1-800-507-1622Stephanie Watson featured LongerDays.com in a spotlight interview with Chad Lawie on December 9, 2011. One of the nicest things Stephanie had to say was that “[LongerDays] is definitely on the ground floor of doing [virtual assistance] the right way. If anybody out there, doctors, health care providers, or anybody that needs a virtual assistant, I think going to LongerDays is a great place to go…”
You can listen to the interview by clicking here. The quote from above takes place at 25:47.
It’s a powerful piece of software, but how does it stack up against a living, breathing, human virtual assistant? Does Siri mark the beginning of the end of a human based industry? Years from now will we reminisce how thousands of people were employed before advancing technology again made their positions obsolete?
Siri functions on basic Q&A methodology. You ask a question or make a request, and Siri does its best to provide the information you’re after. This can be used for travel directions, trivia questions, sending messages or setting reminders. Essentially, Siri’s integration with iOS makes the application work like a universal voice commander for your iPhone.
While this is all well and good, describing it as such really illustrates the application’s shortcomings.
When compared to an actual assistant, Siri shows its true colors as a quantitative entity, incapable of intuitive thought. Ask Siri where to go for lunch, and it will give you the highest ranked restaurants in the area. It will not, however, tell you that it fills to capacity every day – and that you need a reservation. It definitely won’t be able to recommend a dish that doesn’t have an online review.
It’s a matter of convenience, really. Siri is great for some quick information when you’re on the move and can’t stop to type into the Google search bar, or when you need some hands-free control of your iPhone. To call it a “virtual assistant” is a bit of a misnomer, though. Siri will not create content. Siri will not help you sort out a particularly difficult customer service issue.
Is Siri cool? Definitely. The voice recognition is quite good, and won’t give you too much “I didn’t catch that, please repeat the question” like a lot of other voice command programs. When it’s all said and done though, Siri won’t give you a lick of information you couldn’t easily find yourself, if only you had the moment of free time, or the free hands, to look it up.
For virtual assistance, however, Marvin Gaye put it best: “Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.” … at least for now.
While monitoring our incoming mail filter today, I noticed a task that I thought was a rather good example of how quickly and easily work can be delegated to a virtual assistant.
Using an iPhone, the client simply emailed:
“I am interested in leasing space in this building. We don’t need a lot, just one office. Please find out square footage available and amenities in the building and rent rate.
- Client name
Sent from my iPhone”
Shelley Irwin from the WGVU Morning Show was kind enough to have us on to talk about the growing trend of virtual assistance and how LongerDays.com is helping our local community. Click here to listen to the interview!
More and more, people are choosing less conventional means of staffing such a position. They’re turning to remote workers that can be located anywhere in the world. Work is assigned to members of the team via a variety of means, like email, chat, or phone correspondence. The thing about Virtual Assistance is that it gives anyone and everyone the ability to seek out the help they need, without the headache of having to sit down and interview a number of individuals. When they find the perfect candidate, they will have to worry about employment taxes, insurance, or benefits. The idea of bringing a new person on board, after all, isn’t to create more work for yourself; it’s to cut down your own workload, saving both time and money.
So, the advantage to hiring a Virtual Assistant, as opposed to a physical employee, is pretty clear. But what can people really do with a Virtual Assistant?
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• At festivals/agricultural ceremonies (used as part of a dance)
• Warding off evil spirits (from a home, person, or new crops)
• Funeral ceremonies (soul capturing)
• Intimidation of enemies
• Frightening animals
Generally speaking the masks would be used for any spiritual event, or simply for decoration or amusement. Since there are many different tribes within a relatively small region, the exact details that distinguish one type of mask from another are not precisely defined. The same is true for determining who would have worn a specific mask. The following guidelines can be used to loosely identify a mask’s intended purpose.
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NatureStat is a natural supplement for cancer patients. In addition to designing their logo and packaging, we also designed their e-commerce website and assisted with product research.
The Canada Revenue Agency allows any reasonable business expense; that is, the item has to be appropriate to your business and used in an attempt to make money.
General Travel:
You can deduct travel expenses you incur to earn business and professional income. Travel expenses include:
