Tweaky

Posted by Mica Harvey / Technical Assistants

NOTE: This review relates to the new Tweaky.io, a similar service but unrelated to the old Tweaky, which generated negative feedback on this site and elsewhere, ultimately changed to Elto.com, and subsequently shut down. The new Tweaky is under totally new ownership, so if you see any reviews dated prior to October 2018, please disregard those.

Tweaky.io is a website support company offering “Tweaks” for website owners across the globe at affordable fixed prices.

The company is based in Oakland, California, with their teams of developers split across the US and India.

About Tweaky

Tweaky ReviewThe two co-owners that took over Tweaky in October 2018 are Aneesh Seth and Devon Meadows. They both have a wide variety of experience in development, marketing, design, and online business.

Experiencing the pain point of needing to find skilled developers to help tweak and fix issues with their own sites, Aneesh and Devon saw an opportunity to buy Tweaky and grow the business to help other site owners.

They set out to provide a fixed price, quick, on-demand service, so you know exactly how much you’re paying up-front. Their developers can start working on your site right away communicating with you via web chat.

Their target customers are e-commerce site owners, SAAS businesses, and entrepreneurs.

Devon said it’s a passion of his to help small business owners and side hustlers with their technical issues, so they can focus on the more important aspects of their business.

How Tweaky Works

There are 4 simple steps from making contact with Tweaky to having a developer working on your site as follows:

  1. Fill out some details about the tweak you need to be done to your site via their web chat.
  2. A member of their team will review what you’ve written and give you a quote for the work. There are set prices for tweaks that take up to 30 minutes, or between 30-60 minutes as you’ll see in the pricing section below.
  3. If you’re happy with the quote you can pay right away and they’ll get started as soon as they have someone available.
  4. The developer working on your site will keep you updated in the web chat and let you know when they’ve finished.

Services

Tweaky support all the large web platforms, such as WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, WooCommerce, Leadpages, and more.

Their developers can make just about any tweak, change, or fix to your website. If you have an issue or something on your site you want to be changed, request a quote to see if they can help.

To give you an idea, some common website “tweaks” include:

  • Speed optimization
  • Mobile responsiveness
  • Updating your mixpanel and Mail Chimp
  • CSS changes
  • Redesigning the layout
  • Resolving error messages
  • Installing/updating plugins

Plans and Pricing

Tweaky offer three different pricing options.

  • Mini Tweak – $45 – This is for quick designs or development tasks that are estimated to take up to 30 minutes.
  • Regular Tweak – $75 – This is for a single task or a group of related tasks that are estimated to take up to 60 minutes.
  • Custom Tweak – Custom – For extensive tweaks that will take more than 60 minutes a member of their team will provide you with a custom quote.

tweaky pricing

After detailing the tweak you want for your site you’ll fit into one of the three pricing options above. There are no contracts or extra costs from that point, you agree to the fixed price and wait for the work to be completed.

Tweaky Alternatives

For one-off website fixes, you could try WP Fix It or Fiverr for affordable options, but you’ll have to do the legwork yourself finding someone with the right skill set–and there’s the added risk of handing over a login to your site.

If you run a WordPress site, you could check out Zen WP. They have a good deal of positive feedback from customers and specialize in fixing and tweaking WordPress sites.

Your Turn

Have you worked with Tweaky? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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REVAS

Posted by Mica Harvey / Virtual Assistant Companies

REVAS is a US-based virtual assistant company specializing in providing VAs to clients in the real estate industry.

The company has been operating since 2013. Their headquarters is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and they supply both US-based and overseas virtual assistants.

About REVAS

Revas ReviewThe company is headed up by founder, Marshall Hatfield. He named the company REVAS, as an acronym for Real Estate Virtual Assistant Services.

Once you know this, it’s self-explanatory what their services are. REVAS supply virtual assistants to professionals and businesses in the real estate industry.

They say their goal is “to make it easy and profitable for you to automate and outsource your real estate business.”

So, if you find yourself getting tied up in the day-to-day running of your business and not having enough time to focus on the more important aspects of your business, you could benefit from their services.

How REVAS Works

The first step for all new clients is to schedule an Opportunity Analysis Consultation.

This is a 50-minute one-on-one meeting with one of their intake managers to get a detailed understanding of your business.

If you’re happy to move forward after your call, REVAS will give you some direction on the most important tasks to tackle.

You are then required to send detailed SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for all the tasks you want their assistants to handle. Once approved, these SOPs will be passed on to their assistants and they will start working for you.

REVAS says it usually takes the first 2-20 work hours for an assistant to become fully immersed in a client’s business. Once they are, they put a lot of focus on automating as many of your tasks as possible.

They prefer a hands-off approach for their clients. Some REVAS clients never speak to their VAs directly. Instead, they send SOPs to their REVAS managers, and they handle the communication with the VA.

REVAS Services

REVAS have virtual assistants trained and experienced in the real estate industry.

There’s no job related to real estate that they can’t help with. It’s just a matter of providing SOPs that are easy to follow.

To give you an idea of the kinds of tasks they commonly handle, REVAS group most of their services into the following categories:

  • Virtual Assistants – Administrative support, relationship management, marketing, lead generation, receptionist duties, and more.
  • Consulting Services – Consulting services to help you outsource more efficiently, streamline your processes, reduce waste, market your business, utilize more technology, and more.
  • Process Development – Help with your SOPs, process optimization, telemarketing scriptwriting, software optimization, and more.

Plans and Pricing

REVAS has separate pricing plans for their Real Estate Assistants, Real Estate Consulting Services, and Real Estate Process development teams.

When hiring their virtual assistants, you can opt for US-based or overseas assistants. The difference is that overseas VAs are about half the cost, so it’s something to consider carefully as it has a large impact on the price.

Here’s how their pricing structures are laid out:

Real Estate Virtual Assistants

  • 20 hours – US assistants $480 per month / overseas $240
  • 40 hours – US assistants $800 per month / overseas $400
  • 60 hours – US assistants $1,155 per month / overseas $555
  • 80 hours – US assistants $1,500 per month / overseas $680
  • 120 hours – US assistants $2,190 per month / overseas $900
  • 160 hours – US assistants $2,880 per month / overseas $1,100

REVAS Real Estate Virtual Assistant Monthly Pricing

Real Estate Consulting Services 

  • 1 Consulting Session – $499 for a 90-minutes
  • 2 Consulting Session – $799 for a 180-minutes
  • 4 Consulting Session – $1,299 for a 360-minutes
  • On-Site Consulting – $5,000 to have REVAS CEO’s undivided attention all day

Revas Real Estate Consulting Service Pricing Packages

Real Estate Process Development 

  • Single Process Developed – $299
  • 2 Processes Developed – $549
  • 4 Processes Developed – $999
  • 10 Processes Developed – $1,999

Revas Real Estate Process Development Pricing Packages

REVAS Alternatives

Most of the large US-based virtual assistant companies offer VAs with experience working in real estate. I recommend checking out BELAY and Time ETC, as these are two of the larger, well-established VA companies.

Overseas, a couple options to consider are My OutDesk, which has a huge real estate outsourcing operation in the Philippines, and Uassist.ME, which is more of a boutique firm based in El Salvador.

Your Turn

Have you worked with REVAS? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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FreeLogoServices

Posted by Mica Harvey / Graphic and Web Design Services

FreeLogoServices is an online logo design software that enables you to design a logo from scratch with just a few clicks. You can design as many logos as you want for free, and only pay once you settle on a design you want.

The company has been operating since 2011, and they’re headquarters are located in Boston, Massachusetts.

Alternatively, check out these free logo design tools.

About FreeLogoServices

freelogoservices reviewThe company is headed up by CEO, Craig Bloem.

Their core service is straightforward. FreeLogoServices provides logo design software to help users generate logos at a more affordable price point than working with a designer.

The name is a little misleading. Their logo service is free to use, but you have to pay if you want to download your designs in EPS and GIF formats to use for yourself.

For me, the real selling point of a logo designing service like this is the freedom it gives you to practice as much as you like before settling on a designing.

How FreeLogoServices Works

It literally does take just a couple of minutes to produce dozens of logos. Here are the basic steps their design tool takes you through:

  1. Choose the industry you’re in from a drop-down menu. Then add your company name and any other branding or tagline wording.
  2. Select up to 3 out of 4 logo styles: Initial, Icon, Badge, and Text.
  3. Choose up to 3 out of 4 font styles: Sans Serif, Serif, Script, and Display.
  4. Choose up to 3 out of 4 logo layouts: Icon Above, Curved Text, Icon Left, and Icon Right
  5. Browse your logo designs and choose the one you want.

Design-wise, the logos their editor produces are of decent quality. It’s easy to see how the service works. Based on the fonts, positioning, keywords and other information you provide, their AI generates all the logo options from their database.

Based on the information I gave, the AI generated hundreds of logos to browse. Admittedly, only the first dozen or so logos were really relevant and worth considering.

You can opt to make changes to your logo in their editor if you wish. Or, you can contact them to work one-on-one with one of their graphic designers.

Services

FreeLogoServices lead product is their logo making kit. Once you’ve designed your logo, they offer some upsells in the form of other products that they’ll add your new logo to.

These are categorized into the following three services:

  • Range of Merchandise – They’ll put your logo on a wide range of merchandise that you can use to promote your business. Such as stationery, shirts, banners, signs, stickers, and so on.
  • Business Cards – You can add your name, address and any other contact information and print off some business cards to show off your new company logo at in-person events.
  • Website Builder – If you don’t yet have a company website, FreeLogoServices a website builder and hosting package.

Plans and Pricing

It’s free to create as many logos as you like, so you can practice until you see the perfect design.

I can see that’s why the business is called FreeLogoServices. You will need to pay up to download the files and use your logos, however.

FreeLogoServices has two pricing packages:

  • DIY logo package – $39.95.
  • Work with a logo designer – Starts at $99.

DIY Logo Package

Basically, it’s $39.95 to use their logo generator and download the source files when you’re happy with a design.

freelogoservices pricing diy

If you can’t get your logo to look exactly how you want it to, you can work with one of their designers to make custom tweaks.

Professional Designer Logo Packages

If you want to work with a real-life designer for your logo, you can opt for one of FreeLogoServices’ dedicated designer options.

These plans range from $99 to $645 (pricing of course subject to change), depending on how many designers you want to see concepts from.

freelogoservices pricing

It’s worth noting that for the “most popular” $395 package, you could probably get far more logo concepts from a crowdsourcing design service like 99designs.

FreeLogoServices Alternatives

Looka offers a very similar service and is just as quick to use. It’s worth putting the same information into their tool and seeing how their designs compare.

For another affordable logo design alternative, I recommend checking out Fiverr to find a graphic designer to work with.

Or, you could try a crowdsourcing marketplace like 99Designs where several designers come up with logos for you to choose from.

Fiverr Penji 99designs Design Pickle Looka
Customer Rating
Established 2010 2016 2008 2015 2016
Minimum Cost $5 $399 per month $299 $399 per month $20
Type of Service A la carte design Unlimited Graphic Design Crowdsourced design Unlimited design AI logo design
Best for Fast, cheap designs On-going design needs Higher profile work Ongoing design needs Affordable DIY
Notes 15-day money back guarantee. 100% money-back guarantee 14-day money back trial; 30% off first month w/ code VA30 Don't pay until you love your logo
Learn more Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More

Your Turn

Have you worked with FreeLogoServices? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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AnswerFirst

Posted by Mica Harvey / Virtual Receptionist Services

AnswerFirst is a telecommunications company based in Tampa, FL. They offer a range of virtual receptionist services and provide phone cover to businesses of all sizes across the country.

The company started operations in 1998. All of their call agents are based in their offices, and their services are available 24/7, 365 days a year.

About AnswerFirst

AnswerFirst ReviewThe company is headed up by current President and CEO, Matt Herron.

AnswerFirst is an inbound call center, specializing in providing virtual receptionists and call answering services on a pay-per-minute model.

If you’re struggling to keep on top of your calls, or it’s simply taking up too much of your time, a virtual receptionist might be the solution.

How AnswerFirst Works

You can forward your business calls to their team of agents and they’ll answer your calls as if they were an in-house team member. Most of the time customers have no idea they’re talking to a third-party agent, neither does it matter.

They’re speedy too, AnswerFirst says that 90% of all calls are answered in four rings or less on average. The rest goes into a hold queue with a message informing the caller than an agent will be with them shortly.

It’s worth noting that you’re not billed for the time your callers spend in the call queue.

Getting Started with AnswerFirst

When you sign up with AnswerFirst, one of their Business Development Coordinators will take you through the onboarding process.

You’ll be given login details for their online portal, so you can access your account information. They’ll also talk you through how their service works and ask for a script and any other company information their agents need.

They will then provide you with a unique forwarding phone number. You forward your calls to this number when you’re not able to take the calls, and one of their agents will answer using your company name and instructions.

You can keep an eye on how many minutes you’ve used, your messages, call logs, and other account information via their online portal or by using their mobile app.

Services

AnswerFirst offers a range of call answering services, including:

  • 24/7 Call answering
  • Live call transferring and message taking
  • Making and scheduling reservations
  • Voicemail services
  • Virtual receptionist services

Plans and Pricing

AnswerFirst does not currently have set pricing plans to choose from before discussing your requirements with their team.

They operate on a cost per minute, like most virtual receptionist providers. Instead of a flat monthly rate, they say their pricing “automatically adjusts to the best rate for you.”

This sounds like a hook to get you on the phone, but I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that.

They do say that their plans start at $20 per month for a pay-as-you-go package, with rates per minute as low as $1.06. This is a competitive rate, but it’s not clear how many minutes you’ll get at that rate and how many you’ll have to commit to.

If you want to find out more about their pricing and get a custom quote, you can reach out via a form on their site or by picking up the phone.

The latter option is a perfect way to find out how professionally they answer their phones.

AnswerFirst Alternatives

Two of the more popular virtual receptionist companies worth checking out are Gabbyville and Ruby Receptionists.

Ruby Receptionists Gabbyville DaVinci 1-888-GoAnswer
Customer Rating not rated not rated
Established 2003 2013 2006 2003
Minimum Monthly Cost $299 for 100 minutes $229 for 150 minutes $99 for 50 minutes $110 for 100 minutes
Price per Minute $2.99 $1.53 $2.00 $1.10
Set-Up Fee $99 $95 $75
Trial 14-Day Free Trial 14-Day Free Trial 30-Day Risk-Free
Learn more Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More

Both offer 14-day free trials, so you can try before you buy. Ruby Receptionist’s pricing starts at $299 for 100 minutes per month. While Gabbyville is a little more competitive starting at $229 for 150 minutes, with a $99 setup fee.

Your Turn

Have you worked with AnswerFirst? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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A Virtual Receptionist

Posted by Mica Harvey / Virtual Receptionist Services

A Virtual Receptionist is a telecommunications company offering a range of virtual receptionist and call answering services to businesses in the US.

The company has been operating since 1998. Their offices are located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and all of their phone agents are based in their offices.

About A Virtual Receptionist

A Virtual Receptionist ReviewThe company is headed up by Operations Manager, Gary Santillanes.

A Virtual Receptionist provides virtual receptionists to businesses in need of some extra phone support. If you’re an entrepreneur or have a business in the growth phase and can’t justify employing a full-time receptionist, hiring a virtual receptionist is a cost-effective solution.

They have bilingual operators fluent in Spanish and English if you have an interest in the Spanish speaking sector. All calls are recorded so you can go back and listen to them yourself, and you can provide scripts and company information to help them integrate into your business.

How A Virtual Receptionist Works

If you want to work with A Virtual Receptionist you need to contact them by calling or filling out a form on their site.

Give them an estimate of how many calls you receive on average, how many minutes you anticipate needing per month, and they’ll work out a plan and get back to you with a quote.

You only pay for the minutes their agents are on the phone. There are no other employee-related costs, and you can forward your calls for the times that you’re not able to take them.

It’s a flexible solution and ensures you never have to worry about missing an important call because you’re busy.

Services

The core of their business is to answer inbound calls on behalf of clients. They do this using custom greetings, scripts, and any other information you provide.

Some of the features they offer include:

  • 24/7/365 live call answering
  • Bilingual call agents
  • Inbound call center services
  • Appointment setting
  • Message forwarding

They say their goal is to “handle calls the way you would.” So, you can hand over any tasks you are currently undertaking answering your business calls to their agents. The goal is to free up your time to focus on the more important tasks within your business.

Plans and Pricing

A Virtual Receptionist do not make their pricing plans public. They say their packages start at $29 per month, but you’ll have to contact them for a custom quote.

A Virtual Receptionist Pricing

A Virtual Receptionist Alternatives

Two of the most well-known virtual receptionist companies in the US are Gabbyville and Ruby Receptionists. I recommend checking them and comparing them to A Virtual Receptionist.

Both offer free trials, so you can test their services before committing to a plan.

Ruby Receptionists Gabbyville DaVinci 1-888-GoAnswer
Customer Rating not rated not rated
Established 2003 2013 2006 2003
Minimum Monthly Cost $299 for 100 minutes $229 for 150 minutes $99 for 50 minutes $110 for 100 minutes
Price per Minute $2.99 $1.53 $2.00 $1.10
Set-Up Fee $99 $95 $75
Trial 14-Day Free Trial 14-Day Free Trial 30-Day Risk-Free
Learn more Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More

Your Turn

Have you worked with A Virtual Receptionist? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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Smart To Finish

Posted by Mica Harvey / US Virtual Assistants, Virtual Assistant Companies

Smart To Finish is a US-based virtual assistant company based in Gilbert, Arizona. They have a team of 14 “Delegation Divas” and provide a range of virtual assistant services.

The company started operations in 2004 and they work with individuals and businesses of all sizes across the country.

About Smart To Finish

smart to finish reviewThe company is headed up by founder, current CEO, and Chief Delegation Diva, Amber Miller.

Amber said she decided to leave the corporate world and start Smart To Finish in 2004 because she wanted to run her own business and offer “top-notch online support to busy coaches and internet entrepreneurs.”

She’s since built a team of experienced “Delegation Diva’s” with a broad range of skills equipped to help all types and sizes of businesses outsource some of their workloads.

Smart To Finish list all of their Divas’ experience, skill sets, and other personal information on their site. This isn’t typical of a virtual assistant provider, but it’s a nice touch. It not only adds a face to the assistant you’ll be working with but gives you a better understanding of their skills.

When asked what separates Smart To Finish from other virtual assistant companies, Amber said:

“We can honestly say our honesty, loyalty, and genuine interest in the success of your business! Just ask our clients!”

How Smart To Finish Works

If you’re interested in working with Smart To Finish, it starts with a free 30-minute phone consultation.

This helps them better understand you, your business, and how they can best help you. A member of their team will formulate a plan, give you a quote, and assign a dedicated assistant to work with you.

From there you can communicate directly with your diva to get your tasks done. There are no long-term contracts or minimum requirements. But they say that both parties get the most out of the working relationship if there’s at least 10 hours of work per month.

Services

To give you a better idea of the areas their Divas specialize in, they group their services into the following 7 core areas:

  • Online Business Manager – Day-to-day business tasks, calendar management, personal assistant services, and more.
  • Infusionsoft Support – All aspects of using Infusionsoft software.
  • Product Launch Support – Pre-launch planning, setting up opt-in and sales pages, connecting funnels, and more.
  • WordPress & More – WordPress support, SEO, content production using Divi and LeadPages, and more.
  • Simplero Support – Membership space creation, newsletter and marketing emails, billing, and more.
  • White Label Virtual Assistant Services – A wide range of white label services, contact them for a custom solution.
  • Graphic Design Services – Web design, logos, blog graphics, infographics, and more.

As you can see, Smart To Finish offers the usual range of virtual assistance support — while specializing in some software tools that might prove valuable to your business.

Plans and Pricing

Smart To Finish doesn’t have any set monthly pricing plans. They do say that their hourly rates range from $40-$60, however, depending on your individual requirements.

If you want a quote, they ask that you schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation. This gives them a chance to discuss your requirements and put together a custom plan for you.

Smart To Finish Alternatives

If you want to check out other US-based virtual assistant providers in the same price range, I recommend checking out Boldly and BELAY.

If you’re working to a slightly tighter budget, I recommend checking out Time ETC. They’ve earned a solid reputation in this space, though perhaps without the software-specific expertise offered by Smart to Finish.

Prialto Time Etc MyTasker Boldly
Customer Rating
Established 2009 2007 2012 2012
Hourly Rate $27 $24-27 $7.50-14 $59
Minimum Package $1500 for 55+ hours $270 for 10 hours $140 for 10 hours $2360 for 40 hours
Dedicated Assistant
Minimum VA Experience Extensive in-house training 5 years In-house training 7 years
Team Access
Rollover Hours *does not charge overage
Free Trial
Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More

*Specialist services are available for an additional charge.

Your Turn

Have you worked with Smart To Finish? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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Sunshine Communications

Posted by Mica Harvey / Virtual Receptionist Services

Sunshine Communications is a telecommunications and phone answering business based in Coral Gables, FL. They provide a range of call answering services in both English and Spanish, 24/7, 365 days a year.

The company has been in business since 1975. All of their agents work remotely across the US, and they specialize in working with businesses in the legal, medical, real estate, and home services industries.

About Sunshine Communications

Sunshine Communication ReviewThe company is headed up by the owner, Andrew Gross, and Managing Partner, Peter Gross.

Sunshine Communications provides a range of virtual telecommunication services centered around 24-hour live call answering. Their agents can take messages, forward calls, handle your customer service, and more.

Plus, they’re using scripts and information you provide them, so your customers assume they’re talking to one of your employees.

When asked what sets them apart from the other virtual receptionist services out there, Sunshine Communications said, “Our agents will be trained on your business and your industry – even down to the specific scripts you want to use”.

How Sunshine1.com Works

Working with a virtual receptionist company is a lot more cost-efficient than employing a receptionist. You’re only charged for the minutes they’re on the phone, you don’t have to pay employee benefits, worry about sick time, and so on.

If you see a need for extra phone coverage in your business, Sunshine Communications offers a free trial. It’s a great way to see if it’s a model that works for you with almost no risk at all.

To get started with Sunshine Communications you need to fill out a form with some basic information about your business.

A member of their team will contact you shortly after and talk you through the best pricing plan, how their service works, and how they will onboard you.

You can then set a schedule to forward your calls when you want their agents to handle them and manage your account through their online portal.

Services

Sunshine Communications has a team of phone agents available to take your calls 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can use them to:

  • Handle your customer service queries
  • Take calls when you’re busy or not available
  • Take messages and forward on any important ones
  • Break into Spanish speaking markets if you don’t have bilingual team members

Plans and Pricing

Sunshine Communications currently has four pricing plans. You can get started with them for $39.95 a month for 40 minutes, which works out at around $1 per minute.

If you anticipate using 400+ minutes a month you can secure a rate of $0.81 per minute which is very competitive for US-based virtual receptionists.

A complete list of their pricing plans at the time of publishing is as follows:

  • Silver – $39.95 for 40 minutes (Approx $1 per minute).
  • Gold – $95 for 100 minutes (Approx $0.95 per minute).
  • Platinum – $170 for 200 minutes (Approx $0.85 per minute).
  • Diamond – $325 for 400 minutes (Approx $0.81 per minute).

Sunshine Communications Pricing

Sunshine Communications Alternatives

Two alternative US-based virtual receptionist companies are Gabbyville and Ruby Receptionists. Both offer free trials, although their entry plans start a bit higher than Sunshine.

Ruby Receptionists Gabbyville DaVinci 1-888-GoAnswer
Customer Rating not rated not rated
Established 2003 2013 2006 2003
Minimum Monthly Cost $299 for 100 minutes $229 for 150 minutes $99 for 50 minutes $110 for 100 minutes
Price per Minute $2.99 $1.53 $2.00 $1.10
Set-Up Fee $99 $95 $75
Trial 14-Day Free Trial 14-Day Free Trial 30-Day Risk-Free
Learn more Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More

Your Turn

Have you worked with Sunshine Communications? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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Virtual Ministry Assistants

Posted by Mica Harvey / US Virtual Assistants

Virtual Ministry Assistants is a US-based virtual assistant company. They provide experienced, virtual administrative support to churches and ministries across the US.

The company has been operating since 2015. Their headquarters is based in Brentwood, TN, and all of their virtual assistants work remotely across the US.

About Virtual Ministry Assistants

Virtual Ministry Assistants ReviewThe company was founded by current company president Mark DeVries.

Mark has spent most of his life being involved with the church. He served as an Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families at a church in Nashville, Tennessee for 28 years.

He’s now an author, speaker, and has started a number of businesses aimed at helping ministries. Mark started Virtual Ministry Assistants as a spin off of Ministry Architects to provide churches and ministries a cost-effective alternative to hiring a part-time or full-time employee.

When asked what sets them apart from other virtual assistant companies, Virtual Ministry Assistants said:

“We love the church. Our virtual assistants serve in the local church and have the administrative and technical skill sets necessary not only to accomplish tasks, but also to add value.”

When outsourcing, finding a VA with the skills and experience to integrate quickly into your business is key to your success. If you’re managing a church or ministry it’s worth considering Virtual Ministry Assistants for this reason.

How Virtual Ministry Assistants Works

If you’re interested in working with Virtual Ministry Assistants, they ask that you first provide them with as much detail as possible about the tasks you’re looking to outsource.

A member of their team will call you after reading your brief to ask any questions and discuss any of the details if needed.

On the back of this call, they will give you a quote. Virtual Ministry Assistants do not hire out assistants on an hourly rate. Instead, they formulate a flat monthly fee for the duration of the work based on a client’s individual requirements.

As soon as you give them the go-ahead, they will choose the best-suited assistant from their team and introduce you to them. From there you can communicate directly with your assistant to get your tasks completed.

Services

Virtual Ministry Assistants have assistants experienced in working with churches and ministries. So, they’re ready to tackle any tasks you have that can be completed remotely.

To give you an idea of the types of tasks they commonly handle for their clients here’s the main categories they group their services into: 

  • Staff Assistant Services – Call and text management, scheduling appointments, attending staff meetings, project management, and more.
  • Communication Services – Managing church communications channels, database management, worship planning, publications, and more.
  • Financial Services – Handling accounts payable and receivable, reconciling financial statements, vendor file maintenance, preparing budgets, monthly financials, and more.
  • Executive Assistant Services – Ministry travel planning, personal assistant tasks, ad hoc tasks, and more.

Plans and Pricing

Virtual Ministry Assistants do not have any set pricing plans. Neither do they operate with hourly rates for the work their assistants complete.

They work out a custom monthly rate on a case-by-case basis after taking into account all your requirements and the skill sets needed. There is also a one-off startup fee to be paid with your first month’s invoice.

There are no long-term contracts or commitments. You will be billed monthly and can cancel within any month and part ways at the end of the month.

Virtual Ministry Assistants Alternatives

There aren’t many virtual assistant providers specializing in providing support to ministries. (Though BELAY has some roots in this area as well.)

So, if you’re running a church or ministry, it’s worth speaking to Virtual Ministry Assistants as it’s their area of expertise.

However, there’s no shortage of alternative virtual assistant companies to choose from that can also provide skilled support staff. If you’re sticking to US-based staff, I recommend checking out Time ETC and Boldly for quotes.

Prialto Time Etc MyTasker Boldly
Customer Rating
Established 2009 2007 2012 2012
Hourly Rate $27 $24-27 $7.50-14 $59
Minimum Package $1500 for 55+ hours $270 for 10 hours $140 for 10 hours $2360 for 40 hours
Dedicated Assistant
Minimum VA Experience Extensive in-house training 5 years In-house training 7 years
Team Access
Rollover Hours *does not charge overage
Free Trial
Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More

*Specialist services are available for an additional charge.

Your Turn

Have you worked with Virtual Ministry Assistants? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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Zeerk

Posted by Mica Harvey / Content Writing Services, Freelance Virtual Assistants, Graphic and Web Design Services

Zeerk is an online platform where freelancers can post what Zeerk calls “micro freelance jobs.” These are basically gigs and services offered by freelancers ranging between $3-$200.

The company has been operating since 2010 and their headquarters are based in Dallas, TX.

About Zeerk

Zeerk ReviewZeerk has been through a series of ownership changes since it launched in 2010, and they don’t give away much about the team running the platform.

This isn’t an issue, however, as Zeerk works a little differently to other freelancing sites. As a buyer, you don’t create a job listing and wait for proposals to bid on your job. On Zeerk, freelancers post the jobs they’re offering, and you choose which you want to buy.

(This is similar to Fiverr.)

It’s a quicker way to find a freelancer with the skills needed to carry out your tasks, and less effort on your part. The downside is that you may not find someone offering a job you want, and there’s less flexibility when choosing someone to work with.

You can communicate freely with freelancers through a chat system though. So, you should be able to work out a deal with someone capable of doing your tasks.

How Zeerk Works

If you’re a buyer, there is a simple 4-step process from finding a freelancer to receiving a finished task as follows:

  1. Browse the available micro jobs by category or by searching with keywords.
  2. When you’ve found someone offering a service you want, supply as much detail about your task as you see necessary.
  3. Exchange files and information needed to complete the work via Zeerk’s built-in conversation and transaction management system.
  4. When you’re happy with the finished work you can mark the job complete and the funds will be transferred to the seller.

From a seller perspective, all you have to do is register an account and create your job listing. You can set your own price and turnaround time for your services.

Services

Zeerk is an open marketplace where anyone can join and offer their services. So, as you’d expect, there’s a gig for just about anything that can be completed remotely.

To give you a general idea of what to expect, some of their top categories are:

Plans and Pricing

It’s free to post a job as a seller and to browse the platform as a buyer.

Zeerk makes money by taking a 10% commission from the seller when a job is completed.

This means, if a seller is advertising their services at $100, you pay the full $100 as a buyer. The seller then collects $90 after Zeerk takes their cut.

Zeerk Pricing

Zeerk Alternatives

It’s hard to ignore the similarities between Zeerk and Fiverr. The interface of the site, layout of the job descriptions, and functionality are almost identical.

Therefore, if you like how the platform works but can’t find the freelancer or gig you’re looking for, you should hop over to Fiverr and look there too.

FreeeUp Upwork Fiverr OnlineJobs
Established 2015 1999 2010 2008
Location Worldwide, w/ concentration in USA and Philippines Worldwide Worldwide Philippines
Customer Rating
Size of Talent Pool Thousands 12 million 830,000 250,000
Hourly Rate $5-75+ $3-100+ $3-100+ $3-20+
Platform Fee 15% 5-20% 20% + processing fee $69 a month
Worker Tracking
(optional)
Pre-Screened Freelancers
(w/ Fiverr Pro)
Best For Quick hires, e-commerce One-off projects Smaller jobs Affordable full-time help
Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More

For an alternative marketplace with more flexibility, I recommend checking out Upwork. You can post a job there, vet the applications, and select the best freelancer to carry out your task.

Your Turn

Have you worked with Zeerk? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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We Work Remotely

Posted by Mica Harvey / US Virtual Assistants, Virtual Employees

We Work Remotely is an online job posting site that connects job seekers with remote work and employers with skilled professionals looking for remote work.

The company started operations in 2011. Back then, they were one of the first job boards dedicated to remote work. They’ve grown steadily since to become one of, if not the, biggest online job posting platforms.

About We Work Remotely

We Work Remotely ReviewWe Work Remotely (WWR) says they are “The world’s largest platform for finding and listing remote jobs”.

They get more than 230,000 unique visitors a month searching for remote jobs and post more than 500 new positions every month. So, whether you’re looking for a remote position or have a role to fill, WWR has the platform and audience to get you a huge amount of exposure.

How We Work Remotely Works

The platform is free for job seekers and charges a fixed price per 30-days to post a job listing.

To post a job, you simply fill out a job listing form. You’ll need the following basic information:

  • Job title
  • Category
  • Job type (Full/Part-time)
  • Your company information
  • Instructions on how candidates can apply
  • Job description

If you’re new to posting jobs, there’s a skill to creating a good listing. I recommend checking out some of the other listings to get an idea of how much/little information you should include.

Once you’ve created your listing, you can preview it. This allows you to see what the visitors to WWR will see.

The final step is to fill out your payment details for your job listing to go live.

If you’re a candidate looking for work, you can search for available positions by category or keyword to narrow down your search. You can then click a listing to see the job description and how to apply.

Services

We Work Remotely is a job posting platform for remote work. They enable businesses to post jobs for remote positions they have available and help job seekers find their ideal positions.

That’s the extent of the services they offer; pretty straightforward.

There’s a bias toward tech-related jobs and full-time work, but softer skills and part-time or contract work are also on the site.

Plans and Pricing

It costs $299 per month to post a job on We Work Remotely.

For this, you get a standard listing that’ll be live for 30 days.

If you want to make your listing stand out from the crowd, however, you’ll need to buy one of the following options:

  • Good – $59 – Your ad will be highlighted in yellow, shared in the WWR slack channel and on social media, and sent out to their mailing list.
  • Better – $89 – You get all of the pros of the Good add-on, with the addition of being able to display your company logo.
  • Best – $139 – You get all of the pros of the Better add-on, with the addition of being given a featured email placement and pinned for 7 days on the front page.

We Work Remotely Pricing

WWR says that using the Better add-on gives an ad 2x the visibility, and the Best add-on gives 4x the visibility. So, it does seem like it’s worth the extra bucks if reaching a wider audience is your goal.

For what it’s worth, browsing the front page it does look like most advertisers are opting for one of the above options.

We Work Remotely Alternatives

For an alternative online job board, you might want to consider posting your job on Dynamite Jobs. Their basic listing is free, so you don’t have much to lose.

Depending on the role you’re hiring for, you might check out a site like Hire My Mom, which as you might guess is more geared toward work-from-home moms.

Otherwise, you could post your job on large freelance marketplaces like Upwork and Freeeup to try and expand your reach.

Your Turn

Have you worked with We Work Remotely? If so, please leave a review below to help others with their decision.

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