Fancy Hands is an online platform that connects clients with a large team of virtual personal assistants who are able to claim tasks and get them done 24/7.
Their business model, therefore, is always looking for qualified people to take on these tasks.
For people who need flexible hours and are looking to make extra money at with work-at-home job, Fancy Hands can be a great option.
In this article we’ll look at virtual assistant work and discuss what sets Fancy Hands apart from its competitors.
We’ll then look into working for Fancy Hands, and consider what some current and ex-workers have said about working there.
A Brief Guide to Virtual Assistants
A virtual assistant takes the work traditionally done by a personal assistant and brings it into the cloud.
Virtual assistant jobs have become very popular for people who need flexible schedules and the ability to work from home.
Virtual assistants (VAs) can take on any number of tasks.
They can organize food delivery for an office or book flights for a client.
They can schedule meetings, set up conference calls, or even call to cancel a client’s cable.
In some instances, an office manager will hire an assistant for the entire office, giving employees the perk of having a certain number of tasks done by a virtual assistant.
Many virtual assistants start out working for companies like Fancy Hands, platforms where either pools of VAs or teams of assistants are assembled and then either claim tasks or work together to get tasks done.
Once experienced, assistants can start recruiting their own clients to offer their services on a part-time or full-time basis.
Some assistants have built out entire portfolios of clients who rely on them, and have created careers out of assisting people across the country and even around the world.
What Is Fancy Hands?
Fancy Hands Inc. was founded in 2010 by Ted Roden and is based in New York.
Roden says he started the company to try and remove all those annoying little tasks from a person’s day by delegating them to a team of United States-based personal assistants.
While Fancy Hands doesn’t limit what an assistant will take on, Roden says that by far the most popular part of his service is people making phone calls on behalf of clients that might require a wait time or an uncomfortable conversation.
In an interview with Fast Company, Roden talks about people who use his service to call a restaurant to change a reservation, especially when that reservation was hard to get in the first place.
That call might be uncomfortable or the restaurant may have odd hours when they answer the phone.
It’s one of those tasks that could sit on a to-do list for days.
That’s where Fancy Hands assistants come in.
How Fancy Hands Differs From Other Virtual Assistant Jobs
Some virtual assistant firms will match one assistant to a client, or have small teams that are dedicated to a certain client.
These services, like Zirtual, offer a more customized experience and promise that their assistants will get to know your business intimately.
Fancy Hands, on the other hand, offers a client’s task to any of their independent contractor signed on at that time. There’s a pool of work that you can sign up for daily.
This gives Fancy Hands a benefit in that many of their tasks are done quickly.
With assistants working around the clock, most tasks can be completed in 20 minutes or fewer, no matter when they are requested.
Other platforms with dedicated assistant teams can take quite a bit longer to get things done.
Working for Fancy Hands
We’ve looked at what virtual assistants are, what they do, and how Fancy Hands stands out from other companies.
Let’s talk about what it’s like to work for Fancy Hands.
Signing Up
To get started working for Fancy Hands, you’ll first need to head to www.fancyhands.com/jobs.
Scroll down and you’ll see a link to apply for an assistant position.
Click on that.
From there, you’ll be taken to start the application process, but before you do, you’ll need to make two things happen.
One, you’ll need to download and install the Google Chrome browser if you don’t already have it.
Second, you’ll have to create a Gmail email address.
Fancy Hands does this because their software works with the Google platform.
So, before you get going, they want to make sure you’re set up to work on their platform.
From there, they’ll use your Google account to sign in and create a Fancy Hands account for you.
Don’t want them accessing your personal Google account?
It’s easy to create one specifically for this job.
Just head to gmail.com and create a new account.
Requirements
Fancy Hands lists some requirements for people looking to be assistants with the company.
Some of these requirements are soft skills, or interpersonal skills: They want assistants who are great communicators, who can work with people to clearly understand the task and communicate a clear response when the task is completed.
Fancy Hands also says it’s great to have a broad knowledge of different fields and be a self-starter who isn’t afraid to take on tough tasks.
They also have some technical requirements, including a computer with a reliable internet connection and an audio headset with a microphone.
(They note that iPhone headphones work well in most cases.)
Also, as stated above, you’ll need Chrome and a Google email address.
Claiming Tasks
Once you’re part of the team, you can sign in to their TeamWork platform at any time to see jobs you can claim.
These new tasks will have a brief description and give you an idea of how long they should take.
This is handy if you don’t have much time and are just looking for a few minutes of work.
Some tasks are simple and can be done quickly — call up a restaurant and make a reservation under the client’s name, for instance.
Other jobs may require a bit more logistical work up front — they might want you to access a client’s Google Calendar or get their personal information to book a flight.
Whatever is needed, that information will be provided for you.
From there, you get the task done, file a report to the manager overseeing your task, and once it’s approved, you’ll be approved for payment.
Easy.
Getting Paid
When you first become a Fancy Hands assistant, you’ll get paid per task.
The rate runs from $3 to $7 per task, and the price is determined based on a few factors — how quickly the task can be completed, the time of day, and how complex the task is.
These tasks can run from a few minutes to a bit longer (canceling someone’s cable bill can take some time).
You must also submit documentation that you completed the task, which can take a few minutes as well.
On a per-minute basis, the pay is fair, but it’s hard to make Fancy Hands work as a full-time job because the tasks come irregularly.
Sometimes you’ll get five quick tasks to accomplish, other times you may go a day without finding a task that works with your schedule.
Assistants are paid every other Tuesday via Dwolla, which is an online, secure payment platform, kind of like PayPal.
Assistants are independent contractors, and not considered full-time employees.
Fancy Hands Reviews
When looking at any online workplace that hires people quickly, a good question to ask is: Is this a scam?
By all accounts, Fancy Hands pays honestly, is up front on the rates, and is a good operator in the field.
The website Glassdoor, which allows employees and ex-employees to anonymously comment on a company, has had a mixed bag of reviews for Fancy Hands.
The positive reviews note that the tasks are generally simple and easy to accomplish, and the work is flexible and can be done from home.
The negative reviews mainly focus on the process of signing up for tasks, and the approval process once tasks are complete.
Fancy Hands has managers who review tasks once they’re done, and if a manager feels the task wasn’t completed properly, he or she can ask for it to be completed more thoroughly.
This has rankled some assistants who felt they did the job well the first time and don’t like being asked to complete it again, especially at the pay rate that Fancy Hands offers.
It’s hard to know if managers are being uptight in this case or if the assistants aren’t doing as good a job as they should.
Make Extra Money With Fancy Hands
All in all, Fancy Hands looks like a solid way to make extra money online as a personal assistant.
By letting any assistant claim tasks, the website truly allows you to work whenever it’s convenient for you.
Most of the tasks are simple enough to complete, and the pay is decent, especially if you can complete multiple tasks in a row.
If you’re looking for a flexible side hustle, it’s a solid place to get going and get earning.
Hello,
I am currently going through the onboarding with fancy hands. I am trying to set up my account with Dwolla but am having trouble because I do not have an Employer Identification Number. Do you have any advice on this?