I am in the middle of putting together my policies and procedures and I am wondering what some of your policies are regarding on-site visits. I'm leaning toward not making on-site visits (for safety reasons), so tell me what your thoughts are .

I keep having this nagging feeling that on-site visits would be out of the question.

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Angela D. Jordan
Your Humble Assistant, LLC

I am having a strict policy of no on-site visits. I have 3 children and one is 4 and can terrorize my house in 5 minutes flat. He is very good at trashing my entire living room and all I did was leave the room long enough to get him a snack. If a client is adamant about meeting with me I will direct them to the old fashioned soda counter down the street from me. It allows me to maintain my privacy and also adds a layer of safety for myself and my children. It also gives business to a local establishment, which I just love to do!

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Serita Diana, the List 2 Close Assistant
REVA Academy

I don't think on-site work has to be out of the question, but if you do offer it, it needs to be priced at a higher rate, maybe 1.5 - 2 times higher than normal. It's funny, I was reading a blog post about this earlier today and found myself nodding throughout the entire post. Here is the link, hopefully I'm allowed to post it.

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April Sullivan
The REVA Academy

I guess after an entire day of studying and marketing and everything else on the computer I must be tired. I thought you meant having the client come to your home. Ah well. Maybe I need to take a break

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Serita Diana, the List 2 Close Assistant
REVA Academy

I will do on-site visits depending on the circumstances. Working locally, I'll go by to set up systems and to teach those systems. If the client is working from a home office I'll be sure to meet them, at least initially, at a local coffee shop for safety and if I get any sort of negative vibe, no way. However, at my age, I doubt anyone in their right mind would want to molest me

Many clients, especially those from older generations, can be somewhat computer challenged and need our help in the worst way if they are to progress and succeed and that is our mission - to be the right hand that makes it all happen for them.

Lynne

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The Wordpro Wizard
www.wordprowizard.com

I am in the same position as you. I was thinking if it's a local and well established company then meeting at their location may not be completely out of the question. Some folks who work out of their house or might be in a unsafe area, would have to be met in a public location.

I haven't launched my business formally yet, but I don't intend to offer on-site support. That is not really the reason why I wanted to enter the VA industry. I also have a disability which can make things more awkward, especially if there are stairs in the client's premises, and I definitely wouldn't make a visit to their home office.
If they really insisted on meeting then I might make an exception and meet them at a local coffee shop - helping local businesses out too.

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Claire Baber ~ Horizon Virtual Assistance

Originally Posted by Balancing Act

I don't think on-site work has to be out of the question, but if you do offer it, it needs to be priced at a higher rate, maybe 1.5 - 2 times higher than normal. It's funny, I was reading a blog post about this earlier today and found myself nodding throughout the entire post. Here is the link, hopefully I'm allowed to post it.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and this article. I don't feel that it would be an issure visiting on-site or even providing a few hours of service on-site. It will just come with clearly contracted arrangments and at a higher rate.

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Crystal Chambliss - YourAdminCenter
Owner (Virtual Assistant)

I would not want someone stopping by to drop something off or evening making scheduled visits to my home. I think we established from the beginning that we are virtual and they know this. There isn't anything these days that can't be done that way. If I have to schedule time for people to come in and out, it takes away from my productivity.

I do not schedule on-site visits, for some clients I use a site called Office Suite Plus that allows you to use their conference room for the month. So I try to set up appointments with two to three clients within that day and since it is for business I can write it off as a business expense.

Diane

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Diane Clark-Ragans
www.outofofficevirtualassistan t.com[/url]

As a mother of 2 young kids who are terrorizing the place I will NOT let someone meet me at my home. There is plenty of starbucks in the world lol!

I don't have clients at my home office but I do visit their offices. I have one client who owns a newspaper and write and translate articles as well as prepare their billing so I go in to collect paperwork. I also have meetings with the sales team but I bill travel time plus the time I am there. I also have another client who lives on another island and I meet up with him every few weeks. I don't like the idea of strangers coming to my home so it isn't something I offer but clients haven't suggested coming by so it's not a problem at all. Safety first!

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Sabrina L. Williams
Administrative Consultant for your Business Needs

Since I will be working in hospitality, I have no objection going to their place of business or other public location, but a client may not come to my home under any circumstances. Once I open the business, I intend on a virtual address.

It's a matter of personal safety. One of the first things you learn in this industry is to never give out personal phone numbers and/or addresses of any employee or guest in any hotel, bar/lounge, or restaurant because there are a lot of crazy people out there that can and will harm you and/or your family.

I will never have someone meet me at my house (or drop anything off either) but I have no problem going to their office if they are close by.
Vanessa

I don't feel comfortable having people in my home office but I would go to a client's business if necessary. To have clients come to my home office is a liability issue I just would prefer not to deal with. Also I stipulated when getting my license with the city that I would not have clients coming to my office.

I just (as in last week) got a local client. Before that all of my client's have been out of state or out of the country so it was a non-issue.

Today is my first meeting with this client and we're meeting at a restaurant since she also works from a home office it just makes the most sense.

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Stacey Harris
On Demand Virtual Assistant