For a growing segment of professionals who are building a small to medium sized business, work means never having to set foot in an office or utter a single face-to-face hello to their colleagues.

From a home in Stalybridge, Cheshire, and from other homes throughout the UK, hundreds of people, including Helen Byrne, are helping businesses throughout the world as a virtual assistant, also known as VA.

Virtual assistants are professional office assistants who provide office services and support without being physically present at clients' premises by using the Internet, fax and telephone. Since much of their work is done online, they can work locally or globally.

Byrne began a VA business, VIRTUALOSO, in October 2007. "Clients typically hire virtual assistants so they can focus on what they do best which is building their own business," says Byrne. She got into the profession after years of work in research administration turned her off to cubicles, commuting and office politics.

Since the term "virtual assistant" surfaced in the late-1990s, hundreds of VAs in the UK have established themselves as entrepreneurs and small start-up businesses -- just like many of their clients.

VIRTUALOSO offers a variety of services from basic word processing, diary management and transcription, through to conference and event management, travel arrangements and even assistance in web design, hosting and maintenance.

Byrne says that many companies that are hesitant to use a VA are usually unaware of the tremendous talent pool available through independent contractors. "With advancements in technology, the VA industry now consists of enterprising individuals -- many of whom have elected to leave corporate positions in order to provide highly skilled services virtually."

She points out that it's also very cost effective to hire a VA. "Studies have shown the real cost of hiring and keeping a full-time assistant at your own site is between 2 and 3 times the cost of his or her actual salary," Byrne explains. "Since a VA is a contractor, employers don't have to pay taxes, insurance, or any fringe benefits. There's no need for extra office space or equipment. And best of all, the employer only pays for the 'time on task'. It really is a pay-as-you-go service."

As a short introduction to Virtual Assistance, and to save repeating herself at networking and other events, Byrne most recently created http://www.PA-as-you-go.com.