Frequent Asked Questions

A Virtual Assistant provides flexible, remote administrative and operational support without the overhead costs or physical office space required for a full-time employee. When you partner with BY.ELVA, you work directly with me—Ella Loates. I act as a trusted, reachable "helping hand" for your business, taking administrative, social media, and project management tasks off your plate so you can focus on growing your business.

Getting started is simple! You can reach out through the inquiry form on my website or directly book a 20-minute discovery call to discuss your business needs, review potential tasks, and select the package or retainer that best fits your workload.

While most of my day-to-day work is managed remotely, I completely understand the value of connecting in person! I am always happy to meet locally for coffee or travel for face-to-face catch-ups and project kick-offs within North Somerset and Bristol.

Data security and client confidentiality are top priorities. I am fully registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and adhere strictly to UK GDPR guidelines. Secure password-sharing tools and encrypted cloud storage (via Google Workspace) are used for all client assets and business data.

You will work 1:1 directly with me, Ella! Every task, project, and piece of communication is handled personally by me to ensure consistent, high-quality support tailored to your business.

My core business hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.   Prospective clients: Contact me via the website inquiry form and book a discovery call via my Google Calendar link.   Active clients: All day-to-day project communication, updates, and task submissions are managed mostly via email to ensure clear boundaries and accurate records. However, I am flexible and open to however works best for each individual person & business.

Don't worry at all! During our initial discovery call, we’ll review your current pain points and workload. We can start with a smaller retainer or an ad-hoc project to test the waters, and adjust your plan as your business grows.

Transparency is key. I keep track of time spent on your tasks and can provide a breakdown upon request so you always know exactly how your allocated retainer hours are being spent each month. If I feel I can complete the tasks in less or more time, I will always discuss a change of retainer/ ad-hoc hours with you.

I understand that business workloads fluctuate! Up to 2 unused retainer hours can roll over into the following month. Rollover hours must be used within that next month, after which they expire.

To keep things simple and stress-free for both of us, all monthly retainers and social media packages are invoiced upfront on the 1st of each month via automatic Direct Debit/Stripe. For ad-hoc projects, a 50% deposit is paid before we start, with the remaining balance due upon completion.   I believe in total transparency—we will always agree on your scope of work in advance so you are in complete control of your monthly spend, with zero hidden costs or unexpected bills.

Business workloads and budgets naturally ebb and flow! If you ever need to scale your retainer hours up or down, or pause your support for a month, simply give me 30 days' notice before your next billing cycle. We can easily adjust your package to match your current season of business.