+ What services do you offer?

We offer a range of services delivered remotely. Our service offering inlcudes Executive Assistance, Teleservices (lead generation, quote follow-up, appointment booking, database cleansing & more), Administration & Sales Assistance, Marketing Assistance (content creation, EDMS, marketing coordination & management) and Bookkeeping (accounts payable/receivable, credit control, bank reconciliation, etc). Find out more about how we can help you and your business grow.

+ What happens if I don’t use all the hours?

This is very rare, especially as your Virtual Assistant becomes more and more indispensable! Nevertheless, if you were to consistently use only 2 hours out of 5 for example, we would look at revising your package, or seeking areas where we can help you better.

+ What happens if I use more than my contracted hours?

If you need to go over your monthly hours allowance, you are billed on a simple overcharge structure. The overcharges are billed at the beginning of the following month. If you’re consistently going over, we will recommend you move to a higher package to avoid the overcharge fees.

+ How do I train the Zembr Team about my company remotely?

Training is always conducted via video conference, phone and email. For a VA typically this training will be via several short training sessions and ongoing ‘on-the-job’ training.

For Teleservices, following initial training about your company and products, your Zembrite is trained to professionally handle any questions outside of their scope of knowledge, seeking clarification from you or organising a callback from your team. Your phone agents will always present themselves professionally and as part of your company even though they may not know all the details of your products/service!

We have a full toolbox of tips & tricks to help make your remote training experience easier and less time consuming - including screen share video technology and more!

+ How will I know the hours are actually being put in?

We are huge on accountability and transparency. As a part of this, all our Assistants track & record their hours daily. As a result, you'll receive weekly reports detailing what’s been done by your assistant, as well as regular check-ins from your service Team Leader & review sessions with our Client Love Team to discuss any challenges or areas of improvement.

+ How can I pay and in what currency?

We have a secure payment gateway that allows credit card payments – some international clients find this easiest. We also have USD, GBP and NZD bank details that can be utilised. For Australian clients bank deposits are a good option. We also have Direct Debit which is our preferred method for all Australian clients. All invoices are billed in AUD.

+ How do I cancel if it doesn’t work out?

Just send us an email and we’ll do the rest! There’s no lock-in contracts or fees associated with cancelling your service.

+ What are the contract terms?

We have no minimum periods or lock-in contracts. So you can cancel or put your subscription on hold at any time if it’s not working for you.

+ Where are your team members from?

Our team members are located globally in English speaking countries: Australia, New Zealand, North America, South America and Canada.

+ How do I get started working with Zembr?

You can read all about How it Works or you can jump ahead and request a FREE 30 minute chat. During our First Chat we discuss your business, your strengths, your tools and how you like to work, so we can match you with the right service/s and personnel to help you grow your business.

Why not get the ball rolling and book a chat with us today? Let’s get to know each other a little better. (Or you can keep stalking us on LinkedIn for a little longer, we don’t mind!)

+ What can a Virtual Assistant do for me?

Zembr’s Virtual Assistants are a unique bunch with varying skillsets and specialities. As a result, there’s someone for everyone, and our team covers most functions within a small to medium sized business.

Our Executive Assistants are there to take executives, general managers and CEOs to the next level. They offer unparalleled support to reach your professional and personal goals. They will handle your administration, calendar, meetings, travel arrangements and team follow-up. They’re also there to work with you to grow your business - making your strategy and goals their own, and being the accountability partner you need to hit the numbers!

Our Administration and Sales VAs specialise in handling those everyday repetitive tasks you do not need to be doing. They can free up your time by taking care of jobs such as:

• Replying to emails
• Updating databases/CRM/ERP systems with your notes and information
• Online customer service
• Complete sales trip schedules
• Create quotes and proposals
• Assist with client follow up

Our Marketing VAs are at the ready to help with consistent content creation, monthly EDMs, blog writing, coordinating your outsourced marketing experts (e.g. graphic designer, web developer, etc) and more.

+ How do the subscriptions work?

As with all Zembr services, our Virtual Assistance packages can be set up on a recurring monthly subscription basis (which are not lock-in contracts i.e. no cancellation fees or minimum period) or on a project by project basis.

+ Can I change VA if we don’t get along?

Absolutely. However, we’d like to think all of our Virtual Assistants are a friendly, hard working agreeable bunch. We’re also pretty certain that our getting to know you process aka “The Zembr Experience”, allows us to match you with the best virtual assistant for you and your needs. If you’re not feeling the magic, it’s as easy as reaching out for a confidential chat.

+ Can I interview VA candidates?

We get it. Handing over the decision on who will work with you is a tough one. But what we also know after helping people just like you, is that you don’t have time to devote to screening and setting up interviews. Our Zembrites are engaged through an extensive HR process, and held accountable to our core values and KPIs to save you the hassle of building and managing your own team. We take the time to get to know you and your needs, and match you with a VA to suit your personality, working style and skillsets required.

+ What hours do you work?

Our head office in South Australia is open Monday to Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm local time, however because of the wonder of remote working, there is a Zembrite working somewhere in the world around the clock! We’re all about work life balance though, so please feel free to reach out to us at any time that suits you, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

+ Will you sign a confidentiality agreement?

Absolutely. It’s a part of our onboarding process, we like to call The Zembr Experience. We know confidentiality is vitally important to you, so much so that ‘Trusted and Accountable’ is our second core value - we live and breathe it.

+ How do you access my contacts, calendar and email account?

Your Zembr Virtual Assistant becomes essentially part of your team. You set them up with an email account or password as if they were one of your own staff members and away we go!

+ What tools do you use to get your job done?

We’re often found on Slack, Teams, Asana, The Google Suite, across all of the Microsoft platform and in the Adobe Cloud. Our multi-talented Virtual Assistants are happy to adopt whatever tools you use in your business. If we’re not already familiar with them, we’re always keen to learn new things - embracing new technologies, tips and tricks in our team meetings, personal time and sharing on our internal communication platforms!

+ How do we share files?

Exactly the same way as you would share files with any of your other team members. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel and make your life harder.

+ Do I need to provide equipment or internet access?

Our experienced Virtual Assistants already have their own laptop and high speed internet access, so you don’t have to worry about providing any additional equipment, unless absolutely necessary.

+ Do I need to pay holiday or sick leave?

Nope, that’s the beauty of a virtual assistant over a permanent staff member, you just pay for the hours that you need!

+ What happens if my Virtual Assistant is unable to work?

Like all team members, occasionally your VA may have time off or be unwell. Where possible you will be notified well in advance and be able to liaise with your VA or their team leader to ensure deadlines are met and any urgent tasks are attended to. Our team of VAs and their team leaders are also available to help you out with additional support in a pinch!

+ My needs change from month to month. Are your services flexible?

Your subscription is flexible, with a minimum weekly commitment. You can begin as low as 5 hours per week for most services, increasing the time you need during busy periods or simply paying for a couple of extra hours in a month as required. Most executives find themselves increasing their subscription as they begin to delegate more and more tasks with confidence to their VA.

+ What if I need urgent assistance?

Send us an email, give us a call, we’re here to help.

+ How soon can you start the work?

As soon as you have completed the Discovery Phase of The Zembr Experience where we get to know how your business works and what your needs are; we figure out a solid Game Plan and you are ready to launch. Check out How It Works for more information on this process.

Moving through our onboarding process is critical for your success and ours. We will be totally transparent about where you are in the process, ensuring any hold ups are communicated, but rest assured, we’re as excited as you are about smashing your goals.

+ Will I get a dedicated assistant?

Absolutely. We match you with a Virtual Assistant based on your needs, industry, personality and working style. This person will be your main point of contact, and the person who really makes headway on your to-do list, inbox and more with you!

+ Do I get a team of assistants that rotate?

Not with Zembr. When we connect you with your Virtual Assistant, we’re matching you with the right assistant for your needs, industry, personality and working style. Your main point of contact, your right hand (wom)man, You won’t know how you survived without them!

+ Can I track the hours of my virtual assistant?

All our VAs track & record their hours as they go. As a result, you'll receive weekly reports detailing what’s been done by your assistant, as well as regular check-ins from your service Team Leader & review sessions with our Client Love Team to discuss any challenges or areas of improvement.

+ Can I do a weekly meeting with my VA?

Absolutely, as part of our Zembr Experience we have a system that we fondly refer to as Client Love. This ensures we have a multiple check points with all of our clients starting with daily check-ins and ending with quarterly reviews of your goals and strategy. Your VA will hold a weekly meeting with you at an agreed time to discuss tasks completed, and plan the following week.

+ Can the VA call people for me?

Your VA can make calls for you for example arranging lunch or catering, ordering flowers or chasing down rental cars.

At the moment, our VAs don’t screen your calls and our teleservices division only makes proactive outbound calls. However stay tuned, because we’re rolling out inbound calls with a Virtual Reception service very shortly.

+ What programs do you use?

Zembr’s virtual bookkeepers use your cloud based systems to seamlessly assist with your business including Xero, Netsuite, MYOB, Sage50, Quickbooks and more.

+ What bookkeeping services do you offer?

We are a full-service bookkeeping solution providing accounts payable/receivable, payroll, bank reconciliation and debtor follow-up.

+ Can you file income tax returns or lodging my BAS?

No, we are Bookkeepers, not Accountants. We can however suggest companies that we have worked with before. We can help you keep your records and accounting system up-to-date making it easier, quicker and less stressful for you (and your accountant!) when tax time rolls around!

+ Will I be able to interview the candidate you pick for me?

We get it. Handing over the decision on who will work with you is a tough one. But what we also know after helping people just like you, is that you don’t have time to devote to screening and setting up interviews. Our Zembrites are engaged through an extensive HR process, and held accountable to our core values and KPIs to save you the hassle of building and managing your own team. We take the time to get to know you and your needs, and match you with a bookkeeper to suit your personality, working style and skillsets required.

+ Can I talk to my bookkeeper?

Of course! We want your bookkeeper to be a vital addition to your team! You will be in regular contact with your bookkeeper, and can choose to set them up with a company email address if you wish.

+ Will the Bookkeeper help me bargain with suppliers or get quotes?

No, they are focused on the accounts/bookkeeping side of your needs. Administration tasks such as making calls to suppliers is best supported by our Virtual Sales and Admin or Executive Assistance Team. Bookkeeping Assistants can certainly provide the reports needed to show you what you spend with a particular supplier but they will not help you negotiate pricing or make phone calls on your behalf.

+ I only need part of this service (ie reconciliation only). Is there an hourly rate for that?

We’re very happy to customise the Bookkeeping solution that is right for you and the number of hours you need per month to make it happen. Book a consult to go over your requirements and personalise a solution for your needs.

+ What's the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?

An accountant looks after your taxation, goals, strategy & legalities, whilst a bookkeeping completes the day to day accounting tasks required to make business happen. Things like accounts payable, accounts receivable, debt collection, bank reconciliation & accounts inbox management are all typical bookkeeping tasks! We are not certified public accountants (CPA’s) so if you need to lodge your tax returns, conduct an audit or give you any type of tax or financial advice, we are not the right team for the job. However we can recommend companies that can help, that we have worked with before.

+ Will you create a marketing strategy for my company?

No, we're passionate and talented, but we would prefer you create your marketing strategy and we will be an extra set of hands to help you execute all parts of your marketing plan.

+ Do you do paid social media advertising?

At the moment, we have a team who can assist with your organic social media profiles. Paid advertising is a service we are looking at expanding into however we haven’t launched this yet. Stay tuned.

+ Will you design brochures and other print material?

Let us know what you need and we can find the right Virtual Marketing Assistant for the job.

+ Do you use scheduling software for social media?

Your Virtual Marketing Assistant will work with you to find the best suited software for your company.

+ Can you chase up my outsourced graphic designers or manage my website redesign?

Definitely! Our Virtual Marketing Assistants are pros at follow-up and liaising with third party designers.

+ Do you call from our CRM/ERP?

Yes! We can call using your soft phone system and input details directly into your system. Alternatively we can call from our specialised platform using a list of contacts you provide.

+ Can you just send me some idea on pricing?

To provide the correct package/service offering it is necessary to have a consultation to create the best possible teleservices solution for your business. We have a broad array of options for you including lead generation, quote & lead followup, database cleansing, brand awareness calls, follow-up e-marketing or other ‘event’, appointment booking & sales support and even add ons like access custom CRM, send emails on your behalf, database building, number display, call recording and more. We’re no cookie cutter operation! We want to design a bespoke solution that works best for your business. So what are you waiting for? Let’s talk.

+ Do you send follow up emails to prospects after calling etc?

Yes. Zembr staff present as if they work for your company. We get you to set up an email on your domain for the relevant team member.

+ What countries/markets do you offer sales assistance in?

Australia & New Zealand predominantly. But we are expanding into other countries in very near future, stay tuned! We cover most industries and markets, however certain markets do respond better to certain campaigns and approaches. Get in touch and we'll work out which approach is right for your business.

+ How does your team handle training on our products and services and technical questions beyond their scope of knowledge/ability?

Training is always conducted via video conference, phone and email. Our team is trained to seek answers from you if needed after the initial training; and is always able to present themselves professionally and as part of your company even though they may not know all the details of your products/service!

Our team also undertake ongoing training in sales, telephony and more and are particularly skilled at presenting themselves as a member of your team. If a question is posed that is too technical for them to answer (yet!), they will typically respond along the lines of: “That is an excellent question, Joe. I'm not 100% sure on that particular point so let me have a chat to Dave and get back to you with an answer.”!

+ Do we have to agree to a long term commitment?

** As with all Zembr services, packages can be set up on a recurring monthly subscription basis or on a project by project basis.

+ How quickly can you start supporting us?

We are generally in a position to commence working with a client within 2-3 weeks of an agreement on terms being reached. This is however dependent on workflow, staffing requirements, and availability of a database.

+ How quickly can you set up this service?

We can have your account set up and ready to start answering within a few hours. If you're urgent let us know, we can do it in a few minutes!

+ Can I still use my existing number?

Yes, you just divert your existing number to us. When you sign up we allocate you a unique phone number but we don't recommend advertising it because it will always be ours. If you don't have a phone number we recommend setting up a 1300 number - we can also provide this for you.

+ Where is this available?

Virtual Reception Assistance is currently available in EST & CST timezones. Additional time zones are coming soon!

+ Will people know I use an answering service?

No way, it's a seamless experience for the callers and they will be totally unaware they are speaking to someone outside your office. Our Australian receptionists are professional, skilled operators with experience in a diverse range of industries and we will never tell your callers it's an 'answering service'.