Insights

Top Five Reasons to Consider Hiring a Virtual Bookkeeper

Top Five Reasons to Hire a Virtual Bookkeeper

Employing virtual assistants has become an in-demand solution for companies in need of cost-cutting solution while ensuring their operations are not affected. Nonetheless, there are firms, who only resort to having VAs responsible for administrative work, which you could consider activities that do not involve sensitive or critical information.

The aforementioned fact does not imply that you should limit your use of remote manpower. There is so much that a virtual assistant can do for you, which include bookkeeping. Apparently, you would think that it is quite risky for you to let a virtually available staff take care of your financial records, but think again, for you may be missing a lot of benefits in having a virtual bookkeeper. Given below are a few:

Budget-Friendly Solution. As mentioned above, using a remote workforce could keep you from the costs of office space, equipment, and even benefits that a typical office-based worker requires. By hiring a virtual bookkeeper, you would be able to get the same work minus the physical space, insurance, paid holidays, etc.

Advancement. More and more companies are getting the hang of using home-based employees not only to save money but to comply with the advancement in the business industry. Organizations, aside from using the latest technologies like software applications to keep track of their monetary accounts, are also using virtual bookkeepers to make their workflow consistent. In other words, they are becoming online as much as possible.

If you are already taking in remote workers for your administrative work, what is the loss of becoming paperless even in your accounting department?

Long-Term Commitment. Who would want to work with a different bookkeeper every now and then? Apparently, no one, but this is a common scenario if you outsource one from an office-based team. If you will employ a virtual bookkeeper, you can negotiate a long-term commitment from the person.

Similar Credentials and Qualifications. Simply because a virtual bookkeeper works from home, it already implies that he or she is not qualified to handle your business financial transactions. In contrary, there are lots of experienced remote workers, who have finished studies relevant to accounting or management of business records. Remember, despite being called “virtual,” these bookkeepers are real people working offsite.

Business Growth. Probably, you are adamant not to take in a virtual bookkeeper for you do not want to handle additional costs. You would rather handle the accounting tasks yourself. However, you are missing the point of broadening your business reach.

If you want to grow your business, you should take advantage of the less costly requirement of a virtual bookkeeper while you focus on more important parts of your organization. Take note that the more you make yourself stuck with tons of work, the more ineffective you will be.

There are other things to anticipate relative to the advantages of having a virtual bookkeeper. Lots of businesses could attest to this, and it is just up to you whether to take the chance or not.

 

Keeping Your Mind Sharp the Easy Way

Keeping Your Mind Sharp the Easy Way

As a virtual assistant, you have to be updated with the skills that most clients worldwide require. Apart from such, there is a great need for freelancers, who are effective in what they do. This implies that you are not simply someone, who is delivering an output when required, but someone that they could rely on producing results with low to no supervision. In order to become one, your mind should also be kept sharp.

No, you do not have to purchase expensive supplements to make this happen. There is an easy way to do so, which is to resort to natural ways that do not necessitate spending a lot of money.

Given below are a few that could help you maintain a sharp brain at any age:

Read a book. This tip has long been advised to people, who want to ensure their cognitive functions will remain the same despite aging. There are lots of benefits that could be obtained by reading a book, which include making your brain versatile since it creates connections within it. This occurs when you take in the information from the book.

Eat right. There are tons of food choices that will ensure your brain is protected from wear and tear. You could begin with vegetables and fruits, which are rich in antioxidants. Furthermore, try adding extra-virgin olive oil to your cuisine in order to reduce inflammation of the brain. It is also said by a study conducted in Spain that having four tablespoons of the oil could improve abstract thinking, comprehension, and attention.

Do not stop learning. While you keep your brain active, you tend to keep your memory strong at the same time. As long as you carry out mental exercise, you will have no problem with maintaining and stimulating communication among your brain cells. Solving crosswords as a pastime could be a good start for you.

Add music to your day. Music has an effective means of making your brain function effectively. A study in music’s relationship to the mental health of a person showed that it can reduce depression, problem behaviors, and even agitation. If you have a strong enthusiasm to making music, then you can anticipate more benefits, such as activating the brain’s area, cerebellum, which is responsible for controlling movement and balance.

Get adequate sleep. If you want to keep a sharp mind and good memory, getting enough sleep is highly important. Without following normal sleep pattern, you may suffer from irritability, memory loss, and depression.

Remember, if you will let yourself suffer from cognitive decline, your work will likely be compromised as well. In order to ensure an outstanding performance at work, start following the aforementioned tips for a sharper and fitter brain.

 

Quick Roundup of Productivity Tips for Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants could be considered among the busiest professionals at present. This is due to the fact that being in the online industry provides you the freedom to select different fields to enter. You could be an administrative VA while working as technical support for another client. Freelancing had given people a wider scope of opportunities to take advantage of. Nonetheless, this also implies that one may likely encounter issues with productivity one way or the other, particularly when tasks become heavier.

Every virtual assistant or even an office-based employee will find an instance wherein he or she will procrastinate. This is perfectly normal, but it does not mean that you should let it be. There are ways for you to remain productive in the midst of stressful environments and a stack of projects. Given below is a quick list of these tips:

Have a healthy meal before working.There is nothing better than ensuring your body is nourished properly before it goes to work. The more nutritious your food choices are, the more your system will have the energy to carry out both mundane and nerve-wracking projects at work. Vitamin C, B-vitamins, DHA, and magnesium are among nutrients that are found to boost productivity.

Get adequate sleep. Many would say that it is impossible to get enough sleep nowadays as a virtual assistant, but this is untrue. Regardless of being a night owler or a typical daytime employee, you have the power over the number of hours you doze off. All you have to do is get rid of the distractions, which keep you from sleeping well. The nuisances you may want to cross out are internet browsing, television, and social media.

Create a to-do list. By planning out your day, you would be able to prioritize the most important assignments and get rid of the tasks that are unnecessary. You could even allocate certain periods of time for every activity, helping you to make the most out of your day. You could create this list the day before or hours prior to your shift.

De-stress. You have to get rid of the stress of facing unfinished work, which affects your productivity. In order to do this, you should spend time with your family and friends. Alternatively, you may select hobbies that will keep your mind off your work.

Take a break when things get restless. You have to take a “real” break, which means you should clear your head off from anxieties and stress. This could be done while you are at work. A few minutes of breathing in and out could be a great thing to reset your mind and body. This could even give you a clearer judgment of what to do next with your work-related problems.

Follow the aforementioned pieces of advice and you could boost your productivity easily. Take note that you have control over your performance at work, both in improving and making it poor.

How Important Customer Service Is to Your Business

How Important Customer Service Is to Your Business

You are certainly aware of how word of mouth works in terms of marketing your business. Relative to this, people will not recommend you to their peers unless you have provided them good service or product. As for the former, it includes customer assistance, as well, whether it is simply for answering inquiries or solving a dispute.

At present, there are still businesses, which fail to provide exemplary customer service, resulting in their poor reviews from clients or even prospects. Did you know that a simple act of responding to a customer’s inquiry in short notice matters a lot? This is due to the fact it implies how you want to cater to the client’s needs immediately, which should always be the case.

You should push your organization to take customer service into consideration greatly. Given are the following reasons that could enlighten you:

Prevention of Buying Barriers. If people would find out that you have a good record in customer service, which includes handling issues like returns and refunds, they will have no issue purchasing a product from you. Even the ones hesitant to do so would be persuaded to deal with your business.

Representation of Your Brand Image. Your customer service also embodies your firm. If you will fail to provide exemplary customer service, you may taint your brand image, making people assume that your values as an organization may not be as solid as these are claimed to be.

Customer Retention. Did you know that companies successful in retaining their clients tend to earn at least 25% more profit compared to acquiring new customers? Clients would likely obtain more of your products or services by 67% by convincing them to stick with your brand. One good example is in groceries where one research was conducted. Apparently, with a rating of one to five, an increment of one point in satisfying customers have resulted in higher customer retention percentage. Although it is not specifically stated that customer service is the sole reason for keeping clients, still, it influences people not to look the other way in choosing a brand.

Better Understanding of Your Offer. People, at times, tend to have a misconception regarding the scope of your product or service. By having a customer service team to entertain inquiries regarding your product or services, customers will have a better understanding of what to expect from your business.

Improved Anticipation of Customer Needs and Wants. If you maintain a consistent stream of communication with your customers, you would also have the advantage to find out what they need or want. This could be beneficial in improving your existing product or service. Alternatively, you may also have more ideas on what to offer next.

With the aforementioned facts, there should be more reasons for you to revamp your customer service. If you believe your hands are already full to handle client support, then probably it is time for you to hire a virtual assistant experienced in the field. By having an extra hand with assisting your customers, you would even have more time to focus on other aspects of your business.