Instead of spending time on needless responsibilities, company executives should be able to focus on more important tasks like business development and building a great company culture inside. Fortunately, there is one efficient way to resolve this problem hiring a virtual assistant.
Here we’ll talk about why you need a virtual assistant and why a remote helper is the best alternative to an in-office one.
What virtual assistants do
A virtual assistant (VA) is an online professional helper that speeds up the process of administrative deals, recruiting, and other tasks. It works remotely and can be based anywhere throughout the world. Here we answered the question of how to be a virtual assistant. But where can we find him? There are agencies that provide a professional workforce employing some VAs working as freelancers and others.
Virtual assistant skills are day-to-day business operations such as managing email accounts, customer support, internet marketing, content creation, appointment scheduling, making phone calls, graphic design, bookkeeping, etc.
Benefits of a virtual assistant
It should convert the mass of processes in the business into a profit for its employees and thus raise the brand rating. Well, 4 top reasons you need to use a virtual assistant service:
1. Great talent pool
The worldwide option gives you a chance to hire VA from any checkpoint. End-to-end virtual assistant duties will satisfy your client in no time. Why? Customers can ask for help immediately from a virtual assistant, who will have a set of questions to be answered.
2. Reduced expenses
An online assistant doesn’t need a workspace or any accommodation. So when hiring a virtual assistant, you only have to pay for their services. Moreover, usually, VAs have an hourly rate, which means they charge you only for the time they spend on your project or assignment.
3. Virtual assistant activities
Business activities like sending emails and data entry take a lot of time to complete. Virtual assistants take the workload off business owners’ shoulders while providing a professional execution of those tasks.
4. High-quality expertise
Professional virtual assistants can bring you valuable experience that business owners usually lack. So by hiring a virtual assistant, you’re bringing broader competence to your company. That is the result that will speed up the customer support process and increase client orientation.
How to find a virtual assistant
One of the best ways to do that is through a referral from your network. Use your connections on social networks to find a candidate with the relevant qualification to handle the job you outlined. Write a post about the tasks you need a VA to execute. Don’t forget to describe your business needs. Someone from your network might know a perfect candidate for you.
One more way to find a virtual assistant is to use VA agency services. Why can you be sure of service? When you hire an online helper from such an agency, you get guaranteed support throughout your work with the assistant. Besides management oversight, there are other benefits of hiring a VA from a reputed company:
- Free consultation from an agency to help you choose the most suitable candidate for your tasks.
- Experienced VAs don’t need extensive training before joining your team.
- Guaranteed backup or replacement if your assistant’s performance is unsatisfactory.
- Data security as agencies usually sign NDAs with their VAs and comply with local/international data protection acts, like GDPR.
Also, you can hire a freelance virtual assistant. There are many platforms where independent online assistants offer their services. You can see their previous experience, level of qualification, and what they can offer.
An advantage of hiring a freelance VA is that you will have full control over the process. Independent assistants are about short-term projects or specific tasks that require a relevant level of expertise. But there are also many freelance VAs open for full-time and long-term cooperation. The most popular platforms for finding a VA are Upwork, Fiverr, etc.
How much is a virtual assistant’s service?
Business is about profit, then how much is VA going to cost? A simple answer would be a specific standard rate, but there isn’t such a thing for the VA marketplace. Pricing ranges depending on what a virtual assistant does.
VA charges you hourly for the provided services. We underline that US-based online specialists have higher rates than those working in other countries. If you have a limited budget, opt for an overseas virtual assistant.
The average cost of services throughout the market varies from $3 to $100 per hour. If we talk about administrator assistant services, the hourly rate is typically between $15 and $30. For more sophisticated tasks like marketing or financial consultancy, you’d have to pay anywhere between $40 and 75 per hour.
Choose the suitable virtual assistants
Here are a few points of view that you have to consider making the right choice:
- Ask candidates for referrals and testimonials
- Conduct a video call interview
- Make sure they meet your requirements
Afterwards
Virtual assistant meaning is vast, but if you trust this digital system with professionals, the result will not take long. The skills package of the VA can suggest to you a wide range of options on how to satisfy clients’ online needs in a flash.
Ignorance of this topic only aggravates your entrepreneurial knowledge. Therefore, you need pro advice from a customer service agent. Book a call, and we will clear your questions up.
