The use of technology enables me to provide services to my clients no matter what the geographical location, within my virtual business support services company. A recent experience made me realize that some things cannot be done electronically.

My client (we’ll call him Joe), works in the New York Tri-State area, hired me to research hydrographic surveying information for his business. A few weeks after he purchased a block of time for my services, I received an e-mail in which Joe first apologized for his yet to be disclosed request and then went on to explain that he would need me to research something entirely different than originally planned.

On a recent trip to Vermont, he visited his parents’ gravesite, only to discover that there was no headstone. Long story short, his understanding was that another sibling was to take care of this important task on behalf of the family. Immediately, Joe set out to correct the situation but found that he didn’t know where to begin and as he was traveling for business, he would be unable to do the research himself.

With an internet yellow pages site, I compiled a list of approximately twenty businesses, nine of which were closest to the town where the family plot is located. Not thinking twice, I looked for a website for each company. After the first three, I realized that there was an interesting trend developing…not one of the first few businesses on the list had a website or if there was a link, it did not work. I thought “No matter, there is a phone number that I can call”. Easy.

Six of the nine companies I telephoned did not answer. Three of those six did not have an answering machine or voicemail. Of the three with an answering machine, one in particular had a message which said something to the effect of “We’re closed for the Winter. We can’t work the ground during this time of year. Call back in the Spring.” I sat back in my chair and laughed. All I could think was “Oh my word. How can anyone work this way?!”

My answer would come in the voice of two of the three people who did answer the telephone that day. The first lady did not quite understand why a man in New York, was using a woman in Maine to purchase a headstone in Vermont. I tried to explain that I was a virtual assistant, “A what?”; I’m sure she thought it was a joke. During our conversation, I learned that her husband’s family had been in the business for over 50 years. In her voice I could tell that she was around 65-70 years of age, as was the second lady I spoke with.

They were both very knowledgeable and experienced in what they offered. There was no need for internet, voicemail, e-mail or websites in their line of work. Local people found them either through the funeral home director, cemetery or because they had done such a beautiful job on a family’s monument that they became the headstone installers of choice for each individual family. With the help of these knowledgeable people, I had what information was needed such as, where the granite is quarried, the best time of year to install a headstone in Vermont, dimensions, lettering, and the process of installation.

My client is happy and the process has begun – a headstone will be placed at his parents’ gravesite within the next six weeks, “when the ground can be worked”.  Me, well, I am now a virtual assistant who is well versed in procurement, placement and installation of headstones in Northern New England.

When my task was done for Joe, I sat back and processed my experience, as I often do after a project.  I realized that we have all plunged so strongly and so rapidly into this world of instant access to information, instant gratification, of working and socializing virtually and “click of a button, it’s done” mentality that we may be unaware of people and jobs that have no need for technology in the context in which the rest of us use, rely, live or work by each day. Yet, we all have (or will have) need of their non-technical, non-virtual, knowledge, experience and skills. What will happen when they are gone?

Who will be available to carry on the traditions of a headstone maker? What of some of the other primitive skills such as blacksmith or farrier? Some jobs cannot be done via e-mail, smart phone or in the cloud. Some people, their knowledge and skills will be sorely missed when there is no one to continue the work. There truly is no app for that!

INFORMATION, CONTEMPLATIONS AND MUSINGS OF A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Ivonne Vazquez is Principal of VIVA-Virtually Indispensable Virtual Assistants, LLC, located in Maine, USA www.vivavirtualassistants.com