You’ve been staring at your to-do list and looking defeated. The thing is, as much as you would want to handle everything, you’re faced with the reality that you need help.
So, when you Google the best solution to support your needs, you’re flooded with overwhelming praise from people and businesses for virtual assistants—shouted from the cyber rooftops.
Do you follow in their footsteps?
No rush; we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this virtual secretary, including the advantages and disadvantages of virtual assistants and when is the best time to hire them.
Why Virtual Assistant Is in Demand
So, why does someone need a virtual assistant?
There are many reasons people work with VAs, and we’ve compiled some facts about hiring a virtual assistant that made them super in demand.
You get to work with top talents from around the world.
The moment you embrace outsourcing; you cast a wider net to catch greater talents across the map.
No matter how unique your job requirements are—advanced computer proficiency with solid content writing and event planning skills and whatnot—you can easily hire a VA unicorn who fits in all those categories that you can’t find within a 30-mile radius.
You can encourage work-life balance and improve productivity.
Imagine if your team members didn’t have to commute and spend hours in traffic jams; how much time and energy could they save?
Many onsite workers deal with the challenges of extremely long daily commutes in their professional attires—but remote assistants can never relate.
Remote professionals have the convenience of working from home in their casual clothes with the snack bar just a few steps away.
They enjoy a healthy work-life balance and that brings pretty perks to you as well. With more positive engagements and less time off due to sickness, you can cultivate a positive and proactive working environment and improve performance.
You can complete tasks in less time.
Virtual secretaries get paid based on their output. If they don’t work, they receive nothing.
That being said, remote working highlights the importance of getting the work done in less time.
Research from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business backs this up, reporting that call centre agents who were working from home were 13% more productive. They took more calls and fewer breaks and had higher job satisfaction.
You can cut costs and save money for investment.
Did you know that bringing in a new employee has an average cost of $4,700? And that’s just the hard cost of recruitment.
A virtual secretary is a much more economical choice since you don’t have to deal with all those scary employee-associated expenses. What’s even better is that the money businesses save from hiring a VA goes beyond the upfront costs of office equipment.
Since remote professionals have greater work satisfaction, they’re more engaged and driven, resulting in creativity, productivity and consistency.
10 Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant Secretary
If what we’re preaching above is not enough to convince you, these compelling advantages of hiring a virtual secretary might entice you to hire one once and for all.
Free Up More Time
Time is your most valuable asset—not money. Time lost will never be found again. That’s why you should only spend it on critical projects and hire people to complete the menial chores.
Have Reliable Support to Manage Your Most Tedious Tasks of the Day
Your virtual secretary works according to your business needs. From marketing and phone answering to content writing, they can effectively operate from various domains and ensure quality performance.
Keep a Robust Online Presence
We’re living in a digital world, which means there’s no escaping the need to build an online presence on different social channels. Management can be time-consuming, though, and you don’t have time to afford it, but do you know who does? A virtual secretary.
Gain More Quality Leads
All the various ways to generate leads are a major time-suck, whether you’re going through social media or inbound campaigns.
So, why not consider the capable hands of remote professionals? Let them sort through the leads and add potential clients to your business.
Scale Operations Easily and Grow Your Business
Scaling operations are not at all scary with a virtual secretary because you’re going up and down with little risk.
This online support requires less capital, allowing you to have more resources to invest in growing your business.
Create Engaging Content
Your virtual secretary can add value to your customer experience. How? They can help create valuable content for your products and services, driving more traffic to your page and positioning your company as an authority in your industry.
Effectively Look After Your Financial Health
Yes, even your financial health is something that your virtual assistant can look after. From chasing payments to payroll management, rest assured that your finances will be handled timely and accurately.
Foster a Healthy Customer Relationship
Your virtual support can do many things to ensure your customers have a positive and lasting impression of your business—from following up with clients to handling their concerns promptly.
Streamline Workflows
With their knowledge and skills in using software tools, your virtual secretary can enhance your workflow and make operations efficient.
Find Peace of Mind
Having someone who you can trust and rely on is priceless. With a virtual sidekick, you can be more productive by focusing on the more important stuff.
The Downsides of a Virtual Secretary Hire
Just because virtual assistants work great with others doesn’t mean they’re right for your business. There are downsides to hiring remote professionals too.
Hiring someone from another time zone means that communication won’t be in real-time. If you need a prompt response, it can be tricky to get hold of your remote assistant.
English won’t always be the first language of your VA. Even if they fluently speak it, you might have to deal with communication issues.
A virtual secretary is a freelancer who works with other clients. This means they may not always be invested in your business and may fail to meet expectations.
That’s why you must work with a reputable virtual assistant company that can connect you with a reliable virtual assistant, committed to your business goals.
When to Hire a Virtual Assistant?
You might be wondering how soon you need to hire a virtual secretary. Or is there ever a time when you can benefit from them the most?
Here’s what we’re going to tell you: part of being the “boss” is wearing too many hats. Then again, you’re still just one person against the endless to-do list, and you only have this much time a day.
By working solo, things can easily get chaotic and overwhelming.
You’re always working, but you’re not really moving ahead like your other competitors.
Your business is taking over your life, and your loved ones rarely see you anymore.
You don’t have enough time to get things done, and it happens day after day. The important matters are falling through the cracks because you can’t promptly address them.
Tons of professionals and entrepreneurs go through these cycles because they refuse to seek help.
But before you make your hiring decision, ask yourself the following questions to assess whether or not you’re ready for a virtual collaboration.
How ready is my business?
It’s the best time to work with a virtual assistant when your business is starting to take off. VAs are budget-friendly, but you need to have enough revenue to back up your expenses and have tasks they can assist in.
Do I have critical tasks to delegate?
VAs can handle a broad range of admin tasks. However, some tasks are better off within your scope of work.
Do I have enough time to do everything?
If you’re living an unhealthy work life because you don’t have enough time to cover all your responsibilities, a VA is precisely what you need.
Do I spend so much time on admin tasks?
When you’re constantly distracted by routine work and forgetting high-mission projects, a virtual assistant can turn the tide in your favour.
Do I have one or two routine tasks to delegate?
One big mistake in outsourcing is not knowing which job to delegate . If you don’t have tasks prepared, your VA will struggle to get things off the ground.
So, What’s the Bottom Line?
From cost savings to having a work-life balance, the opportunities that virtual assistants present are enormous.
So, if you’re ever on the fence about whether a virtual secretary is a good investment, perhaps it’s time to reassess. At this point in your business, there’s more to gain from a remote collaboration.