Beyond The Screen: What is a Virtual Assistant?
Virtual Assistants, like what the title suggests, are assistants – but work remotely, which is a good thing, for a lot of reasons, other than safety – especially now. And if you’re a business owner, deciding whether or not to hire one to help you out with your business, we’re here to give you reasons why hiring one will be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.
Before we talk about what makes Virtual Assistants different from traditional assistants, let’s talk about how Virtual Assistants are similar, first.
Virtual Assistants, like regular assistants, are used for administrative tasks. Yes, you read that right. So whether it be handling your schedules, checking your email and decluttering them, setting appointments, taking minutes of meetings, organizing files, and even making and taking phone calls – they can do it for you. Can they make me a coffee? While they can’t be there to make you one, they can still order one for you if you’re ever too busy.
You’re probably thinking, how can they do this without being there physically? Simple. Our technology is constantly evolving and innovating, and the tools we need now that most people are working remotely – are consistently being developed and upgraded, too. Aside from that, most businesses now have been upping their game by becoming virtually present.
Now that we’ve discussed the things Virtual Assistants and regular office assistants have in common, let’s get to know them even more by learning how they are different from traditional assistants.
They are low maintenance.
You read that right! With Virtual Assistants, you don’t only streamline your business with their help, but you also spend less.
If we’re going to compare them to traditional assistants, Virtual Assistants don’t take up much space, as they don’t work in an office. Most of the time, they work in their homes or a co-working space – this means you won’t need to provide for their desk, chair, internet connection, and electricity.
Aside from not buying furniture, you also save a lot of money by not buying other equipment such as a computer, as they already have their own.
They can do more than administrative tasks.
When we think of assistants, the first thing that would probably come to mind is that they’re the ones responsible for administrative tasks, like taking phone calls, arranging meetings, and taking care of documents, among other things. However, you can have them do other jobs or focus on one with Virtual Assistants.
For example, most Virtual Assistants nowadays are not only assigned administrative tasks, and they are given additional duties such as social media management, email customer support, and even content creation. But of course, they will need to work longer hours to finish this.
But the good thing is, you only need to pay them for the hours they worked for, or the output you both on – so you only pay them on a task basis. If this is confusing, an example is that they get paid for every content they create for your business’s social media or if they reach a quota.
They have more flexible schedules.
Since virtual assistants work remotely, this could also mean they are located in a different state or country with a different time zone.
Before you even frown at it, think of the opportunities this could bring; longer or 24/7 business hours for customer support or having someone get documents ready for an emergency meeting while you get some rest or prepare for it.
They are self-sufficient and self-improving.
Since Virtual Assistants are also used in freelancing, one of the things they make sure is that they keep upgrading their knowledge to land better jobs. This means fewer expenses for you on training, as they are already likely to do it independently.
Now, being trained and skilled in many things, they are straightforward to work with, as there wouldn’t be a need for micromanagement. We’re confident that virtual assistants already know what to do when you give them a task.
These are only a few of the things that Virtual Assistants can do and the benefits you get from hiring one – it’s pretty much a never-ending list as they can do ‘virtually’ anything. And if you do hire one eventually, we can assure you that it is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.
[Insert Company Name] can add leverage to your business by helping you manage the tasks taking up too much of your time by providing you quality first-class Virtual Assistant service. Start outsourcing with us today!