Understanding Virtual Assistance

Understanding Virtual Assistance

You’ve heard the phrase ‘Virtual Assistant’ or ‘VA’ being talked about, and it all sounds great, but you have no idea whether it would work for you or your business. This article aims to dispel some common myths and introduce you to the benefits of virtual assistance.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

Batman and Robin, Shaggy and Scooby, Dastardly and Muttley or Thelma and Louise; what do these have to do with Virtual Assistance? Well, they all had the support of a partner, someone to lean on; they had a wingman or a wing woman to lean on, and that is exactly what a Virtual Assistant is; it’s that extra support network in place to support you and your business needs.

 
What can a Virtual Assistant do?

Oh, where to start with this one? Data entry, social media, customer service, recruitment support, graphic design……the list could go on and on. Whatever you need support with within your business, there will be a Virtual Assistant who is able to step up and help you through the tough times. You see, not all Virtual Assistants carry out the same role; We come from different backgrounds, have different experiences, or even have certain preferences on the type of work that we do.

Can a Virtual Assistant boost productivity?

Absolutely! Identifying what tasks are stopping you from completing your daily workload is a great place to start. It’s always helpful to know what tasks you would benefit from outsourcing.

For example, take your inbox. You have 200 unopened emails, but every time you go to sort through it, the phone rings, and you get side-tracked, so by the time you are ready to leave, another 20 emails have come through and sit unopened. A Virtual Assistant could check your inbox once or twice a day, at a time which is agreeable to you, and sift and sort the emails so that you can respond in a timely manner instead of leaving them sitting there.

If you get lost in the world of social media and end up commenting on friend's posts and having a 30-minute interaction, why not outsource the scheduling of your content and chat with friends once finished; you could possibly finish work early and go meet them instead, wouldn’t that be nice?

This all sounds great, but is it expensive to hire a VA?

You’ve heard the saying “pay peanuts and get monkeys”. Well, the same could be said when looking for a Virtual Assistant. Yes, there are platforms that you could recruit from where you can find someone offering to work at a cheaper rate, but would you feel confident knowing that your project has been bid on and is being treated like a piece of meat?

It’s definitely worth bearing in mind that the average rate for a VA is £25 per hour as a minimum. Whatttt, I hear you shout?! Hold on, don’t run a mile just yet. Think of the savings you will be making. You don’t have any property rates to pay, no additional gas or electricity costs, no pension, holiday, or sick pay to contribute to, and no extra teabags to buy, and the best part is, you only pay for the hours that they have worked.

Looking for more hours, why not arrange a retainer or a package price so that you can comfortably budget and can rest assured knowing what is coming out of your bank each month?

Is a VA legit?

Being a Virtual Assistant is a legitimate business, but if you’re unsure, then do your checks just like you would if you were hiring a permanent member of staff.

Ask for their ICO Registration Number, check that they hold insurance, ask to see some testimonials and follow up on these if needs be. A good VA won’t have an issue with this - I know I wouldn’t.

The above topics are questions that I have come across. They will hopefully get rid of some of the doubts that you have had about hiring a Virtual Assistant, as well as how they can benefit your business.

If I can answer any other questions that you may have surrounding hiring a VA or you want to discuss the tasks that are holding you back, email me at [email protected]