Tag: virtual staff

Communication: A Key to Effective Virtual Work (VA’s Perspective)

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Virtual work has now been considered as a better alternative to office-based work due to many factors. Let us begin with the difficulty of traveling from one place to another. There is no denying that most virtual assistants chose to work from home since commuting from their home to office have only been excruciating for them. You cannot blame them to complain. Just imagine your day being consumed by being on the road for hours!

Another factor that makes being a home-based worker more advantageous is the ability to be near your loved ones. Working in the office has taken this privilege at an unlikely level – mothers not being able to rear their children or fathers not being able to witness their children grow. Is that how life should be? Apparently, no.

However, no matter how you consider virtual work your future, you should have to consider a lot of things to make it work. Now, we will focus on communication. Neophytes in the home-based work industry would think having an employment online will be the same with working in the office. No, it will not be entirely the same. In truth, it is more sensitive and requires more commitment.

Let us go back to why communication is one thing you have to focus on while being a virtual worker. Truthfully, without it, you will not even be able to get a job online, more so in keeping your occupation.

To make it clearer for you, given below are top reasons why communication should be the foundation of your home-based work:

It is what your client depends on to make everything work. Without communicating with your client, you will not even get to know him or her better. Plus, the work that has to be done or his or her requirements will not at all be disclosed.

Since he or she will not be able to work with you in the flesh, what he or she will rely on is the messaging platform you will use. This could be e-mail, Skype, Messenger, Viber, Zoom, or anything that you could think of being used to communicate virtually.

It is what makes you worth being paid. Without communication, you will not be able to inform what you have accomplished. Remember, not all clients have the time to check what you have finished in a certain shift immediately or regularly. They depend on what you report to determine what you have done for them or their operations in a day.

It is what keeps you a reliable employee. Communication will always give you the chance to prove that you are a reliable virtual worker. How? By opening up about something that is not right with the tasks you are working on. By making your client aware of improvements that could be applied to their systems. By admitting your pitfalls and assuring that you will be better in the future.

If you will analyze it, you can say that without communication, no virtual work would even be on your plate.

The question now is, how could you improve communication with your client? It is simple: maximize the use of the messaging platform you are currently utilizing to be in connection with him or her.

Whenever you are reporting or logging out, inform him or her. Report whatever you have accomplished in a day. Ensure that he or she is updated with his or her future appointments. Keep him or her aware of your project’s progress. Voice out what you think should have made the proposal better.

There are too many ways you could improve communication while working online. As stated above, MAXIMIZE it.

What Makes Virtual Assistants More Reliable

What Makes Virtual Assistants More Reliable

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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

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant

 

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

Facts You Should Learn About Virtual Assistants

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.

Top Tips for Working With a Virtual Assistant

Top Tips for Working With a Virtual Assistant

Many are skeptical about hiring a Virtual Assistant due to the fact they are thinking that the mode of employer-employee relationship will take time to learn. In truth, there is little to no difference between an in-house staff and a Virtual Assistant. Studying how to work with a Virtual Assistant will not waste your time either.

If you want to jumpstart getting the most out of your recently employed Virtual Assistant, given below are tips that would definitely help you:

Set Boundaries and Expectations. You should be reminded that even if Virtual Assistants are working remotely, they cannot simply work with no specific hours unless of course, their tasks would allow such setup.

Nonetheless, if you will definitely require a Virtual Assistant to assist you during your business’ operations, you should set a specific schedule for him or her to follow every day. This will make the communication between you and your Virtual Assistant hassle-free.

Relative to reaching out to your Virtual Assistant, you should agree on whatever medium you will use to send her messages. For instance, you may speak to her via chat or e-mail.

In addition, you should at least establish a list of tasks he or she will carry out daily. Although there are times that he or she may receive urgent activity from you, there should be routine tasks that he or she can work on so you can take advantage of his or her assistance. Remember, you are not always there to delegate activities.

Establish Trust and Relationship First. Before you actually let a Virtual Assistant handle sensitive or large projects for your company, there is nothing better than establishing trust and relationship first.

Be reminded that your operations will work smoothly if both of you are feeling comfortable with each other.

Get to know your Virtual Assistant. Find out her strengths and weaknesses. This will help you gauge what responsibilities would fit her best.

Provide Clear Instructions. Most executives who hire Virtual Assistants fail to maximize the advantages of having a remote employee due to the failure of providing concise instructions. Although it may take time at first for you to establish the steps for your Virtual Assistant, you will definitely reap benefits from doing so since mistakes can be prevented at all costs.

Be Patient. Virtual Assistants, just like any other in-house employee, undergo adjustment. If you are trying to establish a relationship with him or her, he or she is definitely measuring you as well to work more effectively.

Keep the Communication Open Always. Without effective communication, all else will fail when you are working with a Virtual Assistant. Apart from getting updates about the work you have delegated, you should also consider if he or she is having problems.

Virtual Assistants are trained to overcommunicate, which is why this will never be an issue while working. High communication will provide you a lot of benefits, such as ongoing improvement in your Virtual Assistant’s performance.

The following tips above are just a few you can consider when working with a Virtual Assistant. By getting a grasp of the strategies of creating a harmonious relationship with your remote staff, you would definitely obtain more than reduced manpower cost.