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Identifying the Requirements You Need for a Virtual Assistant

January 17, 2019June 12, 2020Leave a comment

Finding the right virtual assistant is not only about the employee alone. Be reminded that your selection will be based on what you have stated as requirements. There are cases wherein clients somehow point fingers when it comes to unsuccessful obtainment of virtual assistance. Be reminded that in the first place, you are the one to identify what you need for a virtual assistant. You need to think big – you may have actually made a mistake in conveying your expectations for one.

If you want to find someone, who is perfectly fit for your firm or your personal assistance needs, there are pointers you could consider, such as the following:

Identify your time-consuming and routine tasks. You would find out the tasks you need help with if you could specify those that seem repetitive and take much of your time every day. Usually, these activities are clerical and administrative work, such as documentation, e-mail management, calendar management, and even invoicing among others.

Once you have carried out this step, you would be able to list down the skills you would need for a virtual assistant. Take note that not all tasks are meant to be passed onto your VA. Only let go of those that you believe can be handled by a rank-and-file staff and is not that sensitive or critical. Assigning bigger assignments or projects to a VA is advisable once trust is already established.

Never forget to specify your preferred personality. Clients should also give way to pinpointing the personality traits of their expected virtual assistant. For instance, you would need someone who is very organized, for you need that trait to sort out your end as well. On the other hand, you may state that you would rather work with someone who is punctual and can keep up with a strict schedule since your personality is such.

Keep in mind the schedule. There are clients who forget how essential specifying your desired schedule for a virtual assistant is. Be reminded that commonly, VAs have other part-time work as well (which is usual for gig workers and freelancers). Thus, if you do not want any conflicts and you want to ensure the virtual assistant would dedicate his or her focus on your tasks, then a schedule must be set.

Alternatively, if you are a client, who does not mind a free-flowing working relationship with your VA, then it could work as well. You simply have to clarify that you would not bother about a flexible schedule as long as the deliverables are submitted without missing the deadlines.

Special requests are always welcome. Clients have the privilege to ask for VA with traits, which are not normally required. For instance, you prefer someone who has worked with an employer of the same nationality as you. In such way, you would not have issues with the VA adjusting to your culture. Also, you may ask for a VA, who has a keen interest in art and music, for your industry is centered on those.

If you would follow the aforementioned statements, you would have easier means of finding out what you need for a virtual assistant. Once done, you would find out that a good start would definitely give you a better experience in getting virtual assistance.

What Makes Virtual Assistants More Reliable

April 18, 2018June 12, 2020Leave a comment

There are various businesses and individuals that are still hesitant to obtain support from home-based workers due to a variety of reasons, which include lack of trust, zero experience, and fear of failure among others. Far from their expectations, Virtual Assistants are actually more reliable than office-based workers in many aspects.

To explain further, here are factors that make Virtual Assistants more dependable:

Versatility

You can question the flexibility of a Virtual Assistant either in terms of skills and working schedule. Simply imagine having a VA, who could do both administrative and non-administrative tasks simultaneously. This may surprise you, but this is a norm among VAs.

In terms of reporting time, VAs are used to adjusting according to their client’s timezone. In other words, regardless of the differences in locations, you will not have to worry about keeping up with your operations and deadlines.

Extensive Experience

VAs are meant to jump from one type of work to another. Since the freelancing industry shows no barriers on what you can try as a job, VAs were given the freedom to gain experience in any field (e.g. sales and marketing, administrative work, IT, real estate, e-commerce, etc.)

Internationally Inclined Work Ethics

If you are worried about getting a VA due to the differences in culture, then you should know that a typical VA has to work with clients based in another country. It is not often that a VA has to cater to a locally based company.

This can be proven by how fluent they are in communicating in English and quick in adjusting to a new environment.

With the few aforementioned aspects, you will no longer be able to deny that VAs are indeed exceptional. This is why soon enough, they may even take over a large percentage of office-based companies.

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant

March 12, 2018June 12, 2020

With the rise of technology, there is no doubt that soon enough, even your workforce will be composed of people who are carrying out their tasks from home.

In truth, did you know that 69% of large companies (composed of more than 501 employees) actually allow their employees to work remotely? This is based on uSamp’s recent study on the productivity or disruptiveness of the virtual office place. By implication, you can say that more and more firms are now discovering the advantages of having virtual staff.

One of the most commonly outsourced virtual workers is termed as a Virtual Assistant. Probably, you have come across this job title and possibly disregarded it. Nonetheless, you may have missed a gem that could actually contribute to your business growth.

You will definitely ask why. Then, to be straightforward, provided below are top reasons why you should hire a Virtual Assistant or have such person be part of your team:

You Will Save Cost. This is one of the top reasons why executives, businessmen, and rising entrepreneurs prefer to have a Virtual Assistant rather than an in-house employee. Do you know that in-house staff cost you more? Why? Good answers are the insurance and training.

At present, you can hire a Virtual Assistant and pay by the hour. In other words, you do not have to allot a certain amount of salary every month. There are even VAs who can work for a fewer number of hours when necessitated. Conclusively, you only pay for the work you have required.

Furthermore, there will no longer be office overhead for you to worry about. This is palpable given VAs work from home. No more finding a place for your staff.

You Can Get All Things Done With Just One VA. Virtual Assistants are not constrained to do basic administrative tasks, such as scheduling meeting, managing your e-mails, or answering inquiries from your clients.

They are highly trainable, giving you a chance to let them do even unprecedented tasks when needed. You simply have to explain what they have to do and you are set. All it takes is proper training.

Most VAs are also well experienced in different fields. For instance, there are ones who have background in marketing. With such qualification, you would definitely have no issue having such VA work with you in widening your exposure to your audience.

You Are No Longer Boxed With a Single Schedule. VAs are experienced working at different time zones and anytime possible. They could even be available more than eight hours when negotiated. Since they already have the convenience of working from home, these assistants do not mind working beyond normal full-time employee’s hours.

You Secure Your Productivity. Since you can already let go of your administrative tasks, which are often routine and time-consuming, you would definitely find a lot of time to spend on more important activities.

For instance, if there is an activity you definitely want to include in your firm to make it grow, you could now focus on it given a Virtual Assistant can handle your previous tasks.

Since you will also be able to concentrate on the core functions of your business, you will definitely have more means of keeping track of your progress.

You Will Have More Me-Time. There is no doubt that having someone do as much as half of your daily tasks will give you a reason to go home on time. A Virtual Assistant can even work more hours for you in a day, giving you more time to allot for your personal appointments. As indicated above, a VA works by the hour. They could be as flexible as someone who would be available immediately during emergency situations.

The aforementioned reasons for hiring a Virtual Assistant solidify the study also given above. The companies who are already establishing their virtual team have definitely understood the essence of having one.

What about you? Aren’t you interested to make a change?

Facts You Should Learn About Virtual Assistants

March 10, 2018June 12, 2020

From the term itself, a Virtual Assistant is an assistant who works virtually or to be specific, from home. Instead of a personal assistant that reports to your office, a Virtual Assistant will report to you electronically, such as through various communication means like e-mail, Skype, WhatsApp, and Messenger among others. In truth, you could communicate with them anywhere possible as long as you have an internet connection.

It is amazing to see that more people are becoming appreciative of what Virtual Assistants could do than before. Previously, companies would prefer their staff to work in their office, but now, more firms are actually outsourcing virtual staff due to the reduced overhead costs.

There are more things that you should learn about Virtual Assistants other than the reduction in business expenses, which include the following:

VAs Are Growing in Number. There is no doubt that the count of workers, who are switching their career choice to become a Virtual Assistant, is growing. At present, there are approximately 110,000 VAs registered on popular outsourcing platforms. Apparently, there are other VAs who preferred not to list their services on the said websites, who are not counted.

VAs Are Not Mere Freelancers or Contract Workers. You should know that a Virtual Assistant is not someone who would simply be present during a project. There are many Virtual Assistants who have grown with the companies they worked with.

As your Virtual Assistant succeeds in the tasks you are providing, you can anticipate him or her to handle more responsibilities. In other words, it is all about building relationships as well. They may not be physically present, but there is little to no difference between an in-house and remote assistant.

VAs Are Considered More Reliable by Certain Professionals. As an in-house employee, you would definitely disagree in some way. Nonetheless, before you do so, you should first find out why this has been observed among professionals who hire a Virtual Assistant.

One good reason from them is the fact a Virtual Assistant can manage tasks an executive is very uncomfortable to carry out. For instance, there are directors who would rather just attend meetings right away instead of handling the appointments setting as well. For them, coordinating the schedule with their clients could waste a lot of their time.

The advantages you may reap from hiring a Virtual Assistant may vary in comparison to what other executives experienced. However, one thing is for sure, and that is you will never regret outsourcing a virtual member for your company.