1. Sign Up
Complete a short questionnaire.
The information you provide will help us match you with the right virtual assistant to best meet your needs. We’ll ask how you prefer to be contacted, what type of work you will be assigning, what you are looking for in a virtual assistant, etc.
After receiving the questionnaire, we create an account for you in our Client Area. This is the place where we will organize your projects and store files. We’ll also take care of creating a Non-disclosure Agreement to protect your intellectual property.
2. Kick Off
We get started within 1 business day!
Within 1 business day, your virtual assistant will send you an email to kick things off. In this email, they will give you their contact information and instructions on how to get started submitting tasks. Your virtual assistant will call you to introduce themselves, answer any lingering questions you may have, and familiarize themselves with the tasks you plan on submitting.
3. Submit Work
I’ll have my assistant take care of that…
Tell us what you want taken care of by sending it to your virtual assistant via email, phone, or Skype message. You can specify anything you like – a time frame for getting the work done, or an amount of time that you want your virtual assistant to spend on the task before reporting back to you with a progress update.
If your task is more in depth and requires training, you can arrange to discuss it over the phone with your virtual assistant, or use screen sharing software to demonstrate how to do something, etc.
4. Task Complete!
Work gets done, but you didn’t have to do it!
When your virtual assistant is done completing the task, they will submit the results to you via the Client Area (you will receive an email).
Unlike a normal employee (who you have to pay for downtime), our virtual assistants only bill your plan for the actual time spent actively working for you. In the Client Area, you’ll be able to see exactly how much time you have left on your plan, which tasks are pending or completed, and access files from past tasks. For larger projects, your virtual assistant may recruit other people on our staff to get the work done more quickly, or delegate the task to a virtual assistant who has more experience. For instance, if the task requires Photoshop, rather than your virtual assistant taking time to learn the software, they’ll delegate it to a graphic designer who will be able to do the task much more quickly, and with better results.
Client Security
We’ve done everything we can think of to make you feel as safe as possible when working with LongerDays.com.
Non-Disclosure Agreements
All LongerDays.com staff members have signed a non-disclosure agreement stating that (among other things) they will never disclose any of our clients’ confidential or proprietary information.
All of our clients have the option of entering into a non-disclosure agreement with LongerDays.com. Because our staff does not know which clients have signed an NDA and which clients have not, the general rule at our company is to assume every client has signed an NDA with us. Please contact us if you would like to review a copy of our non-disclosure agreement.
Onsite Security
We work in a secure facility, with restricted access controlled by a keycard entry system. The building is under 24-hour video surveillance.
When you work with LongerDays.com, you get peace of mind knowing that all of your work stays in our American-based offices. Your work isn’t outsourced to developing countries or virtual assistants working from home.
Data/Password Security
Client data and passwords are encrypted using 256-bit AES Encryption technology (the same encryption used by banks to secure customer data). The decryption password is known only by upper management. This system prevents anyone from accessing the data/passwords you give us, unless they are using one of our company computers with the decryption program installed.
Client data is stored on Amazon S3 for data storage. All transfers to Amazon S3 servers are made over a secure channel using 256-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption, the standard for secure Internet network connections. Amazon stores data over several large-scale data centers, protected by military-grade perimeter control berms, video surveillance, and professional security staff to keep their data centers physically secure. Learn more here.
Keep Your Credit Card SAFE
Your credit card information is automatically encrypted the moment you click “submit” on our shopping cart. No one at our company is ever able to access your full credit card information. Click here to view LongerDays.com’s PCI compliance certificate. LongerDays.com works with Trustwave to ensure PCI compliance. Click the icon below to learn more about our PCI compliance verification:
Our shopping cart complies with PCI DSS version 1.1. This standard outlines specific requirements for keeping cardholder data secure, such as the use of data encryption, network firewalls, and secure processes in transmission, storage, and disposal of payment card data.
Our shopping cart is required to pass periodic third-party audits and tests in order to maintain PCI compliance on an ongoing basis. Our shopping cart is currently PCI compliant. LongerDays.com itself is also scanned every 30 days by TrustKeeper, a certified remote assessment and compliance solution created by Trustwave, designed to help merchants meet the PCI DSS and achieve compliance with the associated programs of Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express®, Discover®, and other credit card associations.
FAQs
1. Where are your workers located?
Unlike our competition, we are 100% U.S. based. We are all Americans, and we all work together in a traditional office. None of your work is sent overseas. By working with us, you are keeping money in the U.S. economy and creating jobs for Americans.
2. Will I be speaking to a different person every time I call?
No, you will have a single point of contact here. Your virtual assistant will give you their phone extension, their IM screen names, and an email address. Interfacing with on person on our staff is critical, as it allows your virtual assistant to get to know both you and your business over time.
3. Is LongerDays.com PCI compliant?
Yes. To learn more, read the “client security” section above. To view our PCI compliance certificate, click here.
4. How do you keep client data safe?
Keeping client information secure is a top priority at our company. To learn more, review the “client security” section above.
5. Is your virtual assistant service for businesses, or individuals who need help with personal tasks?
The majority of the work we do is business related. Many of our clients are small business owners who give us a mixture of personal and professional tasks.
6. Do you offer preferred rates for non-profits and organizations and individuals involved with education?
Yes, we do. Please send us an email telling us about your organization and the kind of work you would like us to do for you. We will get back to you with a rate.
7. What is the Client Area?
Our client area is a project management system, specifically developed to help us provide the best virtual assistance possible. Read more about it here.
8. What is your turn around time?
Turn around time depends on a number of factors, the largest being the size of the task. For example, building a website takes more than a day. We always try to complete work as quickly as possible, and our clients often experience turn around times of less than 24 hours. Under normal circumstances, there is a minimum turnaround time of 1 business day for all non-scheduled tasks, which means it will take us at least 1 business day to complete any task. Scheduled tasks are not subject to a minimum turn around time.
9. Which plan is best for me?
If you’re not sure which plan is right for you, it’s best to start out on a lower plan and then upgrade to a higher plan if you need to. Our plans our flexible, and it’s easy to upgrade. We want you to be on the plan that makes the most sense for you and we will work with you to make sure you get on to the plan that best fits your needs.
10. Is there a minimum commitment or contract?
No. You are billed month-to-month, and you can cancel at any time. Once you cancel, you will not be billed. There is no cancellation fee or penalty of any kind.
11. How does the free trial work?
We offer a no obligation, 2.5-hour or 1-week free trial, whichever comes first. Initiating a free trial requires a valid credit card to be on file.
12. What happens if I don’t use all of my time?
If you’re not sure if you can use all the hours in a plan, sign up for a lower plan level. We make it very easy to upgrade in the event that you need more hours. If you sign up for a large plan and it is clear within the first two weeks that you will not use all the hours, let us know and we will put you on a lower plan. Unfortunately after two weeks we cannot issue refunds for unused time because, regardless of whether the Client utilizes the Service or not, LongerDays.com is obligated to maintain the level of staff required to provide the Service should the Client decide to utilize it at any point during the month. This is the reason we have monthly plans.
13. Are there any hidden or additional costs?
There are no hidden costs, no activation fees, no premium rate tasks, additional taxes, or cancellation fees.
We do charge for materials. For instance, if you want us to create and send a physical mailing to your customer list, we would bill you for the envelopes, the postage, and the paper. We will let you know when you assign the task whether there will be material charges, so there won’t be any surprises.
14. Do you bill in increments?
No. Work is billed precisely – to the minute. Other virtual assistants round up and bill their clients in increments of 5, 10, or even 15 minutes, even if the task only took 2.
15. How do I know how much time is left on my plan?
You can login to the client area at any time to see how much time is remaining, right from your project dashboard. There is also a detailed time report that shows what projects are being worked on, who is working on them, and a brief description of the work that has been done.
16. What if I go over the time allotted by my monthly plan?
When you use all of the time in your plan, you have several options: you can move up to the next highest plan, have us stop working until your next billing cycle, or continue working at an hourly rate of $40/hour. We would love to be able to offer unlimited flexibility, but if we did, it would be impossible to budget our time – we wouldn’t be able to provide the speedy, thorough service that we do now.
17. Compared to U.S. based virtual assistants, why are your rates so low?
U.S. based virtual assistants typically work by themselves from home. Because we are a company and not an individual, our overhead costs are spread out and absorbed. It isn’t necessary to make a huge profit every hour that we work, like it would be for an individual.
18. Compared to foreign virtual assistants, why are your rates so expensive?
Because we only hire people who live in or near Muskegon, MI (so they can come work at our office), we need to pay our employees more than the wages foreign workers are willing to work for. The time difference, language barrier, and security risks of working with an overseas VA justify the higher cost of a U.S. based Virtual Assistant.
19. When will I be billed?
You will be billed every 30 days, starting on the last day of your free trial, until you cancel your plan (it is completely month-to-month). In other words, if you sign up today, your credit card will not be billed until a week from now. If you decide during that time that the service is not for you, just let us know and you will never be billed at all.
20. How do I get started?
To begin, click here! When you decide which plan you would like to sign up for, simply follow the on-screen instructions. After signing up, you will be redirected to a short questionnaire that asks basic questions about your preferences and the work you have for us. After submitting the questionnaire, you will be redirected to a short “getting started” guide that will give more detailed information about how to begin working with your new virtual assistant.
21. How can I monitor progress on tasks I’ve delegated?
Through the Client Area, you will be able to keep track of which tasks your assistant is working on. In addition, you can view project details, including how much has been spent on each task and the overall time remaining on your plan. We encourage clients to have weekly check-ins with their virtual assistant. This is an opportunity to delegate new tasks and get updates on those in progress. Finally, because we all work together in a single office, your virtual assistant is being actively supervised by our staff.
22. Can I add other people to my account?
Yes! You can add co-workers, friends, and family members to your account. You will be given the opportunity to do so after signing up for our service. All we need is your permission, their name, and an email address.