Virtual Assistant Forums | Work from Home

YourLeftHand · #1 (**permalink**) 08-05-2008

Ok, so I have my FIRST client! That's a big ol' yipee that I'll need to post in another board!

She's going to pre-pay for 5 hours initially, just to get our feet wet.

We'll primarily be communicating via email, but she would like to have a weekly phone call which is perfectly fine with me.

I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything, but do you bill for these types of phone calls? I'm guessing they would be up to a 1/2 hour at a time. I'm not trying to bill for everything, but I also want to make sure I'm following what is the "norm".

Thanks!

Rebecka Melson · #2 (**permalink**) 08-05-2008

I do monthly calls with most of my clients and I do charge them for the time. They usually last 30 minutes to an hour. I also bill them if we schedule a call time and they are late or miss the call. I have one client who is chronically re-scheduling calls.

I don't charge for re-scheduling if they tell me in advance, but if I am sitting by the phone ready for the call and I can't reach them or they tell me they need to re-schedule, they get billed.

Monique · #3 (**permalink**) 08-05-2008

I will do calls as needed and I don't charge for time up to 30 minutes anything longer then I start billing time.

But I do charge for the long distance call. So I use a service like Skype to make all long distance client calls so I can track the amount in real time and then I bill them for that amount.

JKVirtualOffice · #4 (**permalink**) 08-05-2008

I don't charge for calls for up to 20 minutes if they are only once in a while. I have it in my contract that for calls greater than 20 minutes, then the client may be charged. This is for clients who want to call more than once a week.

bonusproficio · #5 (**permalink**) 08-05-2008

I charge for time spent on calls or for missed phone conferences without notice (15 minute increments). I've found that this tends to deter clients who would call everytime they have a new thought or idea. I also prefer that calls be scheduled in advance unless of course it's an emergency.

Prime Admin Solutions · #6 (**permalink**) 08-05-2008

I charge for calls over 10 minutes (if they call out of the blue), mainly because if I answer the phone, I'm not busy and have time to chat and with a couple of clients, it's usually about 10 minutes of non-business chit chat. If I'm busy on client work, I don't answer the call and return the call when I have a place in my job where I can stop conveniently. If it is a scheduled call, I charge from the time the call starts because I have blocked that time off for them.

AwesomeAssistant · #7 (**permalink**) 08-05-2008

I charge for phone calls and emails read and replied to. My clients understand that this is time spent on their project and have never had an issue with paying for that time. If I have to travel over a certain amount of miles for them, I count the travel time to get there and the time it takes me to get back, along with whatever time I've spent with them.

Administrative Partners · #8 (**permalink**) 08-05-2008

If the call is for more than 15 minutes ABOUT JOB RELATED tasks then I'll charge. Some of my clients and I get to chatting about other things and of course i don't hold them accountable.

tildavirtual · #9 (**permalink**) 08-06-2008

If it's 10 minutes and over of project related stuff then I charge for the call at my normal hourly rate. I also type up a conversation summary and email it through to them so they (and I) have a record of what we discussed. Your time is your time. Charge for it.