“A rising tide lifts all boats”
-John F. Kennedy
As a business grows, so do the responsibilities and workload of its employees. Situations arise whereby the CEO and the existing in-house team cannot handle all the tasks that keep the business running smoothly. However, hiring new, full-time in-house staff might also not be an option. So, what are companies to do under such circumstances?
The solution lies in virtual assistants. Virtual assistants have become increasingly popular within the global business world, especially after the pandemic dispelled many misconceptions about remote work. Stay tuned if you like to learn what virtual assistants do and why you might need one. This article will cover all the details.
Virtual assistants (VA) are employees/contractors who provide administrative support and services to you and your business from a remote location. They usually work as independent contractors, part-time or full-time remote workers, and they’ve been hired by companies from various industries.
VAs tend to handle the work of an executive assistant. They’re usually in charge of scheduling, email correspondence, customer services, bookkeeping, and more. Their exact job description depends on the company that hires them.
The term virtual assistant may seem novel, but this title has been around for a while. It merely hasn’t been as popular because most of the business world perceived remote work as ineffective. The pandemic changed that perception forever. There’s now a growing demand for VAs worldwide. The Business Wire even estimated that the market for these employees will reach $25.6 billion by 2025.
As mentioned, the virtual assistant’s position doesn’t come with a fixed list of tasks and duties. What these employees do heavily depends on the company they work for and the arrangement they’ve made with it. Nevertheless, there are a few obligations these professionals typically undertake:
Many CEOs, business owners, and managers assume they don’t need virtual assistants. They believe they wouldn’t have enough work for a VA, even if they worked part-time. However, that’s usually a result of them never assessing the amount of work they handle daily.
Plenty of tasks we perform regularly seem trivial and easy — they don’t take more than five minutes to complete. Nevertheless, if you added all those tasks together, you’d realize how much time they take out of your work day.
The best way to determine whether you need a virtual assistant is to track all the work you do over a fixed time interval. For instance, you can document the tasks you handle over the course of a month. At the end of that timeframe, sort those tasks into categories according to their nature. You might group them into an administrative, reporting, customer service, and marketing tasks category.
Look through the categories in more detail and think about the ones you could outsource with a small amount of training. Once you’ve made the decision, you’ll be able to use them to write a job posting for a VA with a list of responsibilities.
If you’re worried about finding a VA with the skills and knowledge to fulfill all these tasks, you’re not alone. This is a common concern, and it’s not baseless. However, the pros of hiring a VA outweigh the cons in this situation.
You’ll most likely have to spend some time with your new employee(s), train them, and help them adapt to your business practices. Nevertheless, this process shouldn’t be too long or complex if you create a good plan and recruit the right person. You should see the benefits they’ve brought to your business in no time.
There’s no formula for finding VAs that can guarantee you’ll secure the perfect person for this position in your company. However, all virtual assistants should have a few fundamentally important qualities to do their job effectively and efficiently. For your convenience, we’ve listed them below. Have a look:
Virtual assistants are in high demand for a reason. These employees/contractors can ease the burden on you and your team, help streamline your business, and save you a ton of time. If you’re interested in finding one for your company, it’s the perfect time to start. Screen your candidates thoroughly, spend some time training and upscaling the chosen one, and you’ll reap the rewards soon.
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This blog is not meant to provide specific advice or opinions regarding the topic(s) discussed above. Should you have a question about your specific situation, please discuss it with your GBA advisor.
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