Are you a business owner facing an overwhelming list of tasks and deadlines? Are you considering hiring help but are concerned about hiring someone full time but not having enough work for them? You may wish to consider hiring a virtual assistant.
Who are virtual assistants
Virtual assistants are self-employed professionals that offer a range of services to support a business owner remotely, eliminating the need of taking up a physical office desk. Armed with a vast range of technology and online tools, virtual assistants help alleviate a business owner’s stress by helping them keep everything organised and efficient.
Here are some examples of what the virtual assistant can help a business owner with:
- Email and calendar management
- Market research
- Social media management
- Proofreading of presentations and contracts
- General administrative tasks
- Bookkeeping
- And many more tasks
Why hire a virtual assistant
Amongst the many benefits of hiring virtual assistants, here are the three reasons to hire one:
Increase productivity and efficiency
A virtual assistant will help you keep your timelines in check and ensure that tasks are completed within the stipulated time. They could also ensure that your emails get read, filtered and answered on time so your customers get better taken care of.
Greater Flexibility
You determine the scope of work and the hours needed based on the tasks and business requirements. As virtual assistants are not confined to a physical location, you have access to an international pool of talents to assist you in your business.
Save time and money
For small business owners, hiring budgets are always a concern. A virtual assistant is a contract worker rather than a full time employee, thus there is no need for an additional office space headcount nor would you need to worry about employee benefits and other costs associated with a full time staff. Getting tasks outsourced will also free your time to focus on more important aspects such as looking for new clients and growing your business.
What to consider when hiring a virtual assistant
Here are top three things to consider when hiring a virtual assistant:
Expectations
Be clear about what your specific needs and requirements are. Make a list of tasks that you need help on and that you are able to delegate to your virtual assistant. This could be a basic list in which you could add onto in the course of working with your virtual assistant.
Skills and Qualities
Have in mind a set of skills and qualities you’d like when looking for a virtual assistant. Look for a virtual assistant that takes the initiative to ask questions and make suggestions to improve your processes. As you will be working very closely with your virtual assistant, it might also be useful to list down personality qualities that you wish to see in a virtual assistant so that you will be comfortable working with that individual in the long run.
Trial Run
Start out with a trial run. It could be in the form of a probation period for a month or a smaller set of tasks so you can ensure that the virtual assistant is a good fit for your business.
In conclusion
Hiring a virtual assistant may seem daunting at first but once you take that first step and hire one that you are able to rely on, you will find yourself with more time to concentrate on what’s more important to you and your business.
