Companies Hiring Virtual Assistants, Why Is It Trending?
Over the last couple of years, virtual assistant services have gained popularity.
Virtual assistance is a service provided by professional remote workers who utilize the internet and technology to accomplish various tasks outside of a traditional office space. With technological advancements, virtual employees can now remotely fulfill several duties and responsibilities.
The Virtual Assistant Business has existed long before, but the global pandemic forced a majority of employees to work from home and thus made the industry more prominent.
According to LinkedIn, when executives, entrepreneurs, and experienced industry employees become more busy than productive, they often look for help from virtual assistants with the business skills and experience necessary to take on essential tasks. VA positions offer remote work opportunities for those who want flexible hours and work environments.
Important Skills To Look For A Virtual Assistant
Are you interested in hiring a remote employee to help you with several tasks at work? If yes, here are the top virtual assistant skills you should look for during the hiring process.
1. Effective Communication
According to the National Communication Association, at its foundation, communication focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts.
In a remote work arrangement, communicating effectively is at the core of a successful virtual assistant’s skill set.
Virtual assistants must be proficient in both written communication skills, and verbal communication skills. This ensures clear and concise interactions with clients, colleagues, and other stakeholders. Strong communication skills enable virtual assistants to convey ideas, instructions, and updates effectively, fostering a sense of trust and professionalism in their relationships.
A virtual assistant with outstanding communication skills can efficiently handle duties like social media management, and project management.
2. Organizational Abilities
Another one of the important virtual assistant skills is organizational abilities.
According to Indeed, an organized VA diligently meets deadlines. This subsequently minimizes the stress of employers and managers and helps them carry out their more important duties efficiently.
Moreover, organizational capabilities allow an individual to prioritize tasks effectively, and use resources efficiently and effectively. Being organized means managing time, energy, and workspace well, and accomplishing all assigned tasks. Organizational skills can take different forms depending on a particular workplace and job title, but they typically involve maintaining an orderly workspace, meeting deadlines, managing multiple tasks, and communicating well with your team.
The most common types of organizational skills are:
- Setting goals
- Delegation
- Working under pressure
- Self-motivation
- Analytical thinking
- Attention to detail
- Decision-making
- Strategic planning
3. Technological Proficiency Or Computer Skills
Given the nature of virtual assistant duties, they are expected to possess advanced technological proficiency.
Virtual assistant jobs greatly rely on the Internet, gadgets, software, and other tech. These work tools make it possible for remote workers to connect with employers and clients who live in different countries and time zones.
In today’s digital age, virtual assistants must be technologically proficient to navigate various online tools and social media platforms. They should have a solid understanding of communication tools, project management software, file-sharing platforms, collaboration tools, and other technologies relevant to their field. Being adept at utilizing these tools enhances their productivity, and allows for seamless collaboration with clients and team members.
4. Time Management Skills
According to TechTarget, time management is the coordination of tasks and activities to maximize the effectiveness of an individual’s efforts. As a skill, time management is an essential talent for virtual assistants as they often work with multiple clients or projects simultaneously.
Skills in time management enable virtual assistants to allocate their time effectively, ensuring that each task receives the necessary attention and is completed within the given deadlines. Effective time management helps an individual’s virtual assistant career maintain a balanced workload and deliver consistent results.
5. Problem-Solving Abilities
A good virtual assistant possesses a diverse skill set including problem-solving abilities. Having such critical skills allows many virtual assistants to face and overcome challenges and obstacles while fulfilling their roles and supporting their clients at the same time.
An individual with exceptional problem-solving skills can analyze problems, identify alternative approaches, formulate creative solutions, and implement effective strategies. In a remote arrangement, virtual assistants can navigate complex situations and provide valuable support to their clients.
In addition to these five key abilities, skills for virtual assistants also require soft skills like interpersonal skills. People skills allow an employee to communicate effectively, and exceptionally perform customer relationship management. Other VA qualities that can bring value to your business are adaptability, professionalism, and a continuous learning mindset. The ability to adapt to changing client needs, maintain a high level of professionalism in all interactions, and constantly seek opportunities for professional growth and development are essential for long-term success as a virtual assistant.
Top Benefits Of Having A Virtual Assistant
1. Save time From Tedious tasks
Virtual assistants are well-known for handling administrative tasks and repetitive tasks.
To free up time for more important roles, owners of big companies and startup businesses prefer hiring virtual assistants to handle administrative duties. This way, executives can focus on building key relationships for business growth.
2. Boost Work Efficiency
Helping boost work efficiency is another one of the many benefits of a virtual assistant.
As mentioned, a VA can manage time-consuming tasks like scheduling meetings and answering phone calls. Virtual assistants generally help businesses with non-core tasks yet are still vital in running day-to-day operations.
3. Reduce Operation Cost
A significant difference between virtual assistants and full-time office employees is the work setup. VAs work remotely, and sometimes even from a different timezone.
Hiring virtual assistants reduces operational costs because they do not require office space. You may save money on electricity, cleaning services, other utility bills, and even employee benefits as a business owner.
A qualified virtual assistant can provide inexpensive yet invaluable services similar to an onsite full-time employee, even without spending on training costs, according to a post.
4. Gain Access To Specialized Skills and Services
Traditionally, companies are geographically limited when hiring skilled individuals. The rise of remote work opportunities has opened access for employers to hire qualified candidates from anywhere in the world.
One of the biggest advantages of remote work is its power to become the equalizer in business, talent acquisition, and employee experience, according to Forbes.
This new flexibility has allowed companies to pursue qualified virtual assistants more effectively and further helps facilitate the composition of a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
5. Reduced Micromanagement
When you hire a virtual assistant, it means you are open to delegate tasks at work. The right virtual assistant offers a specialized skill set. Included in their skills are flexibility and adaptability.
Most virtual assistants have experience in handling multiple clients. Their professional background greatly supports business productivity. With their time-management skills, a virtual assistant can accomplish daily tasks and provide administrative support even with minimal supervision.
6. Healthier Work Environment, Avoid Work Burnout
Business operations can benefit from the positive disposition and enhanced emotional well-being of employees. An employee assigned with just enough workload, and given proper time to rest and enjoy their personal life maintains a healthy mind and body. A healthy work-life balance promotes productivity, according to a report.
Onsite workers and business owners can all attain an improved work-life balance and prevent burnout by hiring a virtual assistant. The VA can take responsibility for basic tasks and ease some time off of other employees who have bigger roles.
7. Improved Customer Service
Hiring a virtual assistant can help enhance the customer service of any business.
When the staff of your company is only located in one area, coping with global needs and different time zones can take time and effort. To address the problem, business owners have now started hiring VAs from different regions and countries to provide 24/7 customer assistance to their clients.
Your business can continue to operate at your desired time, and the social media accounts of your business can be updated even when you are not in the office when you hire a virtual assistant with exceptional skills. With their specialized services and advanced communication tools, virtual assistants offer smart business solutions.
How To Find The Best Remote Employee?
The rise of remote work arrangements has eliminated geographical limitations related to hiring. Companies gained access to a larger talent pool. But with the seemingly endless list of potential candidates, hiring a virtual assistant can become overwhelming.
If you are interested in onboarding a remote worker for your business, contact Remote Raven now. The agency has highly skilled Talent Acquisition Specialists who can assess your specific business needs and search for the most compatible virtual employee for you.
Remote Raven exclusively works with talented Filipino individuals. Virtual workers from the Philippines bring a lot of advantages for any organization because they have modest salary expectations, are tech-savvy and detail-oriented, and possess exceptional English proficiency. Moreover, Filipino work ethics are compatible with Western culture.
Wondering how much a virtual assistant costs? Remote Raven will help answer all your questions about onboarding a virtual assistant. With a proven track record, the agency will help you every step of the way in hiring your first virtual assistant.
Contact Remote Raven now!
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