We can say that a virtual assistant is a solopreneur who is an expert in providing administrative services. Like the majority of the expert service providers, they operate from the comfort of their own house. If you wish to hire one you can go find them and learn more about rates and charges on virtual assistant websites. There are many virtual assistant companies, as nowadays the circumstances require everyone to work successfully from home so the need for VA’s is rising rapidly. Virtual assistant jobs include social media marketing, blog writing, graphic design, internet marketing, and content management.
VA’s not only provide the contractors or clients with their professional services but also save up a lot of money for the company, how is that you may ask? Also many people want a become a virtual online assistant to provide their services to clients during this pandemic.
Virtual assistant means that the person is not present in the office so he or she does not take up any office space. Then there will be the saving on the internet, office supplies, taxes, and other necessities that you can find in an office space. As the VA is independent, the company does not have to give any additional benefits to them. Therefore, in a way, there is a lot of saving and this is how a virtual assistant is helping the business. A Virtual Assistant is an ideal option for a small business, where buying an office is not an option.
Why You Need a VA Services?
Virtual assistants are become very popular now a days. More and more people are turning to them due to their great advantages and abilities. Here are the main reasons that why do you need a VA?
❖ Better Use of Your Employees
In a business, specific people are doing many things on time to prevent a collapse. Someone needs to do all the boring and repetitive work like filing and record keeping.
The answer is a virtual office assistant. Virtual assistant jobs may vary. A company may hire a virtual office assistant that organizes all company databases, updates employee information, or manages finances or pays.
The company may also hire a virtual phone assistant, who may take calls and transfer them to appropriate departments of the company. And you must also take care of your employees wellbeing as well.
This way the company will be using the skills of that employee where it is best rather than wasting it in attending phone calls and reading emails. A company may also hire a virtual executive assistant to do the more substantial errands. You may see that there are many virtual executive assistant jobs available in this pandemic.
❖ Reduced Costs
The main reason for outsourcing work is that it is very cheap. Outsourcing it to someone with a better experience will be a much better option and will be cheaper. While launching the new business use always these cost cutting strategies. Usually, there always is a training process for new in-home employees and there is always a hefty cost for it.
Businesses can eliminate that cost by hiring an already trained professional at a very little hourly rate. Similar are the characteristics of a virtual assistant business. They are experts and professionals who can start working without the need for any sort of training due to their long experience in the field. As an entrepreneurs you must need to know the tax saving tips for your small businesses.
Through a proper virtual assistant blog, the client knows about all the experiences of the VA and how he works, and the quality of work he outputs.
❖ Saves Time
VA helps in saving a lot of time. Time is of essence to businesses and the faster they get the job done, the better. Now if there is a new job opening, then obviously, there will be interviews, there will be tests, and a resume screening. This may take up a month or two. So, just go ahead and google virtual assistant. You will find a large number of VAs who already have their resume up on the site and are ready to work.
That is what is best about online virtual assistant; everything is taken care of online within a matter of hours. No need to sit in interviews and advertisement posters.
What kind of Services Does a Virtual Assistant Provide?
A virtual assistant services list includes a load of things. Virtual assistants can do anything related to your work; let us talk about some categories VA’s are very proficient in,
1. Personal Task
A very common set of tasks a virtual personal assistant is set to do is a personal task for the client. This includes tasks like,
- Managing client emails,
- Setting up his calendar and schedule for the coming days or weeks.
- Setting up meetings with the team
- Helping the client in completing his to-do list.
VA tasks may also include the assistant setting up dinner reservations, booking dentist and doctor appointments, and booking flight tickets for the client.
2. Administrative Work
In the professional world, a VA can be your very own virtual administrative assistant. The tasks an administrative VA is capable of doing are,
- Reading and organizing the mail,
- Scheduling and reminding you of meetings,
- Sending out invitations,
- Managing your payments,
- Look into inquiries,
- Take calls for you
And much more. There is no limit to the jobs you can assign to your virtual administrative assistant.
3. Content Writer
Content writing is propelling to the top of the digital marketing ladder. Through blogs, articles, and posts, a lot can be said about a company. These blogging tips will be very helpful if you start from journal writing. If you do not want the VA to write your blog, no matter, give it to them for proofreading. They will make sure it is SEO compliant and delivers all the information it needs to do so. Content writing jobs include designing email templates, writing guides for your product, or just simply editing a document. A VA can do all sorts of content writing if they have the proper training.
4. Web Design, Development & Maintenance
VA’s who are proficient in programming and webpage development also use this skill as a service. They will design web pages, will edit your existing websites, and will upload and update information. A social media virtual assistant will manage your social media accounts and keep you up to date with your profile and the events that are happening. Also, you may make use of a virtual assistant software to hire a virtual marketing assistant for your business.
5. Customer Service
You do not need any dedicated space for a person just so he can listen to complaints. Save money, hire a VA who will work from home and cater to customer concerns. There is no complexity in the customer service job so a VA can perform it quite easily.
6 Skills a Virtual Personal Assistant Must Have
Virtual Assistant work is spread across many fields and professions as it is the job of the assistant to cater to the client be it of any kind. That is why virtual assistant skills are vast and there are a lot of options. Let’s talk about some skills a personal virtual assistant must-have.
1) Word Processing skills
Word processing very common in many VA training courses. They includes typing and data entries. The best virtual assistant will always type a very accurate and engaging piece for his client.
2) Oral Communication and Writing skills
Communication is key in this job. The main ways of communication are either verbally or by writing. So, a VA needs to hone both these skills to work quickly and effectively.
3) Computer Skills
As it is the age of computer every little job is done on them. It is really hard to survive and earn for yourself if you do not know how a computer works. You must learn these computer skills for any working platform. Hiring a virtual assistant who knows his way around a computer is the right way to go.
4) Quick Thinking and Effective Decision Making
An assistant needs to be quick and well aware. The client entrusts the assistant with things and he expects the VA to complete them properly. So, it will be wise to sharpen your thinking and decision making skills to make decision fast. Lawyers expect their virtual legal assistant to be quick and decisive as their work involves a lot of decision-making and quick thinking.
5) Self-Motivation and Discipline
The virtual assistant needs to be ready to follow client orders and be available whenever possible. Getting up on time to submitting your work on time, following a strict schedule, clients value these things.
6) Lastly, Love for Continuous Learning
As you know, a job of a VA is very diverse and can sometimes be very tiresome. Dedication and the continuous and unwavering desire to learn are what this job demands. This job is all about learning.
How to Find a Virtual Office Assistant
If you cannot handle a business by yourself if your workload is too much then it’s high time you hire a virtual assistant. The number of freelancers on the internet has been increasing at a very high rate. There are proper sites where you can hire a VA according to your work requirements. If you don’t want that just post an advertisement about what you want and what you are looking for in a VA.
You need to start by making a list of tasks or jobs you will be outsourcing to the assistant. Prioritize the jobs and emphasize the ones that require time and thought. An example is,
You find reading and replying to emails very time-consuming and tedious. You could be doing something else or resting. So, put this task as the most important one.
Now the next step is finding the right person for the job and from where? As I said before this industry is very popular and widespread so you can find VA’s almost anywhere online. There is the option of a firm that trains and hires assistants. These people are usually the way to go as they are professionals and this is the main focus of their job, Virtual Assistance.
You can also find virtual assistants on freelancing sites. Upwork virtual assistant are very professional and have very good reviews, go and have a look there.
The last option to ask someone who already has experience with VA’s. They will always recommend some good options.
Take your time and find the right assistant for yourself. That person may prove is making your life easier and stress-free.
Hope you find the right virtual assistant for yourself.
