Question 1

What makes Virtual Assist USA different from other Virtual Assistant teams?

Answer

At Virtual Assist USA, we have the largest team of all US-based Virtual Assistants in the country. And, we've been around for the longest, too. This ensures that there is always time to get your project completed with experienced Virtual Assistants available to assist you. Additionally, our Virtual Assistants are our employees-- not contractors. This is important because it helps us to attract and retain stronger talent. Within our internal team, we collaborate and suggest improvements for growth. This is not to be mistaken for lack of personalization; each client’s individual goals are important to us! We epitomize the best of both worlds – an individual, dedicated Virtual Assistant and the resources of a large firm. It’s a full-service approach with a dedicated focus on our client’s needs. Finally, we care about your business, it’s growth and your success. To us, you aren’t a number, a check or someone to be passed on. You are always provided with responsive, personalized levels of client support and attention. It's why we've been in business for 11 years.

Question 2

Where are your Virtual Assistants located? Are they in my time zone?

Answer

We have Virtual Assistants spread across the country in each time zone, so we can accommodate clients in every different time zone. All of our Virtual Assistants are in the U.S., are American citizens and native English speakers.

Question 3

Do you provide immediate turnaround?

Answer

The relationship with your Virtual Assistant is professional in nature, much like the one that you have with your attorney or CPA. Our services, as a shared economy service, are not designed for those clients who need instantaneous responses and constant high priority projects. When you are working with a Virtual Assistant, it is much different than hiring an in-office employee who can provide instant turnaround. A Virtual Assistant is an alternative to an employee, and therefore is a different relationship. Our services are designed specifically for the entrepreneur who has a steady flow of tasks and projects and would like a different type of support team for their business.

Question 4

Will I always work with the same Virtual Assistant?

Answer

You are assigned to one, main dedicated Virtual Assistant. All of our Virtual Assistants are experts in their respective areas – Administrative, InfusionSoft, WordPress, Marketing, Social Media etc. This means that it may require one or more skill sets to work on your project. It is unrealistic to believe that one person can be good at everything that you may need a virtual assistant to do. That is why at Virtual Assist USA, we understand the value of having built a strong team of different individuals who all work together to get the job done. Still, personal connection is important to us which is why you have your main, dedicated Virtual Assistant.

Question 5

Do you sign a Non-Disclosure agreement?

Answer

Our lawyers developed strong Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreements that all team members sign. Protecting your intellectual property is important to us. Additionally, you may request that we sign your own NDA.

Question 6

What size companies do your Virtual Assistants work with?

Answer

Our full service Virtual Assistant team works with a wide-array of corporations, middle managers, business owners, solo-entrepreneurs and non-profits, ranging from one-man shops to organizations with annual revenue in the millions. You will see on our Reviews page that the range of company size and industry is vast. The flexibility in who we serve is something that makes us stand out from other Virtual Assistant agencies.

Question 7

Does your contract include a minimum time commitment?

Answer

Never. We don’t require you to be locked in for any length of time. We want you to stay with us based on our proven success, not because a piece of paper says so.

Question 8

How do I pay? Do you accept credit cards?

Answer

For your convenience, we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards. We also accept payment by check, PayPal or bank transfer.

Question 9

I hired another VA and they disappeared. How can I be sure that won't happen?

Answer

In business for over 10 years, we’re committed to our clients. Entrepreneurs sometimes get into this business because they think it is an easy way to make money. That’s not so for us – our Virtual Assistants are in this for the long run, to finish the race and to be a Virtual Assistant as their career. Also, as a large and established team, unlike solo Virtual Assistants, you can be sure we’re not going anywhere.

Question 10

What happens when my Virtual Assistant is out sick or on vacation?

Answer

Remember: Holidays, illness, weddings, vacations or personal “stuff” don’t matter with a Virtual Assistant team, because there are always several experienced team members around to assist you. We always have a trained backup available for you, at no cost to you, so that you don’t experience any type of service interruption.

Question 11

How do I communicate with my Virtual Assistant?

Answer

We customize everything for our clients – so it’s entirely up to you, how you want to communicate. You can communicate with your virtual assistant team via phone, e-mail, text message or smoke signals – it’s all up to you.

Question 12

Is it more affordable to hire a VA over an in-office employee?

Answer

This isn’t an “apples-to-apples” comparison. The reason is, when you are evaluating hiring someone in-office and onsite, you are typically only factoring in the hourly wage. You must also include the cost of office equipment, office space, office supplies, benefits (insurance, retirement), perks, workman’s compensation insurance, employment taxes (FICA), and the additional investment of time and money during the hiring and training process. These expenses are all eliminated when you hire Virtual Assist USA as your Virtual Assistant team. Keep in mind: when you hire us, we don’t cost you a single penny in overhead.

Question 13

Do you know how to...?

Answer

Yes, chances are – we probably do! Since our start in 2008, we’ve worked on thousands of projects with just about every software or program that you can imagine. Our official services list includes 100s of services that we perform – and performed well. Please ask us if you have a specific question about a technology, project or plan that you’re curious about.

Question 14

How do I know my data is safe & secure?

Answer

Maintaining the security and confidentiality of your project-related data is our top priority. We’ve worked with thousands of companies worldwide and have never encountered a security breach or loss of customer files. We pursue the highest professional standards to ensure your data is always safe. Secure access over HTTPS (SSL) is provided with all of our project management files. Only certain members of the team have direct access to client accounts and all access is logged. Our data-centers have passed the SSAE16 audit. Furthermore, all user passwords are stored in the database only after being passed through a one-way hash-and-salt technique (a standard practice for high security). We also do data backups nearly every second via our system. Real-time data replication ensures we always have your data backed up. We take automatic database snapshots every few seconds so you can have complete peace of mind that your data is 100% safe.

Question 15

Is your system HIPAA-compliant?

Answer

In addition to having a pool of qualified, knowledgeable virtual assistants that are always on hand to provide services to doctors – Virtual Assist USA eliminates concerns about HIPPA compliance by taking the following actions: Extensive encryption: We leverage end-to-end encryption on each database instance. We encrypt all data with 256-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) with the RC4 algorithm and 2048-bit key length. Our hosting partner is Amazon AWS which published a Service Organization Controls 1 (SOC 1) report, under both SSAE 16 and ISAE 3402 standards. Team Compliance: Where permission is given by our clients to access information, we have a strict process in place where the Virtual Assistant or team member highlights any potential disclosure of patient information. Our system thoroughly and completely tracks what user accessed what information and at what time. Documentation: For any client requiring a HIPAA certification, we provide our U.S. legal-approved Business Associate Agreement (BAA). This comprises of our standard confidentiality and NDA contract agreement with additional HIPAA required wording for Business Associate Agreements.

Question 16

How do you match me with my Virtual Assistant?

Answer

We recognize the critical need for an ideal match between Virtual Assistant and client. At Virtual Assist USA, our proprietary matching process is done in a 4-step process where we match Virtual Assistant team members to clients based on the following factors: 1) Desired time zone 2) Client's operating system (PC, Mac) 3) Required skill set 4) Last but certainly not least -- Personality and work behavior assessment tools The utilization of assessment tools - specifically DiSC Profile Assessments and Wonderlic Cognitive behavior tests - are professional psychological assessment tools that allow us to deeply understand our Virtual Assistant team member's work and behavioral styles. By understanding this, we are able to expertly and accurately match each client with the optimal Virtual Assistant. You may be thinking... well, how does this work? DiSC Profile Assessments identify our natural behaviors and help us make better decisions in our interactions. It centers on four different behavioral traits: dominance, inducement, submission, and compliance. This assessment allows our team to analyze how each Virtual Assistant best operates. Where are their strengths? What can they improve on? Are they detail-oriented, analytical, have well developed interpersonal skills, etc... the list goes on! Understanding their gifts and knowing their skill sets allows us to match them with a client according to our client's needs. It is a priority to Virtual Assist USA to maximize efficiency and propel our client’s businesses forward. With this always in mind, it is essential to onboard clients with a Virtual Assistant that is already an understandable match for their needs and business goals. We do not simply guess at our Virtual Assistant's work style and behaviors, we have a deep analytical understanding of them. Matching the client to the Virtual Assistant is a combination of art and science!

Frequently asked questions