I read a blog post the other day discussing the merits of franchising a virtual assistance company. The blogger was vehemently on the side of not franchising, arguing that a client receives more personalized service in a solo practice. I, though biased as a virtual assistance franchise owner, disagree.

In any service industry, client relations are vital to success. A client expects and should receive consistent, high quality service. Traditionally this has been provided by a virtual assistant who does all of the work herself, only takes on the type of work she specializes in and the number of clients she herself can handle. The problem with this model is that if a client needs a variety of services (i.e. administrative support and bookkeeping) she is forced to hire more than one company to complete the work. By franchising and using a team approach, a full menu of services is offered and the client only has one point of contact.

Using a team approach can have its challenges. Consistent service is best provided when one person routinely performs a task for a specific client. In cases where the client is receiving such administrative services as calendar keeping, the client and virtual assistant may need to have a relationship outside of that of the client-franchise owner relationship. The franchise owner must manage the workload of each team member and client expectations to ensure that the client receives seamless service.

A client with multiple needs will have to manage several separate relationships if she uses a solo practice virtual assistant. By using a franchise with a team, the client only has to manage one relationship. The franchise has a greater depth of resources since it can also rely on the other franchise teams if needed.

I have great respect for virtual assistants who have solo practices. However, I think there is room for other models as long as everyone keeps in mind that the most important goals are providing high quality service and meeting the needs of the individual client.

Social media marketing has become an important element in a businesses marketing strategy but getting established on all of the sites can seem overwhelming. I know for me, giving Cybertary a presence on all of the various social media sites has at times seemed endless. There are so many good sites and so many reasons to be on them. Cybertary is on Facebook, I am on Linked In, Cybertary has a blog and a presence on other sites, but there is still more. I need to tweet three times a day, search out niche sites, keep the blog updated; put out status updates….it is a job all by itself!
What I am finding works for me is to set aside 30 minutes per day to post status updates, read and respond to group discussions, and catch up on the news on Facebook. I will admit I haven’t started tweeting much but as I get organized on some of the other sites the tweeting will come. I take advantage of sites such as Ping.fm to automate where I can. What can stop me is figuring out what to write. Does anyone really care what is going on in my day? I know I am knowledgeable in my field but can that translate into 140 character messages? From talking with other small business owners this is an issue we all share. How do I contribute to the social media world without coming across as just trying to sell my services? I think the answer is balance. Mix it up a bit – talk about the fun project you are working on or the entertaining networking lunch but blend it in with tips on how to work virtually. What I am finding is as I stop judging what I write, the text comes more easily. Social media can be a wonderful business tool and a lot of fun so take a breath, put fingers on the keyboard and start typing.