A Virtual Office Assistant

A virtual office assistant can be an employee of the company he or she works for or he or she can be an independent contractor. A VA might telecommute from home, or he or she might work at the company's offices and manage one or more remote locations.
VA companies are increasingly popping up and contracting their virtual office assistants out to companies. Virtual office providers typically have about 10 virtual office assistants who manage the virtual offices of about 100 to 150 companies. For instance, if a company in New York City wants to have a virtual office in Los Angeles, using new technology, that company does not have to open a physical branch office on the west coast of the United States. The company can simply purchase a contract with a virtual office provider.

Virtual office providers give the client company a local address and local phone number. A virtual office assistant is assigned to answer the calls for the client company at the local address, answering in the client company’s name, and forwarding calls to the company’s headquarters or assigned representative. The virtual office assistant also helps the client company target consumers without having to be in that geographic area. This helps provide the impression that the company has a vibrant and active branch location in that remote city.

Virtual office providers may also collect the company’s mail, sort it and redirect it. The virtual office assistant may oversee legal and business obligations for the client company so that it can function in another city, state or country. New Internet technology allows the virtual office assistants to manage a range of companies or office locations through highly organized software. The technology also allows the virtual office assistant to patch through calls to other cities or countries seamlessly.