Running a successful business is no walk in the park. It takes a lot of time, dedication, and effort for a business owner to get all the essential tasks completed on a day-to-day basis. Many small business owners hire virtual assistants to help them with their workloads to maximize efficiency and boost profitability.
A virtual assistant (or VA) works outside of the office, supporting a CEO or entrepreneur by completing tasks such as administrative duties that might otherwise bog down the professional. Here we’ll go over everything in detail about what a virtual assistant does and the benefit they bring.
How a Virtual Assistant Works
A virtual assistant works remotely, typically from home or a remote location, completing various tasks assigned by their client, commonly a busy small business owner or entrepreneur. The duties are primarily administrative tasks normally done in the office, but virtual assistants can complete the work remotely. This might include tasks like scheduling meetings, handling phone calls, or social media management.
A virtual administrative assistant is commonly an independent contractor, a freelancer, or works for an agency. Virtual assistants are paid an hourly rate, a flat fee per task, or a fixed rate per week or month. In rare cases, they may receive a salary. A virtual assistant can work part-time or be a full-time employee for the same client or multiple clients simultaneously.
Virtual office assistants are expected to provide any tools or technology needed to get the job done. Sometimes they have a shared calendar with the business owner and utilize useful software to help with record-keeping or accounting.
The virtual assistant and business owner often only communicate digitally through phone, email, and video conferencing, meaning that it’s a job you could do from a home office. A virtual assistant rarely meets face-to-face with the clients they complete work for.
What Does a Virtual Assistant Do
The duties, responsibilities, and skill set of a virtual assistant vary depending on the needs of the individual hiring them and the industry they’re in. Some of the common tasks a virtual assistant handles are:
-Scheduling appointments
-Managing schedules
-Helping with customer support
-Creating and maintaining social media accounts, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
-Creating content for ads
-Working on graphic design
-Marketing
-Bookkeeping and accounting
-Completing data entry
-Conducting research
-Managing travel arrangements
-Writing reports
-Completing personal tasks such as purchasing gifts
-Managing email and Slack
Some virtual assistants work with a variety of industries, while others specialize in one specific industry. Some of the top industries that hire virtual assistants do so as they run their business independently or with limited employees to maximize profitability but need an extra set of hands to complete the essential duties.
What Is a Virtual Assistant in Real Estate?
A virtual assistant in real estate works with agents helping them conduct market research, search for properties, manage their schedule, book showings, and manage their books. They also help agents with their marketing to gain new clients or to advertise a listing or an open house. The virtual assistant may help with customer service to maintain customer satisfaction.
Virtual assistants also work with property management companies and real estate investors, helping with administrative support to manage their book of business. They may search for good deals on properties or advertise to gain additional clients.
What Is a Virtual Assistant in Legal Services?
A virtual assistant in legal services works with independent lawyers, helping them with the essential paperwork and research needed for their cases. The personal assistant may collect court documents, book appointments, and handle clients’ updates and requests. They may also help the lawyer with their advertising needs to gain new clients.
What Is a Virtual Assistant in IT?
Tech firms specializing in websites, software development, or repairs hire virtual assistants to help with the day-to-day administrative duties that typically pull them away from focusing on their trade. The virtual assistant can communicate with clients to provide or collect essential information, book appointments, or conduct research.
What Is a Virtual Assistant in E-Commerce?
An e-commerce business, especially a start-up, typically doesn’t need a lot of employees to keep things running. But there’s still enough work where a single business owner cannot complete everything themselves.
An e-commerce business owner hires virtual assistants to help with customer support, graphic design, marketing, order entry, bookkeeping, and market research. Hiring a virtual assistant means the online business doesn’t have to provide office space for the individual, saving the company a lot of money.
What Are the Skills of a Great Virtual Assistant
The best virtual assistants are in high demand due to their exceptional skills and talent that help a business owner’s day-to-day run smoothly and effectively. The top skills of excellent virtual assistants include:
-Organizational skills
-Interpersonal skills
-Communication skills, both written and verbal
-Research skills
-Design skills
-Marketing knowledge
-Computer skills
People who hire virtual assistants do so to lessen their workload and organize their day-to-day activities. The best virtual assistants are proactive in helping with tasks before the client even asks, so their days run as smoothly and as productive as possible.
In-demand virtual assistants are continuing their education to learn new skills that are beneficial to a business. The higher the skill level, the higher the pay.
How To Become a Virtual Assistant
You don’t need formal training or education to become a virtual assistant. If you are proficient in calendar management, booking appointments, designing, marketing, customer service, or conducting research, then you may have more experience than it takes to become a virtual assistant.
Many clients look for expert virtual assistants with advanced training, certifications, and expertise. You may also need a certain number of years of experience. If you want to advance your skills and become an in-demand virtual assistant, you can take some of the many online courses that help you improve your capabilities.
To work a virtual assistant job, you should have a working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs such as Excel, Word, and Powerpoint. Bookkeeping, experience with several social media platforms, and design skills are other things top on the list for a virtual assistant to learn. The more skills you have that are beneficial to a business owner make you a more marketable virtual assistant.
It’s critical to tailor your resume to fit the virtual assistant position you’re applying for. You’ll want to include critical skills that will directly benefit the client and their business.
Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant
Hiring a virtual assistant is an excellent business decision for most, especially since it tends to be very cost-effective. The business benefits from reducing overhead costs by not having an employee in-office to supply with space, technology, and supplies.
The business also benefits from having a virtual assistant by increasing their productivity and efficiency. Small business leaders are constantly scrambling to get all their essential duties completed. Multitasking isn’t efficient for a worker and makes them more prone to errors.
By passing off some tasks to a virtual assistant, a company owner or entrepreneur can focus on their core business functions and growth. In essence, hiring a virtual assistant is an excellent strategy to scale your business and improve profits.
How To Hire a Virtual Assistant
Finding the right virtual assistant can be a challenge. You want to hire a virtual assistant that will effectively handle the critical tasks without causing additional stress. Even though they are not in the office with you, you still work closely with your virtual assistant making it imperative your personalities work well together.
You’ll want to ensure your communication styles align and they provide real benefit to you and your business. Industry knowledge is helpful but sometimes not a deal-breaker for the right fit with excellent skills.
Before you hire a virtual assistant, you’ll want to understand the exact duties you’re looking for them to handle so you can write a clear job description and know what skills you’re looking for. You may consider a background check and verify references, especially if your virtual assistant has access to private information and financial data.
You’ll want to determine the budget for a virtual assistant so you can identify pay and how many hours they’ll work weekly. Once you understand what you’re looking for, you can get started with the head-hunting process.
You can post ads on job websites for job seekers to apply to. You could work with a staffing agency with a pool of talented job seekers who will do the recruiting work for you. When you work with a staffing agency, they do all of the initial leg work and bring you qualified candidates to interview, so you can choose the virtual assistant you want to hire.
In Sum
What is a virtual assistant? They are individuals working remotely to help CEOs or entrepreneurs with some of their day-to-day tasks to help them increase efficiency and scale their business. Typically the duties of a virtual assistant are administrative, but advanced-level assistants are also expert marketers, including designing and creating content to advertise the business.
Specific education or training isn’t required to be a virtual assistant. The best virtual assistants continually learn new skills to offer a business additional benefits making them in-demand and worth more.
Sources:
Record Keeping for a Small Business | SBA
Online Virtual Assistant Training | PennFoster