As any company expands, it gets difficult to manage everyday tasks to keep the business running. It is not practical for the in-house employees to take on so many responsibilities; as a result, the employees feel pressured and their overall performance may suffer. But you may not benefit even by hiring full-time employees for tasks that do not need to be conducted regularly. In such situations, virtual assistants come into play.
Virtual assistants will then help you handle various projects, working remotely. Since they deal with different companies, they will have creative ideas for handling different operations for your company. If you hire a full-fledged virtual assistant company, then they will take care of various tasks like marketing, graphic design, content writing, etc.
Many startups also prefer taking virtual assistant services as they take care of various tasks and you also do not have to take a co-working space for them. You can also pay them on a project basis and relax from paying the office rent regularly and salaries. So, you will get cost-effective solutions for your company by hiring a virtual assistant.
Since the concept of taking Virtual Assistant services is becoming popular, here are a few important questions to clear your concepts about the same. We have covered some commonly asked questions about virtual assistant services in Australia.
1. What is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is an employee who supports various tasks in your business remotely. They can handle the administrative work, marketing work, and all the other important tasks. A virtual assistant will take up all the tasks be it organizing emails, phone calls, arranging travel, etc. You can either hire a virtual assistant who works independently or can take services from a virtual assistant agency.
They work from home and manage everything by holding virtual meetings with their clients. Whether it is a small business or large people do prefer hiring virtual assistants as they have more exposure to creativity and it is an affordable option to choose.
2. How Do I Hire a Virtual Assistant?
One has to be a little more careful while hiring a virtual assistant. It is so because you cannot monitor their activities all the time. They take on so many tasks but may have their strategies and protocols for working. Thus, it becomes important to choose them carefully as per your requirements and see if they sync well with your ideology. To ensure that you choose the right virtual assistant or VA agency, here are some points to help you with the selection process:
– Establish expectations
Before you engage with a virtual assistant, you must set your expectations. Sort down the tasks that will require your due attention, and clearly state your priorities and deadlines to your virtual assistant. While you shortlist the virtual assistants or VA agencies, see if they meet your expectations and are okay with the deadlines.
– Create a budget.
Inquire about the budget already. In case you are longing for a flexible arrangement you can ask the virtual assistant whom you are considering if the budget can be scaled up or down as per the need. Looking at the price factor at the time of hiring is very important; otherwise, you will have to face the anxiety rush if things go beyond the budget.
– Post the job
The best way to hire the right personnel is to form a concrete job description that mentions all the responsibilities that you are looking for. Then you can announce the job opening on various platforms that will help you scrutinize the right entries. Here is a list of some popular sites where you can connect with passionate virtual assistants:
– Fiverr
– Upwork
– TaskRabbit
People who will find themselves apt as per the requirements that you have mentioned will apply for it.
3. Who Can Be a Virtual Assistant?
A person who has better coordination skills and who can work remotely and still handle your office operations smoothly is fit to be a virtual assistant. One who can understand things and hosts online meetings to gain better knowledge on ongoing projects is suitable to become a virtual assistant. These are some skills that are required to be a virtual assistant:
– Computer Proficiency
Virtual Assistants have to manage various tasks remaining behind the screens. Thus, they need to have adequate knowledge of computer operations. They should be well-versed in sending chain emails, scheduling meetings, teleconferencing, maintaining spreadsheets, etc. Virtual assistants also have to offer editing services or freelance writing services, so one should have adequate knowledge of at least WordPress and various editing software.
– Communication
Having good communication skills is another important factor required to be a good virtual assistant. Since one has to handle the operations remotely, having the skills to communicate well with the clients is very important. You have to understand the requirements of the client and share your concerns with them. Thus, proper interpersonal communication is required between a virtual assistant and his or her client.
4. How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Cost?
Another commonly asked question is how much a virtual assistant costs. Just like any other services you take like hiring freelance content writers, graphic designers, etc., there are various aspects for them to quote a price. A virtual assistant also has different criteria for quoting a fixed price. Some may charge on an hourly basis, while others may charge on a project basis.
Apart from it, there are these factors that determine the pricing policy of a virtual assistant:
– The Nature of work
As per the complexity of the work, your price may vary. If you want your virtual assistants to handle less complex work like handling calls, maintaining data entry, etc., then it will cost you less. On the other hand, if you want to take up services that require higher skills, like project management or digital marketing services, it will require you to pay more.
– The Experience Level
Not only in the case of virtual assistants but every professional charge as per their experience. A person with more experience will charge more, while a person with less experience will focus more on building the client relationship than earning profits in the initial stage.
5. What Are the Advantages of Having a Virtual Assistant?
People also wonder why is the concept of hiring virtual assistants becoming popular as it sounds better to have in-house staff always. So, here are some advantages due to which the concept of hiring virtual assistants is becoming popular:
– You have ample time
You get enough time to focus on major tasks for the company while your virtual assistants take care of other tasks that you may require on an occasional basis or other administrative tasks. So, you will now have ample time to form other business strategies and get more deals.
– You can expand your reach.
They will help you expand your reach by generating leads for you. All the tasks that will be required to get you the best leads through marketing will be taken care of by them. They will do the website SEO, design the best ads, and write the best articles.
– Your customer service will improve.
Since virtual assistants deal with various clients and work on various other projects, they are more creative. They get to know the latest trends and strategies due to more exposure, which can help you magnificently improve your customer service.
– You get peace of mind.
As they will handle all the tasks for you, no one can deny that you will have much more peace of mind than you would otherwise have if you handled everything on your own.
– It is cost-effective
Hiring a virtual assistant is also cost-effective, as you do not have to rent a co-working space. You can also get various services in one place and pay the virtual assistants on a project basis. Thus, you can escape the cost of regular salaries by finding different employees and paying the rent and bills of the workplace.
To sum it all up,
Hiring virtual assistants is the new normal. You can choose the best virtual assistant for your organization by keeping the various factors in mind. Conduct your research, compare the various options, and then you are all set to start your journey to promote your business cost-effectively.
