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Frequently Asked Questions

Answering common questions when working with Pineapple.

About Pineapple and our service

Pineapple is a family owned Virtual Assistant company that caters to small businesses, helping owners stay organized and on top of their work. We have an in-house team of experienced, passionate, highly qualified people who are more than happy to help you with anything; from data entry to social media management and much more.

Almost any business task that requires a computer and internet connection is what Pineapple Virtual Assistants can handle with confidence. We provide our clients with real, genuine, hard working people, and serve all types of business specialties and software platforms.

Our talented Pineapple Virtual Assistants can create & manage nearly anything you need digitally, to name a few skills in their toolbox:

  • Drafting of legal documents like contracts, agreements, & depositions
  • Building a sleek company website from scratch
  • Creative and administrative writing
  • Graphic T-shirt designs, original logo design
  • Corporate product branding & merchandising
  • Video editing and animated graphics
  • Podcast audio design and audio editing
  • Social media management, customer engagement, and interaction 
  • Digital marketing, website/socials SEO optimization
  • Digital file storage organization and management
  • Clientele information organization and updates
  • eCommerce store creation, optimization, & maintenance
  • CRM optimization and management

And the list keeps growing. Pineapple Virtual Assistants are sure to help your business save time and money in more than one way!

Our Virtual Assistants

From day one, what makes us different at Pineapple is the level of dedication and individual attention a Virtual Assistant receives when joining our family-oriented team. Our VAs are the reason Pineapple exists, so naturally we want to support them to the best of our ability. Here's an overview of our "Pineapple Process":

When a trainee is welcomed to our in-house pipeline they are trained and coached by highly knowledgeable and passionate instructors. Trainees acquire new skills while strengthening current skills, they are trained to recognize their weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Candidates learn an array of skills- from business etiquette to CRM software navigation, SEO & digital marketing to creative design & color theory, and much more. 

Once our Virtual Assistants graduate from the intensive pipeline, they gain the full support of each department in our team: Quality Assurance Specialists (QAS), BVA Account Managers (BAMs), Client Account Managers (CAMs), and Info Tech (IT) team. Our VAs can reach out to any member of these teams depending on the concern or issue and receive help immediately, for themselves or on behalf of their clients.

Our entire "Pineapple Process" and support structure produces a versatile, confident, highly professional Virtual Assistant prepared to work alongside business owners in almost any industry.

Our Clients

The biggest factor that differentiates Pineapple from other VA companies is our transparency, simplicity, competitive rates, and our family-oriented "Pinya Fam" culture. We do not require long-term contracts, we do not charge any setup fees, and also do not charge penalty fees for ending a contract. Also, if your VA does not clock any work hours, you are not billed. Simple as that.

As a client working with Pineapple, you will have a dedicated Client Account Manager (CAM) who is assigned to your profile and familiarized with your business & VA requirements. They are easily accessible through email or phone, and we urge our clients to reach out to their CAMs if they have any questions or concerns.

Our QAS team (Quality Assurance Specialists) are also equally approachable and can help you troubleshoot knowledge base gaps, skills shortfalls, or any other issue with your VA. Our QAS team frequently provides "refresher" remediation courses to VAs to correct issues and learn from them, turning weaknesses into strengths at no cost to you. 

We also suggest reaching out to CAMs if clients would like to commend their VAs for jobs well done. We have a "VA of The Month" program to promote their hard work and accomplishments. Winners receive a goodie bag of merch and other cool things along with social posts from the team.

One final component that makes Pineapple different is the fact that we are constantly improving and adapting our knowledge base, adding new software and tools to the training syllabus as they become more popular in business practice. VAs who are currently working with clients are able to attend these new courses and upgrade their skills, at no cost to you!

Here’s how our 3-step "Pineapple Process" works:

Step 1. Tell us about your company & your business needs

In a short introduction meeting, we’ll listen carefully to your requirements to ensure that we match you with the most qualified Virtual Assistant.

Step 2. Meet and confirm your Virtual Assistant

Next, you will evaluate and interview our recommended profile matches, confirming your VA to work with you only if you are satisfied with your selection. Depending on your needs, you can choose more than one VA from different career-fields!

Step 3. Start working together

Begin onboarding and training your Virtual Assistant(s) like any new addition to your staff. Not only will your VA assist you but can help any other member of your team if you wish, at no additional cost aside from the hours they clock. Ultimately, your VA will integrate directly into your team and help to maximize your time while achieving your business goals!

And that’s it! Be one of the many business owners who’ve entrusted their Virtual Assistant needs to Pineapple and leveled up their companies big time! 🍍 

Yes absolutely! We’ll be glad to answer any of your questions over phone, video call, or chat. In a short but productive meeting we can discuss the following:

  • Your business goals and any initial questions that you may have.
  • How a Pineapple Virtual Assistant can help you save on your operational costs. 
  • The tasks you need done and the knowledge / skill base required to execute them.
  • If you aren't sure exactly what you need, we can help you determine that!

Just book a call and we’ll connect with you on a free consultation. No pressure, our pleasure! 😁

Our phone number is:

🍍 (520) 597-7211 🍍 

About your Pineapple virtual assistant

Our reliable and dedicated Virtual Assistants are based in the Philippines, a beautiful tropical country known for a friendly & hard working labor force.

Working with a Filipino Virtual Assistant means scaling your business in an efficient and cost-effective manner, while enabling an increased quality of life for your Virtual Assistant with pay much higher per hour than average daily pay in the Philippines.

Virtual Assistants from the Philippines are generally more proficient in English than other non-native English speaking countries. This will come in handy for effective communication with your customers and vendors. 

Filipino's also are known for great qualities such as respect, diligence, loyalty, and commitment. Also, they are often flexible and adaptable when it comes to working with different schedules and changes.

There are numerous advantages to hiring a Virtual Assistant over an in-house employee. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that you don't have to pay for office space, furniture, or equipment when you have a Virtual Assistant.

You also don't have to worry about paying for benefits, employee-related tax, vacation time, or sick days. Finally, because Virtual Assistants work remotely, you'll have more flexibility when it comes to scheduling and working hours.

All of these factors can save you a considerable amount of money while completing the same amount of work if not more, which is why hiring a Virtual Assistant is often a more cost-effective option!

Business Virtual Assistants (BVAs) can typically help with any administrative / secretarial / clerical tasks that you do at your business. Any task that requires a computer with an  internet connection can likely be executed by your BVA.

They help to cut down on the busy work, allowing you to manage your business with less stress. Taking care of your day-to-day operations like managing your calendar and handling customer service, are some common tasks that a BVA excels at.

Additionally, our BVAs can field inbound / outbound phone calls, act as a receptionist, qualify leads, data entry, create spreadsheets, send faxes, billing related tasks, and much more.

Multimedia Virtual Assistants (MVAs) are highly skilled creative designers and have a wide range of knowledge and experience every business owner can maximize. They help bring your company’s vision to life by seamlessly carrying out the production and distribution of your brand's multimedia content through: videos, audio, graphic, & web design.

If you're looking for someone to help with your overall creative designing as well as digital marketing, an MVA is definitely worth considering.

Legal Virtual Assistants (LVA) work directly with clients to assist with their law office needs. They help individual lawyers and law firms improve their workflow, save time, and remove the burden of legal administrative paperwork. 

More specifically, the LVA is capable of helping with legal research and writing, qualifying potential clients, client intake & onboarding, drafting documents like depositions & pleadings, and other common legal documents.

The answer depends on your business and your requirements. At Pineapple, we offer two scheduling roles for our Virtual Assistants: part-time and full-time, with a simple distinction between the two:

Part-time Virtual Assistants can work with a client up to 29 hours a week. If working for 30 hours or more, they are tagged as full-time Virtual Assistants. 

To help you in choosing a plan it's important to have a clear job description first, for your Virtual Assistant to properly understand their role. Please make a list of all the tasks and responsibilities you expect your Virtual Assistant to execute, as well as the projects you would want him/her to get involved with in the future.

Our Sales Specialists will also be happy to help you identify which model would work effectively for your business. Please schedule a quick call with us today to discuss.

We track and monitor all of our virtual time using an online time tracking software. It tracks mouse and keyboard movements/activity and patterns. It also takes screenshots in timed intervals to ensure your Virtual Assistant is working on tasks related to your business's designated work hours.

Our Virtual Assistants are strictly instructed to track time only for work they are doing for you, in accordance with the schedule you set for them. You may set the schedule with your Virtual Assistant on a weekly basis, they will be there at those specified start/end times.

Our time tracking software also has detection of "cheating software" capability, activated through erratic mouse click or keyboard patterns which notifies us immediately to investigate.

Additionally, all Virtual Assistants whether Business, Multimedia, or Legal are required to submit end of day reports (EODs) to their clients. This will allow you to keep track of your Virtual Assistant’s work hours and productivity for the day for verification.

As with any business, it is the owner's responsibility to ensure security procedures are in place when working with contractors.

All of our Virtual Assistants are bound by the Data Privacy Act of 2012 in the Philippines. We also require that each of our Virtual Assistants obtain an NBI clearance, which is the Philippine equivalent to an FBI background check in the United States.

There are two ways to grant your Virtual Assistant access to your software/tools. You can create and provide a new "delegated" username + password with limited access to the system. Alternatively, you can have a computer with installed software in your office along with remote desktop software that your Virtual Assistant will have access to.

Should an intentional breach of private data/information occur overseas, you are protected by the Philippines Data Privacy Act of 2012. This act holds Philippine citizens accountable for their actions and provides coverage to those affected within the United States. You can read more about this act here.

about hiring process

Pineapple is a family owned Virtual Assistant company that caters to small businesses, helping owners stay organized and on top of their work. We have an in-house team of experienced, passionate, highly qualified people who are more than happy to help you with anything; from data entry to social media management and much more.

The time frame required to find you the best matched VA depends on your specific requirements, commonality or rarity of mandatory skills, as well as the industry your business is in.

For example, if your business is a computer software company that works with uncommon programming languages (other than C++, Java, Ruby, etc) it may be difficult and could take longer to find a VA who has the exact programming language skills you are searching for. But rest assured we do not stop looking!

If your business requires common skills, like soft skills (customer service, phone calls, interacting with people, etc) then we will be able to match you with a VA much quicker and likely with several options to choose from.

In the meantime, we invest a good amount of effort learning about your business needs, screening our current pool of Virtual Assistants, and keeping our eyes out to find the perfect VA for your business.

We want to provide you with a well matched and dedicated Virtual Assistant as quickly as possible, as it is also very exciting to watch our VAs and clients forge long-term profitable  relationships while seeing their businesses grow!

We allow a 15-20 minute test project during the interview process for you to better gauge the VA’s skills, to determine if they are a good fit for your business needs. Should you need more time to consider if the VA is the right fit, you may hire them on a paid trial period.

Here’s how our 3-step "Pineapple Process" works:

Step 1. Tell us about your company & your business needs

In a short introduction meeting, we’ll listen carefully to your requirements to ensure that we match you with the most qualified Virtual Assistant.

Step 2. Meet and confirm your Virtual Assistant

Next, you will evaluate and interview our recommended profile matches, confirming your VA to work with you only if you are satisfied with your selection. Depending on your needs, you can choose more than one VA from different career-fields!

Step 3. Start working together

Begin onboarding and training your Virtual Assistant(s) like any new addition to your staff. Not only will your VA assist you but can help any other member of your team if you wish, at no additional cost aside from the hours they clock. Ultimately, your VA will integrate directly into your team and help to maximize your time while achieving your business goals!

And that’s it! Be one of the many business owners who’ve entrusted their Virtual Assistant needs to Pineapple and leveled up their companies big time! 🍍 

Absolutely! We have many clients who are working with a handful or more of Virtual Assistants for different aspects of their business.

We commonly see pairs of BVAs/MVAs assigned together, pairs of 2 BVAs, and entire MVA design teams with two or more MVAs.

If you would like more than one VA, simply reach out to your dedicated Client Account Manager (CAM) and you’ll be assisted promptly with your request.

About our Pricing

Here at Pineapple we have no setup fees, no penalty fees, and a cancel anytime policy. We want to give you the confidence and assurance you deserve as our client.

Payments are made electronically, and your credit/debit card must be set to autopay. We send a bill with a notification every Monday, billing for the work week prior. A receipt will also be sent to your billing email address after each payment. If your VA did not clock any hours that week, you will not be billed. Simple as that.

While we trust and endorse our VAs to be honest and hard working people, please keep a close eye on your VAs weekly/monthly logged hours. Reach out immediately to your Client Account Manager (CAM) if you suspect some errors/foul play. Your CAM will investigate the issue and get back to you ASAP with an update or resolution.

Also, if you wish to update your billing information or if something changes, please reach out to your dedicated CAM to assist you.

Yes absolutely! We would greatly appreciate any friend referrals from you.

Please direct your friends and colleagues to our website (www.trypineapple.com) and ask them to click on the "Get Started" button in the upper right-hand corner.

Please make sure they add your name as the person who referred them so that we can trace them back to you.

Once they start with their VAs, we verify their accounts and are happy to provide you with comparable free service hours!

Still Have Questions?

Be sure to email our team at [email protected]

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