“How can you support my business virtually?”

During a discovery call this week a new client asked this question, “How can you support my business virtually?” This was followed by “How can I keep my personal files private, but share my business documents?”. These questions prompted thoughts about digital inclusion and how important it is help people who do not currently have skills or confidence with technology.

The questions raised on my latest discovery call could provide topics for several blog posts; What can you do to help me? What services do you provide? What systems do you use? How do we communicate? How do you track time? How do you access my documents? How do I get started? If you have questions, get in touch, or comment below, and I will shed some light on the subject.

Confused.com?

Those of us who work within the digital field, or anyone who uses computer systems daily, may forget how daunting learning new technology can be.

Digital inclusion is important

In the modern world we live in, being able to use a computer and access the internet is so important, especially as Covid-19 means that many more aspects of our lives are now online. Putting work aside, there are many reasons to get connected, from essential medical appointments now carried out via video calls, to social connections and maintaining contact with family or friends.

Technology moves on at lightning speed and sometimes it is hard to keep up.  This is why I have decided to sign up to Devon Communities Together call for people to volunteer to become digital befrienders.  A project which transforms lives by providing the skills, and increasing confidence, to help people become digitally independent and enjoy the digital world. But that is a topic for another day!

Virtual Office

To answer the latest question “How can you support my business virtually” the answer is with the use of fantastic technology.

Digital storage

I personally choose to use One Drive Microsoft Office cloud storage, (Office 365), although there are other options such as Google Drive (and G-Suite) and Dropbox.

Think of this as a hard drive in the cloud, a virtual filling cabinet providing storage for files which you can share, choosing security settings such:

– Anyone with the link

– People within your business

– Specific people

Further security measures give the option to set a password on the file share, an expiration date for the access given, and whether the recipient can edit the file or just view.

Video

Meetings can be undertaken with video conferencing, platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams are my favourites. Often when a client is unavailable for a meeting, I use Loom to record my computer screen and send videos showing useful details, ideal for virtual training sessions.

Emails

Allowing delegate access to inboxes is a vital tool for virtual assistants, this is where you grant access to your email account, your VA can then read, send and delete messages for you.  

Online tools

The list of software, tools, apps and resources used by virtual assistants is endless, I keep on top of the latest techie stuff so you don’t have too. 

Need help?

If you are reading this at least you know what the internet is, (who couldn’t these days!). Even daily users of the web can struggle with new technology, if all this talk of cloud-based storage and apps has you confused, don’t worry I can help – Ask Admin provides digital training sessions, get in touch for a free discovery call with no obligation to book further services.