Page 242 - Social Media Marketing

Scaling Your Business with Virtual Assistants 231

• Fax line: With the ease of sending a fax online from your com-
puter via e-mail to your assistant with the click of a button,
you no longer need the mess and fuss of paper fax machines.

• Internet telephone: Emerging VoIP technology has allowed
salespeople to provide their VAs with a virtual phone number
where they can reach the salesperson at any time, no matter
where he or she may be. This is great if your VAs are doing a lot
of local calling and need to contact you at a moment's notice
if an issue suddenly arises that requires your immediate atten-
tion. You can find any number of Internet telephone providers,
including Skype, Vonage, Packet 8, Sun Rocket, AT&T, Com-
cast, and WideOpenWest.

• Webcams: Webcams enable you to have face-to-face telecon-
ferences with your VA for a more personal touch.

• Instant messaging: Instant messaging (1M) allows you to
chat with your VA in real time-either by typing mes-
sages or via voice or videoconferencing. The most popular
instant-messaging program is AIM (America Online's Instant
Messaging), which you can learn more about at www.aim.com.
You can find out more about Yahoo! Messenger at messen-
ger.yahoo.com. A host of these 1M programs are available,
including Adium, Jabber, Ebuddy, Gtalk, Trillian, MSN
Messenger, Skype, and ICQ.

• Net meetings: You can set up a virtual office and hold a
meeting on the Internet. You can even share your com-
puter screen and applications with your VA for collabora-
tive activities. Several Net meeting products are currently
available, including WebEx (www.webex.com). GoToMeet-
ing (www.gotomeeting.com). Web Conference, Vox Wire, and
Global Conference Center.

• Whiteboarding: Whiteboard programs allow you to hold
a Net meeting and communicate via a shared whiteboard
that appears on your screen and the screens of anyone
else involved in the meeting. Whiteboarding is perfect for