Need To See Your Virtual Assistant Face To Face? Consider Oovoo

One of the great things of being a Virtual Assistant is that we have the freedom to try out new technologies to make our work a little easier and our clients at ease!

Many ‘old-school’ business owners and managers still believe that they need to be in the same office and be face to face with an assistant.  The innovative concept of virtual assistance might make one hesitant in giving it a try.  VAs still will not be in building with their clients but there is an alternative if one needs to actually see each other. Video conferencing.

After reading an article in PC World (unable to find article online but an alternative review can be found here) I decided to give it a try. The graphical interface is slick and you can converse and view with up to six people at once. Best of all Oovoo is free with no advertising and pop-up banners!

I had the privelage to have a morning coffee with another VA halfway across the country. For some reason her video camera was not working (Oovoo is in Beta and suggested to her to contact support to figure out the problem), and I could only see her static picture but the video from my end worked great (camera is intergrated into the laptop). One has to get used to allowing another person to speak as there are brief second delays, but other than that I was very happy with the result.

As a word of advice, once you get the software installed and create an account, if you are a very private person, go to the Settings section and adjust your privacy preferences, as by default, you are listed for all to see.

One thing that I was not wholly impressed was phone feature (free until April 1, 2008). I called a potential client and the sound was really choppy. So for now, I will stick with Skype.

At Last! Microsoft To Help Users With Vista SP1 Service Pack Installation

Now they finally get it!  Of course this is after I had to figure out the darn thing myself when the SP1 installation wreaked havoc on my Word 2007 and the ability to use the mouse. The news from C-Net this morning that from now until March 18, 2009, Vista users who encounter problems after their SP1 installation will be able to contact Microsoft to receive help via email, chat or phone (provided they are part of a subscription service), see below…

There are three options available under the free support plan for U.S. users: e-mail support, which will be answered within one business day; online chat, which has a current waiting time of around 40 minutes; and call, available only for users who have a software-assurance agreement, professional contract, TechNet subscription, or MSDN subscription, or for those who come under the Microsoft Partner Program. 

 You can view the Vista blog here. I made the leap from 2000 to Vista and never used XP.  I was getting to thinking, however, that those who used XP and still have the disks and now have Vista, should perhaps look into setting up their PC as a dual boot.  That way programs that are not Vista friendly can still be used.I wish you all luck!I’m off to figure out how to get the Hibernation mode restored. 

Online Calendar Options

Ok, so you’ve considered hiring a Virtual Assistant, but there’s an item of note that is holding you back.  How can he/she set up appointments and keep my calendar in check for me?

Thankfully there are a few free to low-cost alternatives that can keep you right on track.  Here are a couple that I use depending on my client preference: 

Officezilla -  A free site packed with a bunch of bells & whistles.  Calendar can be exported to CSV. One thing that might be a turn-off to some is the Bible Verse section, but it is not in your face. The good news is that the module can be removed by doing the following:

Go to Admin > Configuration > Modules (A million thanks to George Scott of Officezilla for letting me know about this.)  

Individual user privileges can be determined by the administrator. 

Airset -  Another very good site in which you can have multiple groups neatly tabbed.  Calendar is pretty easy to use, and can export to .ics format.  Also calendar events can be set-up to send email reminders. My clients really like this feature, especially in the event I am not in the office to call and remind them of an appointment. One word of advice, DO NOT use add your mobile phone at sign up and do not add it on your profile lest you get a series of text reminders.  A real hassle if you pay-per-message. Again user privileges are determined by the administrator.

There are many others out there and will be reviewed in the near future. 

Remote Admin Services Press Release Is Out!

Remote Admin Services is proud to have submitted the following press release to the general public.

In a previous article, I  mentioned the need to make yourself known in the local community as well as striving for client relationships beyond the border.  I still hold firm by this belief.  Interestingly, I am now beginning to submit proposals outside the borders of my home state.  It will be an amazing journey to see which will come into solid clients.

Now to get into the habit of doing these releases on a seasonal basis.

Tax Time! (or What’s In The Shoebox?)

Not a topic we like to hear, unless you are an accounting professional.  But tax season is well under way! Have you given thought as to what you might be able to deduct?

I was recommended a very good book called, 422 Tax Deductions For Small Businesses & Self-Employed Individuals by Bernard B. Kamoroff, C.P.A. The 7th Edition is out.  As a rule of thumb, it pays to get a new book every year to make sure the deductions are up to date.  Some book publishers offer a discount if you, for example mail in the cover of a previous edition.  But this varies.  The book is a good reference of topics in alphabetical order that can be looked up quickly, like a dictionary. However, as you will see in the Amazon listing, there are mixed reviews, so to each his own.

As always, for the home office warrior, if you are thinking about taking the home business deduction, or deductions recommended from a book such as the above for example, you should consult a tax professional.

Are you overwhelmed with expenses for deductions and no one to help? Consider Remote Admin Services to help sort out deluge. We will organize those receipts in a manner that your accountant will love you for!