Do your eyes glaze over every time you look at a spreadsheet? Are your admin tasks eating up most of the day, making it hard to find time to focus on your core tasks?
Finding support can be challenging, but it can also be a game changer. And Virtual Assistants are a cost-conscious and convenient way to free up time, organize your workload, and let you refocus on the most high-value work you need to do.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
Virtual Assistants (VAs) are a 21st-century job that fall into a general “administrative assistant” category, along with other roles like:
- Executive assistants.
- Receptionists and front desk or office administrators.
- Virtual office support services.
- Bookkeepers, scheduling professionals, or other specialist administrative support.
- Customer service representatives.
VAs can be any of these roles, or more—it’s a catch-all term for anyone who provides assistance remotely or via the internet.
What Can Virtual Assistants Do?
VAs can help with anything administrative, depending on their skill set and abilities. They may be hired on an hourly basis to help with whatever comes up that day, or they may have a specific and ongoing role.
Here are a few examples of what a virtual assistant might help you with:
- Finances: Manage and track invoices, payments, and receipts.
- Scheduling: Oversee your calendar and appointments.
- Research: Compile data and information on competitors, clients, or the industry.
- Social media: Content creation and managing accounts.
- Communications: Answering phone calls, mail, and email.
- Personal tasks: Book and arrange travel details or other personal tasks.
To determine your needs, start by reviewing your workload and identify all of the tasks you need to complete. Then consider those that can be outsourced to someone else—it might be simple, routine things, or tasks that you aren’t very good at or don’t like.
Why Use a Virtual Assistant?
An assistant can help you get your work done. But why use a virtual assistant? Why not hire an in-person employee?
It comes down to cost and convenience. You can hire a VA to do exactly what you need—no more, no less. Just think:
- You only need mail and phone services? Use a virtual office.
- Need help with your calendar? Pay a VA for just a few hours a day to take care of it.
- Looking for social media support? Consider a monthly retainer fee for the VA to help as needed.
- Hoping to have someone help with ongoing daily tasks? Hire a VA on an open-ended contract.
There are a lot of tools to help entrepreneurs stay organized, but it still takes time and effort to use them. VAs are flexible, knowledgeable, and can work according to your needs, which is convenient and cost-effective.
Hiring a VA can keep prices low because you can hire from anywhere in the world. Many VAs work in countries with a lower cost of living, so their rates may be lower than hiring someone in the US.
But remember: you should always ensure you’re paying a fair wage, regardless of your VA’s geographic location. Many services that help you hire a VA will help you find this balance. But the goal should be to ensure that it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement for everyone.
Where Can You Find a Virtual Assistant?
Where to find a virtual assistant will depend on your goals. Coworking spaces often offer virtual offices services that help you fill some basic administrative needs like:
- Mail services, including package delivery coordination.
- Voicemail or live call-answering services.
- Other office tasks like recycling, shredding, notary, or registered agent services.
There are many reasons to use virtual office services, including helping you present a professional image by giving out a professional phone number or address instead of your own.
If you have more significant or specialized administrative needs, consider hiring a VA to work with on a regular basis. There are a few ways to find someone:
- Freelancing Marketplaces. Websites like Upwork and Fiverr have many VAs for hire. The pro is that you can find people of varying skill sets all over the world. Because you are negotiating the price yourself, it can be a cost-effective option. The con is that it’s an unregulated marketplace, so you’ll have to vet them yourself.
- Virtual Assistant Companies. There are companies like WoodBows or Prialto that hire and vet virtual assistants, making hiring an easier process.
- Word-of-mouth. Ask around with colleagues and other professional contacts to see if anyone can recommend a VA. You can usually find valuable information by networking with like-minded professionals—it’s one of many coworking community benefits!
When hiring a VA, it’s useful to remember some tips for building a strong team of freelancers:
- Assess your budget and needs.
- Create a job description that clearly describes what you’re looking for.
- Take your time to hire and onboard them.
- Put a contract in place.
VAs are a convenient, cost-effective way to free up some of your time by outsourcing admin work. You can get back to the things you love and invest time and energy into seeing your business or projects succeed!
If you’re in need of administrative support, get in touch with us today to find out if Virtual Office Services can help.