Virtual Assistants: What Do They Do?
A virtual assistant is a remote employee who completes a variety of tasks to support a business, according to Indeed.
Virtual assistants work remotely and most of them are independent contractors or freelancers who provide services as non-employees. Depending on the type of service or tasks they perform, virtual assistants can be paid project-based or at an hourly rate.
Industries That Commonly Hire Virtual Assistants
Experts believe that businesses related to Personal services, Travel, Information technology, Healthcare, and Construction will immensely grow in the coming years.
The increasing demand in these industries has created opportunities for skilled individuals who can provide professional remote support services. Presently, these skilled individuals are known as virtual assistants.
Are you a small business owner? You may check if your business venture can benefit if you hire a virtual assistant.
Here are the industries known for employing virtual assistants:
- Information Technology
- Personal Services
- Travel and Hospitality
- Healthcare
- Law
- Education
- Entertainment
- Real Estate
- Accounting and Financial
Benefits Of Having A Virtual Assistant
1. Save time From Tedious tasks
Virtual assistants are well-known for handling administrative tasks and repetitive tasks.
A blog mentioned that, on average, executives spend an average of 16 hours per week on administrative duties and other work that does not require their authority or expertise. This significant amount of time can be devoted to income-generating activities and other core business services.
To free up time for more important roles, big companies and startup businesses can hire virtual assistants to handle administrative duties. This way, executives and business owners can focus on building key relationships for business growth.
Some examples of duties that can be delegated to a virtual assistant are data entry, social media management, calendar management, digital marketing, administrative work, and other tasks.
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.
When executives and department heads are freed from admin tasks, they can shift their focus to more important activities. Hiring a virtual assistant, parallel to hiring full-time employees, boosts work efficiency as it helps another individual accomplish more at work and fosters job satisfaction.
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.
The article published by Forbes mentioned when it comes to attracting talent, remote positions remove the geographic boundaries from the available talent pool. Businesses are no longer delimited in their recruiting efforts to candidates located within commuting distance of their offices. As a result, companies can now engage with potential new hires based on their skills and talents regardless of their home address.
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. Given that, business owners only have to provide job descriptions once, eventually reducing micromanagement.
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.
Are You Interested In Hiring A Virtual Assistant?
If you believe that your business will benefit from virtual assistance, contact Remote Raven now and schedule a consultation!
Remote Raven is affiliated with Filipino Recruitment Specialists who have connections with individuals skilled in fulfilling virtual assistant roles. Best virtual assistants can perform social media marketing, project management, lead generation through website contact forms, and other specific tasks depending on your business needs.
Small business owners and even CEOs of big companies can all benefit from onboarding a virtual assistant because they perform tasks like full-time employees at a reduced operation cost. Moreover, remote workers are skilled in fulfilling the duties of onsite administrative assistants. They can accomplish repetitive tasks to free up time for leaders to perform bigger roles.
How much does a virtual assistant cost? Remote Raven will help answer all your questions about onboarding a virtual assistant today. The agency will help you every step of the way in hiring your first virtual assistant. Remote Raven is an expert in finding the best virtual assistant with specific talents suitable for your business needs.
Always remember, find virtual assistants only from trusted websites and accredited outsourcing companies!
