1. At the outset please give me the necessary information.  “Send a letter to Joe at Blogs Co.” really doesn’t tell me anything.  Although I’m sure Joe is quite delightful, unless I’ve written to him before, can I have his full name, title and address please?;
2. If we’re working on a number of different projects, please tell me which one we’re working on.  There’s nothing worse than finding pages explicitly detailing the bathroom habits of the Upper Doolallyville Flop-Botted Monkey in a dissertion on healthy cooking;
3. Speak clearly, with your teeth in and without a pen, pipe or stale donut in your mouth (you’d be surprised how many people do these things!);
4. Switch off as soon as your phone or mobile starts ringing … it’s not good for my health to cling to the ceiling by my fingernails from the blast in my eardrums;
5. Switch off when someone enters your office looking to chat.  I really don’t find office gossip or what your spouse is making for dinner very fascinating and you’re paying for my time while I listen, toss a toy for the dog, and wait to get back to work.
6. I know you’re hungry, but please try not to munch potato chips or slurp your soup while dictating.  Not only does it distort the sound but it makes me hungry too!;

Good dictation is the key to saving time and money and getting first class results.  So humour me, think about it next time you dictate.

An Andertoons Cartoon

An in house Senior Legal Assistant can command an annual salary of over $60,000, four weeks vacation and benefits.  Of course there will be sick days, time taken for personal issues and time spent daily socializing, surfing the net, playing computer games while awaiting instructions and dead time due to computer issues or slow periods.  Then there is the overhead to be paid for space and equipment and the 9-5, Monday to Friday.  Need something late Friday to be ready for Monday morning?  Your Virtual Assistant to the rescue!

 Virtual Assistants work from their own offices using their own equipment and bill by the hour, by the project or on a retainer basis, only charging for the time actually spent working.  By utilizing the services of a Virtual Assistant, the annual cash savings can be astronomical.  There are many Senior Legal Assistants, some with very many years of experience, now offering their services virtually.

If you’re a Canadian sole practitioner or small law firm, welcome to the amazing world of Virtual Assistance! 

What kept you?

An Andertoons Cartoon

Yes, I’m a Virtual Assistant and Online Business Manager, otherwise known as an Executive Assistant, Secretary, Right Hand and Go-to Girl available to help busy entrepreneurs with back office tasks that take so much of their time.

I’ll be blogging regularly, not only about business issues, but about life in general and perhaps having a few giggles along the way, so drop back soon and join me on my journey!