We offer administrative services, office support services, and secretarial work at hourly rates as well as retainer plans. Whether you choose hourly or retainer services, the prices will be provided and agreed upon prior to beginning any project via a Request for Quote (RFQ). Pricing includes one draft provided for you to proofread and/or decide if the format is acceptable and all necessary supplies and services to complete the project quoted in the RFQ.
RATES
We provide hourly rates for those Clients who want one-time only tasks accomplished or who want help with occasional mass mailings or other occasional tasks. Please see Services for a complete listing of services provided. Special pricing is available for students. Websites can be involved and therefore, please call for pricing or Contact Us to describe the service(s) you want. Even hiring us on an hourly basis saves Clients money because there are no employee-related expenses involved. However, to save even more money, consider hiring us on a retainer basis. See details for our retainer discounts below.
HOURLY RATES TERMS & CONDITIONS
• Hourly (non-retainer) services will be invoiced by the quarter hour with a one (1) hour minimum per project or day.
• We must receive a properly executed Request for Quote, Client Profile, and Service Agreement prior to work being started.
• A 50% non-refundable deposit is due at the time services are requested. This deposit will be applied to the finished work.
• Invoices will be delivered via e-mail.
• Invoicing is done showing complete time and expense break-downs for your records.
• Payments of invoices are due upon receipt. Payments not received by the 10th working day of the month are considered late and will be subject to a late fee of 1.75% of the total invoice.
• Additional projects will not be started until the previous invoice has been paid in full.
• Our regular retainer clients will receive priority over hourly clients.
TRIAL OFFER
We offer all new Clients a one-time trial offer of our Gold Retainer Rate category for one month. This will save you $30.00 - $45.00 while you “kick the tires” to and find out if regular VA services will help you without making the regular 3-month commitment needed for regular retainer prices.
RETAINER RATES
Three levels of retainer rates are available.
Category Requirements Discount
Gold 10 – 15 Hours/month 5% off hourly rate
Platinum 16 – 40 Hours/month 10% off hourly rate
Premium 41 + Hours/month 20% off hourly rate
RETAINER TERMS & CONDITIONS
Retainers are reserved hours that guarantee our services for a set amount of hours each month.
• Our regular retainer clients will receive priority over hourly clients.
• Clients who utilize our retainer plans will save from $30.00 to more than $490/month over hourly rates, depending on the plan you choose.
• A 3-month commitment is required to be eligible for retainer rates. This may be paid in advance or per month, however, monthly payments must be made before services will begin for the next month.
• The first month’s retainer fee must be received by Secretarial & Office Solutions with a properly executed Request for Quote, Client Profile, and Service Agreement prior to work being started.
• Unused hours are not transferable, will not be rolled over to the following month, cannot be credited toward future services and are non-refundable.
• Clients may not switch to a different retainer plan after the initial invoice has been issued for the 3-month commitment and work has begun. However, you may choose to move to a different level at the conclusion of the 3-month commitment, before another cycle begins.
• Invoices are prepared and emailed the 15th of the month prior to when service is to begin. Payment must be received by the 1st of the month in which services are to begin.
• Invoices will be sent via e-mail or fax, depending on the answers you provide in your Client Profile.
• Invoicing is done showing complete time and expense breakdowns for your records.
• Work will not commence without prior payment.
• Invoicing is done showing complete time and expense breakdowns for your records.
• Payments not received by the 15th of the month will incur a late fee of 25. Further, payments not received by the end of the month will cause work to cease until account is paid in full.
REQUEST FOR QUOTE
Estimates quoted in an RFQ are based on information provided by Clients. Information may be provided in a variety of ways: during telephone interviews, emails or instructions mailed via US mail or courier service, webinars, or consultations. SOS will contact Clients when actual project requirements exceed 25% of the estimated work projected by the Client prior to continuing with the project. Clients who desire for SOS to continue must provide written confirmation of being informed of the increased price. A final invoice will be provided with detailed explanations of variations.
NOTE: $35/hour basic rate using Industry Production Standards (IPS). IPS’s are based on the average time for the performance of specific production tasks by a professional “Model Operator” defined as having: 2-3 years’ business office or secretarial experience, keyboard speed of 70 WPM (2-3 errors/page), and good English and grammar skills. As experience increase, the hourly rate increases because with more experience, individuals learn how to accomplish work faster due to their additional training and experience.
MISTAKES AND TYPOS
Typos or mistakes are extremely rare for two reasons: (1) Provided that time permits, we always email a DRAFT copy to our Clients to proofread, sign off and return. As in a regular office, it is the Client’s responsibility for final proofreading. Minimal revisions will be made a no extra charge. However, if the revisions entail significant time to revise the document, our regular hourly fee or the retainer plan rate you chose at the beginning of the 3-month cycle will be charged. If you will incur additional fees due to substantial revisions, we will always contact you to inquire how you want us to proceed prior to beginning work. (2) We have a QC Department that checks all projects against the RFQ before sending the finished project to our Clients. If you did not catch a typo when you reviewed it and our QC Director did not catch a typo, it will be corrected at no charge.
If mistakes were made due to the Client's incomplete or erroneous instructions, the corrections will be made at the normal hourly rate or the retainer plan rate you chose at the beginning of the 3-month cycle. If mistakes were made due to our misunderstanding the Client’s directions, even though the directions are correct, those corrections will be made at no charge.
• Contact us to obtain a Request for Quote (RFQ). You would complete your portion of the RFQ that scopes out the details of potential job(s) that you would like to have done and return it to us. Based on the instructions you entered in the RFQ. We will provide an estimated rate and return the RFQ to you along with a Service Agreement. If you decide to go forward, simply return the completed Service Agreement prior to the expiration of the RFQ along with your payment of 50% of the RFQ total.
• We request all work instructions in writing with concise, detailed instructions
• Errors made by SOS, at our fault, will be corrected at No Charge
• Errors made by SOS, due to vague or incorrect instructions received will be corrected at our hourly rate
PAYMENT OPTIONS
We accept business checks, certified checks, bank transfers, or payments using PayPal.
In the event that Client defaults on payment of invoice(s) or if Client’s business check(s) is(are) returned for insufficient funds, SOS may in its sole discretion immediately suspend service under the Service Agreement until such time as Client’s entire account is paid in full, including late fees. Additionally, Client’s account will be subject to a $35 charge. If checks are returned for insufficient funds two (2) times, from that point forward for a period of one (1) year, all services must be paid in advance and when the check clears the bank, service will commence. We accept business checks, certified checks, bank transfers, or payments using PayPal.
• A written RFQ outlining the scope of the project, deadlines and cost is negotiated and agreed upon before work will begin.
• We request all work instructions in writing with concise, detailed instructions.
• Errors made by SOS, at our fault, will be corrected at No Charge.
• Errors made by SOS, due to vague or incorrect instructions received will be corrected at our hourly rate.
Your satisfaction is guaranteed!
