Virtual Assistant?

[Andy Hughes]

Has anyone used a virtual assistant for book keeping and clerical tasks? If you have what kind of results did you have and where would you suggest the best place to start a search for one?

[Liam Goble]

I have also used Upwork (formerly Odesk) and found my VA, who I'm totally happy with. I found an investor friendly VA who manages some large multis (100+units). My VA is not one person but a group of people. They are my 'front office' with a local telephone number (via Skype), access to all of my contractor's information, and access to my calendar. My 'office' is open from 10am - 6pm EST. Because of the time differences, someone is managing the phones during the evening hours, so I'm actually covered 24/7 on the phones.

Because my VA has experience with much larger investors, they are helping me craft my business in such a way that I can really scale up with the right systems in place. They gently 'nudge' me by saying "well, when we work for XYZ Inc, they use this system, can we try it for you?"

Today was an awesome example of their help. I've got a vacant unit that I am trying to fill. I knew we were trying to schedule one showing so I gave my VA two dates/times that I can show the unit. That was last night at 9pm EST. Today I woke up, went to class then went to help install a boiler. Tonight at 9pm, I received an email from Diane (one of the VAs) to inform me that I now have two showings scheduled for the first time slot and one for the second time slot.

There is training, but training goes both directions. VAs are people too and must be treated with respect. Just because their hourly rate is not as high as a US counterpart doesn't mean their work is lower quality or that they are incapable. Due to differences in the value of currencies, if my VA were to earn the equivalent amount here in the US, they would be paid ~$38/hr. Based on my experience as a VP of a construction firm, I would argue my VA is actually more capable than people I've hired in the past.