The History of Virtual Assistants

The virtual assistant industry has grown significantly over the past few years thanks in part to the rapid development of technology and the trend of businesses beginning to outsource administration and other tasks.

The history of virtual assistants

Many people recognise Christine Durst (Author of the 2 Second Commute) as the founder of the Virtual Assistant industry back in 1995. Christine believed the internet was her opportunity to start a global business from her home and began to take on administration and other tasks from businesses which she completed from her home.  In 1999 she joined forces with Michael Haaren to found Staffcentrix and the International Virtual Assistants Association which has a membership of more than 600 people spanning 16 countries.

In Australia, the Australian Virtual Assistants Association was founded in 1996 as a non profit organisation dedicated to the development and education of it’s members, along with educating the public on how virtual assistants here in Australia can assist their business.

The demand for professional virtual assistants is on the rise thanks to an increasing number of business owners realising the benefits hiring a virtual assistant will have for their business.  Working with a virtual assistant allows businesses to focus less on everyday administrative tasks and instead focus on what’s most important – growing their business.  Just some of the advantages for business owners by hiring a virtual assistant include:

• Regaining valuable to time to grow your business and focus on what you love.
• No long term contracts
• Access to a pool of experts in the area you are looking for
• The option to scale up or down, depending on your workflow.
• No expensive insurance, superannuation and payroll costs for your business.

If you would like to learn more on how working with a virtual assistant can help your business to grow, contact us today!