I received an email this morning from 1shoppingcart.com advising all its users that they can now make use of their new partnership virtual assistant services.
What? I thought they were a shoppingcart service that provides broadcast emails, autoresponders and shoppingcarts. Now they want to enter the Virtual Assistant Industry too?
I don’t know about you but I am a Virtual Assistant who has brought them much business over the years, inviting many of my clients to use their service. Doesn’t 1shoppingcart.com get that many of the users are actually Virtual Assistants logging in on behalf of their clients to do whatever is needed? In fact there are 1shoppingcart courses provided for Virtual Assistants who want to learn more about how to use the 1SC system thoroughly.
I’m wondering how much in touch 1SC really is with their client base? Perhaps it’s time for me to source a different service to use.
That aside, it is important to look at what they’re offering as a ‘Virtual Office Assistant’. Handling phone inbox messages, verifying credit card orders, typing up orders received by phone and restocking products.
In reality the majority of ‘Virtual Assistants’ don’t provide these as core services. They’re more about handling administrative support, word-processing, data entry and maintaining databases, setting up newsletters, ezines and autoresponders, setting up products on the shopping carts, website maintenance and so much more. So, in essence, once exploring what 1SC is offering as a ‘Virtual Office Assistant’ it is more about looking after what happens during and after the sales. Probably better labelled a ‘sales assistant’ or similar. What do you think?
TK says
I am in a similar position as you Kathie, having a number of clients for whom I manage their 1SC accounts.
I also agree with your summation.
Having looked at the referred website here;s hoping it will soon be cactus.
Becki Noles says
Very sad. I must have deleted the email from 1SC with this information included. Are you able to send me a copy of the email? I would love to call 1SC and talk to them about this. There are many of us virtual assistants who specialize in providing this service and just because someone may take a 2 hour class on 1SC it doesn’t make them an expert. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.