Remote Clerk

[billbenson]

As many of you know I have an online business. There is myself and my partner. We are both really sales people. I wrote the original web site on oscommerce years ago. It worked and I built up a thriving business. About 80% of sales are closed on the phone. I think that can be radically improved by a better website. A member of this board has written a good website for me, but with thousands of products and other complications, its not an easy task. I am completely satisfied with the work that has been done so far to be perfectly clear. There is just so much to do.

Much of our time is spent doing clerical work. Order entry, following up on late payments, double checking orders for errors, deleting obsolete items from the database etc.

My partner and I live about 1 hour apart. We like working out of our homes. A clerk would, however, make us far more efficient. It must be possible to hire a romote clerk or contract a person with the skills described above.

Like many of our businesses, the work load goes up and down. We can have slow days and weeks. We can also get 10 emergency orders in a row that need to be entered.

I could also find quite a bit of idle time use for a person updating spreadsheets and other tasks.

Does anybody have any input on finding and using a remote clerk in our situation?

[Harold Mansfield]

Bill your business has always been a mystery, in that you've never said exactly what industry you are in. Your like Chandler from the TV show Friends...I just imagine your some kind of transponster.

There are definitely virtual assistants, clerks, secretaries, paralegals, of all sorts out there. You may want to start by looking for people in or from your industry that can hit the ground running with minimal training.

Or, if you're using a specific software like Excel for spreadsheets that's another way to narrow it down to the people with the skills that you need.

Just spit balling here.

[billbenson]

There are definitely virtual assistants, clerks, secretaries, paralegals, of all sorts out there. You may want to start by looking for people in or from your industry that can hit the ground running with minimal training.

Finding a clerk that knows my industry would be like finding one that knows specialized circuit design. Plus its not necessary for data entry, followup on late payments, looking for errors in orders, etc.

The question is what is the best way to find a remote person like this and managing them?

[Freelancier]

Google "virtual assistant". There are a lot of moms who spend part of their days doing virtual secretarial type work from home who could be your assistant during certain hours to do things like data entry and bookkeeping. Basically, you're looking for a part-time at-home outsourced secretary.

[tallen]

Just curious, why does the clerk have to be "remote?" I gather that you don't have a facility where they would come in to work, so it would probably be a work-from-home situation, but couldn't it be someone relatively local? Would there be any advantage to being able to physically meet the person, train them, oversee their work?

[billbenson]

Just curious, why does the clerk have to be "remote?" I gather that you don't have a facility where they would come in to work, so it would probably be a work-from-home situation, but couldn't it be someone relatively local? Would there be any advantage to being able to physically meet the person, train them, oversee their work?

Yes, I'm sure training and control would be easier. It still begs the question what's the best way to find one? Maybe a Craigs List ad?

[KristineS]

Maybe a temp agency in your area? That way you could try someone out, see if they're a good fit with you and you're a good fit with them before you hire them permanently. I did temp work when I was younger, and it was a great way to try a company out and for a company to get to know me. I know staffing agencies like Manpower and Kelly still exist, and there may be other local options as well.

[Harold Mansfield]

Yes, I'm sure training and control would be easier. It still begs the question what's the best way to find one? Maybe a Craigs List ad?

No. Not Craig's list. Plenty of online job sites out there to list a position Monster, Simply Hired, Indeed, Career Builder and there are MANY virtual assistants out there.
Plenty of people on Linked In looking for work.

I can't layout how to find exactly what you're looking for, but I'm positive that you can find a field of available people online. It's just going to require some looking around and narrowing down what you're looking for to specifics and weed out what you don't want.

I'd start by going to where the people are who are looking for work. Online Job sites and Linked In.

[Blessed]

You're looking for a Virtual Assistant - so Google that for a start. Zirtual seems to know what they are doing in the whole pairing virtual assistants with businesses department. I've looked into applying with them, but haven't ever done it.