1 - What is a virtual assistant (VA)?

Consider a VA as an online administrative assistant who is responsible for a variety of administrative and clerical duties necessary to run your organization efficiently - conduct research, manage projects, take telephone calls, handle appointments, plan events, schedule meetings and appointments, organize and maintain files, handle travel arrangements, transcribe dictations, disseminate information, etc.

We've been in business since 2004 and our VAs have done things as diverse as researching jet ski resorts in Thailand, to transcribing handwritten notes, and finding out movie listings for the latest Hollywood hit in their area. The bottom line is, if you can email, call it in or if it's something we can research online for you, a Virtual Assistant is the perfect solution to free up your precious time so that you can go back doing the things you love doing.

2 - How do I get started?

Simply click on the link "Hire your virtual assistant" to sign up. It is located on the upper right hand side of the web. Fill up all the necessary information. Enter the number of hours you would like to purchase (minimum purchase of 5 hours). The plan specific to the hours bought will automatically be assigned in accordance to the hours purchased at any time. Confirm Terms and Conditions, and make your payment. Once payment is accepted, you will be able to start sending us your projects.

3 - How do I pay?

Pay through our payment gateways provided by PayPal (you pay with your credit card, bank account, or PayPal balance) or Authorize.Net (you pay with your credit card).

4 - How do I know that my credit card information is secure?

OnAssist NEVER sees your actual credit card information. We use both PayPal and Authorize.Net - secure, reliable and discrete payment gateways that process your transactions on your behalf via a secure and encrypted connection from our website.

5 - How can I be sure that the data or documents I send you will not be used or shared by others? Where is your non-confidentiality agreement contract?

Your privacy is of utmost importance to us. We ask for your email address, phone and name for the sole purpose of facilitating delivery.

Where is your non-confidentiality agreement contract?

A Basic Non-Disclosure Agreement is found under the Terms of Contract. Acceptance of the Terms of Contract will make this Non-Disclosure Agreement binding, however, if you wish to receive a signed copy, please let us know by email at info@onassist.com.

6 - When will my account be activated and when will I be able to start sending work?

In most cases your account will be activated within an hour of signing up, and you can then start sending your work to us.

7- How do I assign tasks?

You may assign your tasks in either way convenient to you, (i) by email, online chat or phone through the virtual assistant on duty who will be on stand-by to take down your request, or (ii) through the account that you created online, where you will find a 'Assign a Task' in the left side bar. Once a VA is assigned to your task, you may now relax that the work delegated to us is in good hands. We may occasionally call or email you/your authorized representative to further clarify your instructions.

8 - Will a VA be available at any time of the day to do my tasks?

Yes. Once a task is received, a VA will be immediately assigned. Since we are staffed on a 24/7 basis to meet the requirements of our clients, the VA assigned to your last completed task may not be the same VA assigned to your next one. A Project Manager delegates the incoming tasks and distributes these among the team to ensure all deadlines are met.

9 - How do I communicate with you? Will I be able to communicate with my VA?

Your choice-either by e-mail, phone, fax, instant messaging, or access to each other's computers through remote desktop control such as logmein.com. And yes, you will be able to communicate with your current VA for task related activities.

For all your other concerns, you can email the Project Manager at info@onassist.com or call at Telephone: 1 (206) 493-2603

10 - Will there be just one person helping me?

In case 1 VA is not enough, we will arrange a back up assistant on stand-by, ready to help with your tasks.

11 - Will my deadlines be met?

Definitely. When a task is assigned, the VA will always ask when the task is due so that a back up VA may be assigned, in case there is a need for such.

12 - How do I track my hours?

Tracking your hours is simple after creating an account, because you can log on and track your usage of hours on a daily basis. In your account you can view your balance see what your hours were used for and purchase additional hours. If you don't have time to maintain an account, we can maintain one for you. We can even email you daily updates of tasks and usage of hours. Please remember that the minimum usage per week is five hours, for those on a basic plan.

13 - Will I be charged extra if I require a dedicated phone line in order for my incoming calls to be forwarded to my VA?

The dedicated phone line can be purchased depending on availability. You will be charged a minimum $12.50/week, for a minimum period of 1 week. Dedicated phone lines are allowed for clients who purchase a minimum number of 5 VA hours a day for 5 days (Monday to Friday), or a total of 25 hours per week.

14 - Can your VA come to my office and perform work for me?

No. This is the reason why they are called 'virtual' assistants - they work from a remote station. Some clients of ours who have multiple businesses actually do both. They hire a Personal Assistant for the things that need to be handled in person, and they purchase hours from us to handle other tasks that don't justify taking on extra staff. We work with you and your authorized representative (like your secretary, for example) to make sure the completion of items is done in a smooth and timely manner.

15 - Where are you based and where are your VA's from?

We are based in Seattle, and our VAs come from the US and other parts of the English-speaking world.

16 - How many VAs do you have?

We have a large number of VAs in our pool to service the requirements of our clients.

17 - How come your rates are so cheap?

All our VAs are home-based, so we are able to cut down on unnecessary overhead costs - no premiums for insurance and social security, no bonuses, no payroll taxes to worry about, no overtime premiums. These savings are then passed down to our clients.

We comply with all existing labor and tax laws and employment requirements in the countries we operate in.

Statement of Privacy

Your privacy is of utmost importance to us, because we are here for the long-term business relationships.

We ask for your email address, phone and name for the sole purpose of facilitating delivery.

As to payments and credit card information, you pay through the payment gateways provided by PayPal (you pay with your credit card, bank account, or PayPal balance) or Authorize.Net (you pay with your credit card).

Both PayPal and Authorize.Net are secure, reliable and discreet.

With PayPal, we do not have access to your credit card information nor keep any record of such. Your credit card information will go directly to PayPal, without ever exposing your credit card number to us.

With Authorize.Net, we submit a credit card transaction to the Authorize.Net Payment gateway on behalf of a customer via secure connection from our website.

A Basic Non-Disclosure Agreement is found in the Terms of Contract. Acceptance of the Terms of Contract will make the Non-Disclosure Agreement binding, however, if you wish to receive a signed copy, please let us know by email at info@onassist.com.