What is a Virtual Assistant?
A virtual assistant is someone who offers administrative, specialized, and technical support, from a remote location. Virtual assistants take care of all the tedious but, nevertheless, crucial tasks, leaving the business owner, entrepreneur, CEO, etc free to focus on the core business growing activities. They are usually proficient in computers and good in time management.
Who uses VA services
Who can benefit from VA services?
VA Services can be utilized by a plethora of people across different domains such as:
- CEO/President (C-level executives)
- Coaches – business, executive, sales and life
- Business Owners
- Real Estate Agents
- Consultants – business or management
- Authors
- Lawyers
- Professionals
- Sales Representatives
- Motivational or Keynote Speakers
- CPA/Accountants/Bookkeeper
Why hiring a virtual assistant is more beneficial than an in house assistant
Hiring an office assistant can be a rather cumbersome task especially if you are a small business or a startup. It involves hunting for the right skill sets, interviewing dozens of candidates, providing the assistant with office space, hardware, software and employee benefits. All these things take a toll on your financial resources on one hand and hinder your own productivity on the other. So, if you also feel the same, the only solution is to hire a virtual assistant. It is a much better alternative to outsourcing, hiring freelancers or hiring an in house staff.
Inhouse Assistant Vs Virtual Assistant
Ease of hiring: You have to spend a lot of time in hunting for the right skill sets in case of an in house resource. But when you hire a virtual assistant, it is as simple as picking up the phone and dictating your requirements to the vendor. Now it is the responsibility of the service provider to find the right resource for you. The best part of this exercise is that you don’t spend a penny or a minute of your precious time.
No spending on infrastructure: To your in house assistant you have to provide everything ranging from office space, hardware to software. In case of a virtual assistant all the these things are the responsibility of the vendor; you simply have to concentrate on your work.
No spending on training and employee benefits: Training the office assistant takes time and money. Moreover you have to shell out from your own pocket for employee benefits like payroll, medical facilities and insurance etc. But in case of a virtual assistant you don’t have to worry about all these facilities; the vendor takes care of these.
Simply get the work done: In case of an in house assistant you have to delegate the work, get it done, supervise the work. But when you hire a virtual assistant, you simply delegate the work and the get it done in your inbox well within the stipulated time.
Just pay for the service: When you hire an in house assistant, you pay for everything ranging from office space, software, hardware, tea, coffee and even wash room breaks. But in case of a virtual assistant you only pay for the services.
Easy scalability: You have to go through the rigorous hiring process if work increases. But in case of a virtual assistant simply call up the vendor and they arrange for more resources as pier your requirements. Similarly you can scale down the team when the work load is less.
Data security: When you hire a virtual assistant, you don’t have to worry about the security of your critical data. The vendor is responsible for the this and can make custom data security arrangements for you.
Business continuity: You may face loss of business hours in case there is a natural calamity in your area. However, good vendors have a strong business continuity plan in place and your to get your work done in time. They have offices at different locations so that your work does not get affected in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
Meet deadlines: A virtual assistant makes sure that all your deadlines are met without exception. They are very professional and know every minor detail of their work.
Concentrate on core business: The best thing about hiring a virtual assistant is that you get to concentrate on your core business without worrying about hiring and retaining an assistant.
Businesses that are focused on growth cannot afford to miss these unique benefits offered by virtual assistants. Needless to say, hiring a virtual assistant is a much better option than an in-house resource.
