and abilities
to a niche market, that is, a specific target market
Can reach a larger market than a traditional business
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Your Virtual Office Your work space
Handling paperwork, filing options Visitors to the office Employee space
Your assets Office furniture Equipment
Laptop (most important resource)Printer, copier, scanner, or all-in-one
deviceRemovable storage
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Your Virtual Office (continued)
Physical room design Functional Measurements
Mail A post office box or alternative that
will accept packages Create a work schedule Consider outsourcing certain tasks Consider using the “Cloud” for
applications that can be shared 6
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E-Tools
Document viewing software - For pdf files, compressing files, media clips
Word processing software
Graphics and presentation software
Financial software7
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The Virtual Assistant
What is a Virtual Assistant? “virtual” meaning on a computer “assistant” provides administrative
support Also known as a “cyber-assistant”
Often they are business owners in their own right, i.e., independent contractors, who support business owners in many ways.
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Virtual Assistant Responsibilities
Handling calls Screen and transfer calls
Scheduling appointments Customer service Processing orders Maintaining web site Monthly ad subscriptions Press releases Weekly product/service flyers 9
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Virtual Assistants’ Clients
Executives Entrepreneurs
Sales professional
s
Businesses in general
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Virtual Assistant Considerations
Laptop a necessity Capability of large file transfers Compatible software Specific job responsibilities
Someone organized and motivated Someone with an aptitude for the job
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Virtual Assistant Considerations
(continued) Getting a routine going
Handling communications with clients, mainly email
Paying your assistant (depends upon the type of business) Hourly Salary Commission Flat rate per task
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Benefits of Virtual Assistants
… to Clients
Save on healthcare costs
No office space needed
No vacation and sick pay
Increased productivity Increased
sales/revenue Increased customer
satisfaction Increased customer
retention rate
… to the Assistant Work from home Flexible hours Flexible pay depending
upon arrangement Getting to know the details
of a business Increase in self-satisfaction
by contributing to the success of a business
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Independent Practice Assignments
Floor Plan Diagram – Using word processing software, students will create a floor plan diagram of what their office would look like if they were beginning an online business, knowing that more than just a laptop may be required. Students should also list somewhere on the diagram the software they would like to have to use in their business.
Virtual Assistant Job Description Newsletter Assignment #2 – Students will research on the Internet to locate three different job descriptions from different companies’ job openings for a
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Independent Practice Assignments
(continued) ‘virtual assistant’ and create a newsletter summarizing their findings. They will create a one-page, two-column newsletter that is attractive, easy to read, with separate sections for the definition of a virtual assistant and the three job descriptions. Each section should be identified with separate paragraph headings or subtitles that add creativity to the document.
Gantt Scheduling Chart Assignment #3 – Students will use spreadsheet or other software to create a Gantt chart that shows the amount of time a virtual business owner might spend on tasks as compared to the tasks and time spent by a virtual assistant. Think of all the tasks that may need to be completed by the owner and the virtual assistant and estimate how much time would be required to complete them.
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