The small staffing firm received the call early one summer morning. A software start-up needed a full staff of software engineers, to be lured away from competitors. The staffing firm had the exclusive on the job order for only 15 days, but the owner didn't panic. He called someone he had never met, or even seen face-to-face. Within 48 hours he had a list of 20 qualified and interested candidates in his hands. The owner hadn't phoned an elf or a robot; he had called Ronda Polhill, of Henningham Services (Las Vegas, NV), a pioneer in "virtual assistance" for staffing companies.

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT?

Virtual assistants are a new phenomenon that has developed over the last few years, spurred by the growth and accessibility of the Internet and other technologies, While researchers might be appropriately considered a subset of this category, many virtual assistants go far beyond research. They are individuals who work from a remote location, providing a variety of services -- everything from data entry to preparing presentations to balancing checkbooks. They often work on an hourly rate or retainer basis, and the client pays no benefits, payroll taxes, workers comp, or overhead.

HOW VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS CAN HELP

Polhill says that hers is one of three virtual services she knows of that cater to the staffing industry. She believes that virtual assistant services should specialize in a niche so that they can be more effective partners with their clients. Polhill worked as a recruiter before going virtual several years ago, and she is dedicated to supporting staffing companies. She provides a variety of services, including Internet job postings, researching client companies, sourcing job resumes, performing cost-of-living analyses, scheduling phone interviews, and developing newsletters for clients and/or candidates. "I do a lot of direct sourcing," say Polhill. "I'll get a call that says we need a software engineer from Microsoft, and I'll investigate for a flat fee. Then I'll deliver, say, ten names. I work with these recruiters, instead of fighting them." Polhill says that the benefits of using Henningham include shortening sourcing time and increasing acceptance rates, while removing incidental and overhead costs.

Polhill's first clients were small recruiting offices with three to five workers. Now she gets calls not only from staffers and recruiters but from HR people in Fortune 500 companies as well. She believes in her service. "Recruiting is stressful," she admits. "Sometimes [recruiters] don't get paid. But I get paid either way. I get to stay in the background and give support while they focus on their frustration!

Henningham Services physical office is in Las Vegas, but it could really be anywhere, or nowhere. "Thanks to computers, email, and faxes, virtual offices are the offices of the future for businesses that either don't have the time or the resources to do the administrative tasks necessary to support, grow, and add value to their firms," says Polhill.

SATISFIED CLIENTS

Henningham's clients sing her praises. Yvette Ingram is owner of Ingram Recruiting Solutions in Willingboro, NJ. Her company specialized in contract and permanent staffing for technical and telecom companies. Ingram works out of a single office and says that "being a small office, I leverage all networks and services." In fact, she first heard of Polhill through networking. "I use her for very difficult-to-fill positions. I use her for research and she'll give me a list of companies." Ingram says that the physical distance between Las Vegas and New Jersey is immaterial. "It's not a factor. There are no glitches, because she's technologically savvy.... Between the Net and email, time zones are not an issue." The greatest advantage to using Henningham? "To my client, it's transparent," says Ingram. "I deliver the right person at the right time, and who I use on the back end is irrelevant."

To other clients Polhill is not only useful but a certified secret. A man who asked to remain nameless works as a technical recruiter for a Fortune 500 company. He keeps Henningham on retainer and uses her to refine candidate database lists and help with sourcing. "She cuts down on cost-per-hire considerably," he says. "She helps us a lot, and she's saved us quite a bit of money." He appreciates her invisibility -- in fact, he says, finishing the conversation, "I'd prefer to keep this just between us."

GIVING A LITTLE MORE

Polhill's strong work ethic comes through, even across the telephone lines. "I prefer to go the extra mile," she says. "Confidentiality is a major concern in this business, so I sign agreements. I try to forge partnerships with my clients... it's a nurturing process and I try to provide the extra." She relates an anecdote. "I was doing some recruiting for a biomedical company, just a quick search. The following week I came across another biomed company that had laid off a whole roster of workers.... I had their positions and when they'd been laid off. I emailed these to my client, at no additional fee." It's this thoughtfulness that wins loyal clients, she believes.

Polhill says the hardest aspect of gaining clients is the "virtual" aspect. Clients can't just poke their heads in her office and see if she's working. She realizes that she's a pioneer in a new field and has to prove herself. "It comes down to trust," she states. "My clients have to trust me, because they can't see me. I make sure to say how many hours I'll work on a project.... to what days I'll be working for them. They need to feel secure." "Trust is what happens when she delivers," says a satisfied Ingram.

IDEAL FOR THE SMALLER FIRM

Stacy Brice is a virtual assistant and President of AsssitU (Cockeysville, MD). She says that virtual assistants are perfect for small companies that need to offload some of their work. "Virtual assistants are about partnership," she says. "Corporate America in general is not ready for the concept of partnership and distance relationship. [But] small organizations, which can develop a strong bond with a virtual assistant, are a natural fit. " Brice had the virtual idea seven years ago, before the technology was ready for her. She started her business two years ago, and now has gone far beyond her own work as a virtual assistant; she trains virtual assistants in a 16-week program managed through AssistU, and operates a registry at her web site [www.assistu.com] that matches clients with virtual assistants. There are now over 100 virtual assistants in her community.

You don't need a huge project to use a virtual assistant -- the task can be large or small, or merely one outside your level of expertise. David Russo, of David's Virtual Office (Corona, CA) supplies an array of services, from accounting to programming, taxes to Web-page design.

TIPS FROM CYBERSPACE

Polhill and others offer advice for those contemplating a virtual helper. "Get your expectations in writing," recommends Polhill. "You can even have the contract specify the days/hours worked.... Be very specific." Russo advises potential clients to start small. "Make sure your virtual potential helper know what they are doing. Given them something nonessential, and give them a quick turnaround and see if they fulfill it. Trust needs to be built up on both sides." Russo prefers to work up to a contract. "I say, let me do a few things for you first. I'm earning your business... The truth is, you really can work with someone you can't see," says Russo.