Out of the Office Virtual Assistance believes in accountability, transparency and honesty.
As your partner in business, we hold a tremendous amount of sensitive information. It is imperative that we are ethical, accountable and transparent with everything that we do.
Rates and Billing
Out of the Office Virtual Assistance (“OOFVA”) offers a variety of services to match your needs, whether on a contractual per-project basis, on a semi-monthly or monthly invoicing basis, or on retainer.
Contractual Per-Project Assignments
- Since communication of duties is essential, all clients will be required to review and complete: a) New Client Questionnaire (if one is not on file); and b) Statement of Work (“SOW”). We will not begin working on your project until these integral forms are completed and returned to us.
- At the bare minimum, a SOW will include project details and deadlines. It may also include milestones to ensure that you, the client are satisfied with the project progression.
- Rush requests are those outside the normal realm of tasks which require completion within 12 hours. These may result in a 25% rush charge at the discretion of Out of the Office Virtual Assistance. You will be notified via email of a rush charge and will need to acknowledge and accept, prior to any rush work being started.
- Upon receipt of final deliverables, it is the client’s responsibility to proofread and review all materials sent to the client, including websites. We will be glad to adjust and make minor modifications (less than 1 hour) to our work. However, should there be major modifications made outside the scope of the SOW upon completion and delivery of final deliverables, a new amended SOW will be need to be executed before any changes on work are started.
Semi-Monthly, Monthly Invoicing and Retainer Services
- Office Virtual Assistance (“OOFVA”) offers invoicing options of monthly and semi-monthly. Invoices are sent out on the 1st and 15th of each month and due on the 14th and last day of the month, respectively.
- Unlike many VA’s, we charge in minute increments so you don’t pay more than you need to. You will be provided with a report detailing the time spent, regardless of which invoicing method you choose. Your rate includes the time spent communicating via phone, email, Skype, instant messenger, etc., in addition to actual work time. So if you schedule us for a 1 hour conference call, we will charge you for that time.
- Clients who opt to purchase a services on retainer, will be charged monthly in advance. If you find that you have any unused time, it will be carried forward for one month. If you find that you need additional hours, the full hourly rate will apply, as retainer hours are discounted.
- Payments not received by the due date will result in work cessation. OOFVA reserves the right to refuse completion or delivery of work until past due balances are paid. Monthly late charges of $10.00 or 1.75% (APR of 21%), whichever is greater, will be assessed on unpaid balances every 30 (thirty) days after due date.
- If you are located in the State of Vermont, we are obligated to charge you sales tax.
- Credit card payments are accepted through Google checkout and PayPal, our online payment vendors and we do accept personal and business checks. There is a $50 NSF fee for each returned check.
Time Tracking
Out of the Office Virtual Assistance uses TimerSync for time tracking which seamlessly integrates with Freshbooks, our accounting partner. You will be provided with a report with each invoice showing how your time used was allocated.
Rush Requests
Rush requests are those outside the normal realm of tasks which require completion within 12 hours. These may result in a 25% rush charge at the discretion of Out of the Office Virtual Assistance. You will be notified via email of a rush charge and will need to acknowledge and accept, prior to any rush work being started.
Retainer Pricing
Out of the Office Virtual Assistance offers the following retainer packages with a 3 month commitment:
- A 3+ month commitment for 5 hours a month: $45.00/hour
- A 3+ month commitment for 10 hours a month: $42.50/hour
- A 3+ month commitment for 15 hours a month: $40.00/hour
- A 3+ month commitment for 20 hours a month: $37.50/hour
Standard Rate
Out of the Office Virtual Assistance charges a standard rate of $50.00 per hour billed in 5-minute increments.
Retainer vs. Standard Rate
What is the difference between a retainer and ad hoc invoicing? Retainer clients pay in advance for a block of hours for a month and receive a discount for committing to a block of time. Whereas, standard rate clients pay for any work previously completed within a specified time frame.
Invoicing
Retainer client invoices are sent on the 1st of the month and due by the end of the month.
Standard rate client invoices are sent out on the 1st & 15th of each month and due by the 14th and last day of the month respectively. Payments not received by the due date will result in work cessation.
Payment Options
Cash, personal or business checks are accepted for payment, after the completion of one business cycle. Credit card payments are always accepted through Google Wallet and PayPal, our online payment vendors.
There is a $50 NSF fee for each returned check.
Late Payments
Out of the Office Virtual Assistance reserves the right to refuse completion or delivery of work until past due balances are paid. Monthly late charges of $10.00 or 1.75% (APR of 21%), whichever is greater, will be assessed on unpaid balances every 30 (thirty) days after due date.
Privacy Policy
Out of the Office Virtual Assistance respects and protects your privacy at all times. Our clients expect the utmost protection and confidentiality in all practices and procedures used in the normal course of doing business and we adhere to this practice of confidentiality.
What This Policy Covers
This Privacy Policy covers how Out of the Office Virtual Assistance handles personal information that we collect and receive. Personal information is information that is personally identifiable such as your name, address, phone number, email address, and any additional information that is not otherwise available publicly.
Information That We Collect
Out of the Office Virtual Assistance collects personal information when you register on our site, including any and all form sumbissions, information provided over the phone, or retaining our services via electronic payment methods, including PayPal.
How We Use Personal Information
Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways:
- To personalize your experience
- To provide better services, products and opportunities to you
- To timely notify you about services, products and opportunities that may be of interest to you
- To process customer transactions
- To create reports about customers regarding web pages accessed, traffic patterns, site usage and for some marketing purposes
- To send periodic e-mails for order processing, updates pertaining status of your order or company news and related service information.
No one likes SPAM!
Your information, whether public or private, will not be sold, exchanged, transferred, or given to any other company for any reason whatsoever, without your consent, other than for the express purpose of delivering the service requested by the customer.
Disclosure Of Information
Out of the Office Virtual Assistance will never sell, rent, share or disclose to third parties any personal information obtained from the registration for or use of any Out of the Office Virtual Assistance online services without prior consent of the client with the following exemptions:
- To provide information or services that you requested.
- As mandated by search warrant, subpoena or other legal requirements.
- In the event of imminent physical harm to clients or others.
Changes To This Privacy Policy
Out of the Office Virtual Assistance may update this policy from time to time. We will notify when there significant changes in the way we manage personal information by sending a notice to the email address provided by you when you contract with Out of the Office Virtual Assistance, or phone conversation, or by placing a prominent notice on our website.
Green & Eco Policies
Committed to earth-friendly practices, Out of the Office Virtual Assistance adheres to the following eco-friendly business practices:
- Our website is hosted by GreenGeeks, who returns 3x the amount of energy they use to back into the grid via wind power. If you would like a more detailed explanation of how green GreenGeeks is, you can visit their ‘How is GreenGeeks Green?’ page.
- We run a paperless office.
- We use LED lighting in our small office.
- All equipment is turned off at the end of the workday. We don’t hibernate, suspend or sleep any equipment .. it is powered down.
- We utilize 2 power surge protectors in the office. They are unplugged from the wall at the end of the day. We realize that it takes a few minutes to plug in and boot up, but that’s a good time for a daily catch up or a cup of tea.
Copyright: Image by StockUnlimited
- Bundle Up! Our office is in a building that was built in 1847. The windows were replaced with Marvin energy efficient windows, keep the heat at 60° in the winter and open the doors in the summer. When it’s too hot inside, we pick up the laptops and move outside.
- Reduce. We limit our purchasing habits to include only those items or subscriptions that are essential. We no longer purchase any promotional items, with the rare exception of business cards.
- Reuse. Items in our office are reusable to the point where they are ready for the recycling bin, head to the e-recycle program, or are posted on Freecycle. We purchase no office items that are: plastic, disposable, go against our earth-friendly practices, or are from places that go against our green policies.
- Recycle. We recycle everything that we can. If we cannot, we don’t acquire it for the office.
If you are interested in our practice of going and staying paperless, or ways to green up your office, contact us. We can help 🙂