Once a simple outsourcing shop that ran bank computers for a fee, ACS has pushed into a dizzying variety of new services, which include scanning credit card applications into computers and storing microfilmed copies of documents in an underground bunker in Mississippi.

FORBES: The human factor

One route is to buy a subscription through an outsourcing company, which matches virtual assistants with clients for a monthly fee.

WSJ: 'Get Me a Hair Appointment and Empty My Inbox'