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Virtual assistance process: Calendar management with Timebridge

Thanks to Ana Conception-Macatiag for documenting this process and including screenshots! =)

Setting up appointments:

  1. Log in to http://www.timebridge.com, see Accounts and Passwords section for the login information.
  2. The screenshot below shows an example of the personal Timebridge Home Page.  To set up an appointment, click on Schedule a meeting at the left side of the screen.

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  3. Fill in the fields.
    1. Type in email address of the attendees in the “Send Invite to” field.
    2. Indicate subject in the “Meeting Topic” field.
    3. Meeting Location (Note unless specifically specified on my meeting details, here are my venue preferences:
      • Lunch during weekdays
        • Ichiriki – Japanese – 120 Bloor Street E, Toronto – Hours: 11:45 – 2:30?
        • Camros Eatery (http://www.camroseatery.com/) – Vegan – Hours: M-F 11:30am to 7:30pm (no travel time necessary)
      • Weekends: Linux Caffe (http://www.linuxcaffe.ca) – 326 Harbord Street, Toronto. – Hours: M-F: 7am to 11pm, Sat 10am to 11pm, Sun 10am to 5pm
    4. Click the “More Meeting Options” and make sure the meeting reminder is set to 1 day before the meeting and that TimeBridge should automatically confirm the meeting time is also checked.

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    5. Click on the button “Propose Times” to propose meeting times.  The calendar as shown in the screenshot below is linked to my Google Calendar so you will know when I’m is available. Highlight available times or as instructed by me. (Orange highlights below are the highlighted proposed times.)

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      Additional Information in selecting time:

      • Offer 3-5 choices. Conflicts and double bookings will not be a problem with Timebridge because it is synchronized with the Google Calendar.
      • For in-person meetings, I prefer lunch (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM) or coffee/tea/hot chocolate (any time between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM), preferably on a Thursday or Friday
      • For work-related phone meetings, I prefer calls on Wednesday to Friday afternoons (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM).
      • For personal phone meetings, I prefer calls on Saturday or Sunday (9:00 AM – 9:00 PM), preferring Saturday afternoon

      My Google Calendar will be automatically updated as soon as invitees send back their confirmations.

    6. Click DONE.
    7. Check if the proposed times are as correct. Click Edit if you need to change anything.
    8. Make sure the cc myself on this invitation box is checked.
  4. For the personal message, refer to instructions below. Then click Send.
    • For phone appointments, include the following segment in the Personal Message box:

      If the automatically-detected timezone is incorrect, please click the Edit button (under the Help Button) to set your timezone.

      Sacha Chua’s contact information

      Skype ID: XXX

      Mobile number: XXX

      Work number: XXX

      E-mail: sacha@sachachua.com

      Please send your contact information (phone number and Skype ID if available) in the “Send message to host” box.

    • For in-person appointments, include the following segment in the Personal Message:
    • Sacha Chua’s contact information

      Mobile number: XXX

      Work number: XXX

      E-mail: sacha@sachachua.com

      Please send your phone number in the “Send message to host” box so that I can contact you if something comes up.

  5. Unless instructed otherwise, click No, thanks on the “Share Availability” message to be sent to meeting contacts.

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  6. You should see your created meeting in the home page as encircled in the screenshot below.

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Short URL: http://sachachua.com/blog/p/6017

Virtual assistance process: Manage Toronto Public Library books

  1. Visit http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca and click on Your Account. Sign in with the provided library card number and PIN.
  2. Click on Your Account, and then click on Checkouts. You will see a list of checked-out books sorted by due date.
  3. Click on the checkbox beside all items due by the following Saturday, and then click on Renew Selected Items.
  4. You should see a list of items that were renewed and items that failed to be renewed (maximum number of renewals, other users have placed holds). Copy the titles of the items that were not renewed into an e-mail under the heading “TO RETURN“, one title and date per line. Keep this list sorted by due date.
  5. Click on Holds. If there are any items under the heading Ready for Pickup, copy the titles and expiry dates to the e-mail under the heading “TO PICK UP”, one title and date per line. Keep this list sorted by due date.
  6. Click on Sign Out.
  7. Repeat steps for any other library cards indicated, summarizing the books to return and pick up under the same headings you’ve created.
  8. If there are books to return, log on to Toodledo.com. Click on Add Task in the upper left corner. Set the subject to “Return library books”, the due date to today, the context to Errands, and the note to include all the text (return and pick-up) from the e-mail. Add the task.
  9. Send me the e-mail with the title Toronto Public Library Report.
Short URL: http://sachachua.com/blog/p/5993

Outsourcing processes: Wake-up call

Here’s my process for my wake-up call:

Every day, at the wake-up time I specified, please:

  1. Go to start.sachachua.com and sign in.
  2. Sign on to the various boxes as needed.
  3. Call me on my cellphone.
  4. Greet me good morning, tell me the quote of the day and the word of the day, and the weather for today (weather description (sunny? clouds? rain? snow), and both high and low temperatures.
  5. Tell me about my appointments for today.
  6. Tell me about my tasks for the day, and ask if there’s anything else I’d like to add. If so, create new tasks.
  7. Tell me the word for the day and its definition.
  8. Go to http://www.wgz.org/chromatic/projects/microfiction/ and read me the latest assignment. E-mail the assignment to me as well.
  9. Wish me a great day!
Short URL: http://sachachua.com/blog/p/5937