Quality: Your Silent Partner in Virtual Business

When you go out and buy new things, you probably look at both price and quality aspects of the goods before you make a buying decision. When a business owner engages a Virtual Industry Professional, it’s much harder for them to assess beforehand whether they’ll get value for money and whether they’ll get a quality service.

Who hasn’t had the situation arise when a potential client asks you for references, client testimonials or work samples? Being accredited through a quality program is a big step towards assuring your prospective client that they are talking to a business they can trust.

Many industries have created quality assurance systems and programs to give their customers the peace of mind that they’re getting quality for their money. Ultimately, that’s what made sense to the Australian Association for Virtual Industry Professionals (AAVIP). If the Virtual Industry had any chance to become a serious player in the service industry, the issue of quality had to be addressed.

Right from the start, when the first AAVIP Strategic Plan was created in 2010, quality was on the agenda. The Board then set out to create a Quality Virtual Business Program that would give virtual businesses an avenue for quality accreditation.

The program has recently been launched and a pilot is underway where the first virtual businesses are being audited as they go through the program. It has been designed for Virtual Assistants and Virtual Business Owners to demonstrate their commitment to running a proven quality business that results in a high quality level of client services. So how does the Quality Business Program work?

The Quality Virtual Business Program

The program is based on 3 key elements:

• Checklist – helping business owners to determine their own status quo. Business starters and seasoned operators alike can get a quick snapshot of all the elements required to operate a quality virtual business. The checklist is available as a free download for all VIP businesses.
• Workbook – this workbook includes many resources and references to help business owners go down the path of quality accreditation. Business owners can purchase the workbook and are required to methodically work through all sections before submitting their completed business audit document to AAVIP.
• Audit – AAVIP has nominated Audit Officers who will check the business audit document. Only those who pass a full audit are eligible to show the Quality Virtual Business badge in their documentation and online. AAVIP members will pay member prices for the audit, while the cost for non-members is .

Benefits for businesses

1. An audited Quality Accredited Virtual Business will receive the AAVIP Accreditation Certificate in the form of an electronic logo or badge, with link to the AAVIP dedicated page explaining the Accreditation process and what it entailed for the business.
2. The Quality Accredited Virtual Business will be listed in the AAVIP Quality Program Directory for 2 years.
3. The accreditation will be reviewed in 3 years to ensure that the business is still eligible to be listed in the directory and a renewal of the badge will be issued.
4. The accreditation is issued for the business, not the business owner. That means when a business owner wants to sell their business, the quality accreditation goes with the business and can positively influence the price for selling the business as a ‘going concern’.
5. The accredited business’ owner will be eligible to be admitted into the Accreditation Mastermind Group which is held each year in conjunction with the AAVIP AGM. This meeting is for the purpose of discussing the continuous improvement of the resources that support the quality business checklist. The meeting is facilitated by approved auditors.

For more information about the Quality Business Virtual Program, please visit the AAVIP website or  contact the Executive Officer, AAVIP at [email protected].