The Benefits Of Having A Virtual Assistant

So what does a virtual assistant do? A virtual assistant is an independent contractor that offers administrative services to a company remotely. The term “virtual assistant” emerged in the 90s to describe the burgeoning trend of virtual work— thanks to major technological innovations, workers could begin sharing documents and taking important business calls from outside their offices.

Virtual assistants have surged in popularity over the last few decades due to the evolving nature of business. Many companies are opting to save money on large office spaces and bloated teams, and instead are investing in flexible work arrangements and schedules. The result is a more agile and modern approach to team organization and project management.

Types of Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants come with different skills and specializations. Each one can help you with a specific function or department of your business. Below are just a few examples of the different types of virtual assistants available:

1. Bookkeeper – Great with accounting and tracking budgets for various projects.

2. Administrative Assistant – Schedules meetings, completes routine reporting, and handles communication between executives and outside entities.

3. Scribe – Types notes during meetings or presentations.

4. Social media manager – Handles the company’s various social accounts.

6. Designer – Designs presentations, infographics, logos, flyers, and other visual collateral.

7. Research Analyst – Conducts research tasks or interviews and analyzes business data.

The role of a virtual assistant can also change depending on the business. Some companies may even hire virtual assistants that handle multiple responsibilities at once.

4 Benefits Of Having A Virtual Assistant

Reduce operating costs

Virtual assistants can provide inexpensive yet invaluable services to your company, allowing your operations to reduce cost. They may also allow you to hire a freelance assistant on an as-needed, rather than full or part-time basis.

Save time on initiatives and projects

Many of the tasks undertaken by virtual assistants tend to be somewhat tactical or repetitive, such as taking notes or submitting weekly or monthly expense reports. These tasks can take away from more pressing issues, such as client meetings or lead generation. When leaders delegate time-consuming tasks to virtual assistants, they can focus on the more important tasks on their agenda.

Greater work efficiency

Leaders aren’t the only ones that benefit— other team members may also have a lot on their plate and need either temporary or more regular assistance. Social media managers, for instance, are most effective when they can assign writing, research, or graphic design to assistants, allowing them to focus on editing and delivery.

5 Ways A Virtual Assistant Can Help Grow Your Business

Data entry

Finance, accounting, and data firms rely on carefully organized information, whether it’s a balance sheet or the results of a large-scale study. While the act of data entry is relatively simple, it can be monotonous, particularly if your skills are better applied elsewhere. Having a dedicated virtual assistant to focus on data entry can free up your schedule while developing a more accurate means of data collection.

Administrative tasks

Scheduling meetings, following up on email communications, maintaining records… these are tasks simple enough that they can be done by just about anyone. But to do them well, it’s worth hiring someone that specializes in this type of work. With fewer administrative tasks to keep up with, your team will have more time to focus on areas where they can add real value based on their distinctive skillsets.

Social media management

Despite the widespread use of social media in today’s society, many business leaders still fail to see its value – often this is because it takes so much time to deliver truly engaging content, consistently. A virtual assistant dedicated to social media can make all the difference—ensuring your company maintains an online presence while creating a two-way channel for loyal customers.

How Much Does A Virtual Assistant Cost?

While both in-house employees and virtual assistants can be valuable assets to your business, they come with different cost structures. In-house employees may have higher upfront costs due to salaries, benefits, and office space requirements. In contrast, virtual assistants offer more flexibility and can be a more cost-effective solution, especially for small businesses or companies with fluctuating workloads. It's essential to carefully consider your business's specific needs and budget when deciding which option is right for you.

Top Shelf Assistants offer a variety of packages and hourly options. If you need local help in the state of North Carolina, we can put a package together for you!

How To Hire & Manage A Virtual Assistant

Set expectations from the start

Always start with the scope of the project and the responsibilities expected of the virtual assistant. How much time should the project take? How will the VA be paid? What is considered in-scope, and what is a stretch goal? These are the types of questions you want to be asking yourself because it is very likely your virtual assistant will ask once hired.

That’s why it’s crucial to provide clear guidelines and process documents such as an SOW (Scope of Work) to set the scope and responsibilities; this prevents any confusion and enhances the likelihood of success.

Define a daily schedule

Once all the contracts are signed, the next step is to define a consistent schedule for work or checking in. Because virtual assistants are not physically present in the office, it can be challenging to ensure they stay on task or communicate clearly. Speak with the virtual assistant about their availability, and find overlaps between your company schedule and their schedule. Top Shelf Assistants will share "office" hours with each clients with any closures or available extended hours.

Define a budget

One of the most compelling reasons to hire a virtual assistant is cost—virtual assistants are by far more affordable than full-time hires. But without a budget, you can easily spend more than you intend to. In setting up a project for a VA, ask long each task should take, and accordingly, how much each task will cost based on the VA’s rate. Be as upfront as possible about your budget, and you can avoid potential fallouts or disagreements regarding compensation.

Track time and tasks

Accountability is key when it comes to remote work. Nothing stops a virtual assistant from claiming to have worked on something when they haven’t, or conversely, spending hours on a project but not having it tracked. Top Shelf Assistants use project management apps and screenshot monitoring to evaluate the overall progress and efficiency of your dedicated virtual assistants.

Provide useful performance feedback

To truly support and push your virtual assistants to improve, provide them with monthly or even quarterly reports; this can be as simple as a quick one-on-one conversation, but it is most important to address the greatest strengths and opportunities for improvement. Your virtual assistant will appreciate the honesty and repay the gesture through their efforts.

Virtual assistants are more than just remote workers. They can form the backbone of your business even as you work on other tasks. Their work may not always impact the bottom line directly. Still, their presence can be felt by everyone on the team, particularly when they can shift their focus from more repetitive tasks (such as social media or data entry) to other priorities. Give them the proper goals and guidance, and virtual assistants can genuinely transform the way your team operates.

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