Virtual Assistants: Know What They Do And Learn How To Hire Them

No one can run a business all by himself or herself, it is not one-man army labor, but an amalgamated effort put by a talented and skilled workforce. A well-established business would be able to hire virtual assistants according to their needs and requirements, but what about startups and small businesses?

Hire virtual assistants services prove to be an apt solution in such a scenario. Well, these days, even established businesses rely on virtual assistants to save on some budget, conserve resources, and for positive outcomes.

The virtual assistant industry is on the rise and expert forecasts that in the near future nobody would want to have a physical office and most of the tasks would be outsourced. So, it is better to have a fair idea of what virtual assistants do and how to hire them.

Who is a ‘Virtual Assistant’?

A virtual assistant is a skilled freelancer or an independent worker who provides services to a client or clients. The services are provided from a remote location, typically from a home office. Advancements in the technology and modern day gadgets makes the transfer of documents, sharing of files and other data quite easy. People employed as virtual assistants usually have many years of work experience prior to their choice of becoming a hire virtual assistants. However, virtual assistance is not the right choice if one is looking forward to getting done a task that requires the physical presence of the person.

The Tasks That A Virtual Assistant Can Undertake

Extreme workload, unfamiliar business opportunities, and ever-changing software tools, finding the right in-house employee who can cope up with all of these is a Herculean task. Instead, rely on a virtual assistance provider that has all the experts under one roof. A ‘Virtual Assistant’ can undertake primary as well as secondary business tasks, helping businesses to achieve sustainability in the long-haul. The tasks listed below are just a small part of the actuality. hire virtual assistant service provider can do much more than the ones listed below.

How the Term “Virtual Assistant” Begin to Exist

In the year 1996, life coach Thomas Leonard was having a phone conversation with Anastacia Brice, who was then working as a home-based contractor. He coined the term Virtual Assistance during his conversion with Anastacia. Later in 1997, Anastacia Brice opened the first organization for VAs called ‘the AssistU’, which is existing even now.

(*Incident Published by VirtualAssistantInc.com)

List of Tasks That a Virtual Assistant can Handle

Business Support

• E-Commerce Support
• Data Entry and Data Processing
• Document Management
• Customer Support and CRM Support
• Business Research
• Lead Generation
• Chat Support
• Contact Research
• Customer Support

Finance and Accounting

• Bookkeeping Services
• Accounting Services
• Payroll Processing Services
• QuickBooks Accounting Services
• Cash Flow Management Services
• Financial Consultants
• Invoice Processing Services

BPO

• Inbound call management
• Telemarketing Services
• Live Chat Support
• Technical Support
• Email Support Services
• CCTV Monitoring Services

IT Development

• Website Development
• Website Redesigning Services
• Web Typography
• App Design and Development
• E-commerce Website Design

Digital Marketing

• Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media Optimization
• PPC Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing
• Amazon SEO Services

Creative Design

• Website Design
• Animation
• UI/UX Design
• Video Editing
• Newsletter Design
• Business Card Design
• Print Advertising
• eBooks Design
• Logo Design

Top Reasons Why Businesses Rely On Virtual Assistants

#1.  To save time, giving space for those in the first line management to concentrate more on money making primary tasks.

#2.  The profitable decision, welcoming money-saving steps and revenue generating business moves.

#3.  Escape micromanagement by entrusting experts who are equipped with the right knowledge and tools.

#4.  Streamlining business operations by outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistance provider.

#5.  Speeding up business processes by delegating repetitive and other time-consuming tasks to those who have prior experience in doing similar tasks.

#6.  Bringing authentic ideas by consulting subject matter experts working for a virtual assistance agency.

#7.  To serve different time zones, businesses hire virtual assistants to work round the clock.

#8.  Helping people to work at their best by letting them work from their comfort zones.  Globally, people who have opted to work from home has drastically increased their productivity. A Stanford professor says that working from home makes workers happy and efficient. The report was published by inc.com.

#9.  To find leisure time. ‘Entrepreneur’ is a cool title but, once you win the title, rest is a race. The race towards success, slaying competitions, and craving for more time to pursue a hobby or to spend time with the family. The finest way to fulfill all the personal dreams is to give away the extra work on the plate.

The loophole in hiring the best brains as your virtual assistant is that unless you know where to find the right place or agency, it is quite risky. Remember, you are going to give confidential details to an outsider and you are also going to spend money; choose the virtual assistant keeping these points in mind.

Quick tips on finding the right Virtual Assistants are;

• Hire from a virtual assistance service provider with a great reputation. Don’t forget to check the reviews of the other clients
• Bring clarity in the conversation while talking to the virtual assistants. Make sure you give the project instructions congruously.

• Don’t give the responsibilities of hiring a virtual assistant to a second person. Do it all by yourself to make sure to get the person of your preference.
• Ask for the work profiles and portfolios. For instance, if you want to hire a content writer, it is better to find those who have got relevant experience. Streamline your search by deciding on whether you need a creative or business content writer or technical writer or a medical writer. Make sure you focus on checking all the sources, including the social media listing to find your nearest virtual assistance provider.
• Make sure the charges matches the budget you have in mind. Apparently, one shouldn’t end up in finding a virtual assistant who would complete the tasks double the charge than the choice of having an in-house employee.

These tips are basics and honestly, it would work or it may not depending upon the industry you work with, the tasks you are planning to delegate and the geographical location of your business operation.

Whether you are a startup or a well-established firm, hire virtual assistants would only bring positive outcomes.

know more>> Things to know before hiring Virtual Assistants in 2021

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