Raising Virtual Children is Not Possible Yet, but Employing Virtual Secretaries is?!

By: Yoram Yahav

I was complimenting my friend Bob (alias) yesterday on his success on finding a great and efficient secretary. She is amazingly friendly and service oriented, I told him, always pleasant and willing to accommodate. “It is also quite remarkable how nicely she manages your schedule,” I continued to praise…

Bob started laughing and told me that if he were to tell me how many times a day he heard similar remarks, I would be shocked. Why would I be shocked? I asked, this is the greatest compliment one could receive for any of his employees. Yes, he responded, but I have never seen or met my secretary before. Puzzled, I asked, you have a secretary who manages your schedule, takes your calls and messages and you have never seen or met her? Yes, she is a virtual secretary. Her name is Debra but I am not even sure it is her true name. I have no idea where she is physically located — could, for that matter, be in a tub full of bubble bath, drinking champagne, with earphones on, responding to my clients’ requests. Everyone compliments on the great job she does and the work gets done on time!

Readers around the world are probably tired of reading my pieces about the uncertainty, changes and challenges occurring in our lives these days. However, speaking about changing times, I suspect that the essence of virtual employees and offices will become a prominent success factor for many of us. Until recently, having an office, with a front desk secretary smiling and responding to every stranger who calls or walks in, was a must. Having a secretary radiated comfort, professionalism and respect. This reality is changing along with our transient societies, and the ever-increasing costs of mandatory pension and savings requirements for each employee. Some of the most successful businesswomen and businessmen come to their “London Office” once a year, some never do. If no one sees your secretary, who cares how she is dressed or what she looks like? As long as the secretary is competent, is kind when she/he picks up the phone, shows familiarity with a person that has made contact before and is capable of scheduling meetings and following up accordingly.

The future of our lives, in my view, will include various virtual settings. Already, it’s very common to manage your bank account online — leaving the house is not a must anymore. Some run their multi-billion dollar investment accounts from their country-style dens on a remote beach in Greece, and some write and publish books using a pen name, while their publishers may have never even met them. Furthermore, couples (including gay couples) raise kids without knowing who their children’s biological parents are, and our kids buy virtual money on the web which ten years ago would have been considered insane. You may have a brunet, blond, tall or short secretary, but if she is a virtual one, no one will ever care because they will never meet her.