What is a Virtual Assistant & How Hiring One Can Benefit Your Business?

The other day in a train station, I was talking on the phone with my client about the work he wanted me to do.

Beside me was this little girl with her mom, she steadied her eyes on me while talking with my client. After the call, she asked me;

“Sir, please what do you do?”

Her mom wanted to stop her but I asked to let her be — so I smiled and said I’m a virtual assistant.

“Virtual assistant?” She asked.

I nodded with a smile.

“What do they do?”

I said to her; “A virtual assistant (often referred to as a VA) is someone that works remotely from any location of the world — either from their home or office providing professional, administrative, creative, and technical services for clients.”

So today we are going to discuss how you and your business can benefit from hiring a virtual assistant. Let’s dive in.

What Exactly Does a Virtual Assistant Do?

Hiring a virtual assistant reduces the cost of employing full-time staff. Because they are self-employed you’re not responsible for any employee-related taxes, insurance, or benefits.

A virtual assistant or a VA company offers a wide range of products and services both to businesses and individuals such as executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs.

They perform many different tasks, including:

• Administrative work
• Bookkeeping
• Website editing
• Digital marketing
• Research
• Customer service, and other remote tasks.

Duties of a Virtual Assistant

The tasks of a virtual assistant vary according to the client’s needs and the contract terms. Duties of a VA include:

• Social media management
• Email accounts management
• Flights booking
• Making and receiving phone calls
• Online file storage
• Scheduling appointments
• Data entry
• Graphic and web design
• Data analysis
• Administrative services
• Content writing.

They can specialize in a particular niche or offer a variety of services. The good thing about hiring virtual assistants is the flexibility to contract for just the services you need and pay for 100% productive work.

How Do Virtual Assistants Work?

Working remotely is the consequence of the dependence of most businesses on the internet for daily operations. Moreover, as more workers and employers adapt to working from home, businesses and startups rely on freelancers to keep costs down.

Businesses do not have to worry about taxes or provide the same benefits for a full-time employee to their virtual assistants because they are independent workers.

In addition, a VA works remotely, therefore the cost of office space and equipment are not incurred by the client. The needed equipment for the virtual assistant or VA company to deliver their services and products is entirely their responsibility.

Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant

1. One advantage of hiring a VA is the privilege to hire for services when they are needed and pay only for work done. Depending on the contract terms payment could be on a task basis rather than hourly.

2. A complete shift from what is obtainable with employees in a typical office setting who are usually paid monthly.

3. For busy executives and business owners, hiring a VA will help them gain valuable time to focus on growing the business, generating revenue, and the ability to scale up, depending on the business needs.

4. Outsourcing tasks that are tedious and time-consuming to someone who is not just skilled at them but dedicated is easier and more cost-effective. These are what virtual assistants offer, skill, dedication, and results at a lower cost.

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant

Some agencies or individuals offer virtual assistant services to clients globally. These virtual assistant agencies have websites and social media handles for clients to contact for a consultation about the services they offer.

This is followed by further consulting via video conference or emails. Once both parties reach a working agreement, a contract accepted and signed, the virtual assistant will commence the job.

It’s both time-saving and cost-effective to contract a virtual assistant agency or virtual assistants directly than going through intermediary freelancer sites.

There are web-based companies that are just intermediaries between prospective employers and independent contractors.

On these sites, clients can create an account and post details of jobs they need the freelancer to do, and the maximum price they are willing to pay. Freelancers then submit proposals for the job with samples of their works for review. The client could set up an interview to further assess the freelancer’s qualifications.

Do You Need a Degree to be a Virtual Assistant

There are no mandatory educational requirements to become a virtual assistant, but a VA must have a good level of training, skill, and experience in the services he/she seeks to provide.

Clients most times lookout for virtual assistants who possess the needed skills and some higher-level education degree or training.

Being tech-savvy with a wide range of IT and digital skills, proficiency with basic software and business programs is a must for both existing and aspiring virtual assistants.

Are Virtual Assistants in Demand

Working from home has become very prominent among employers, virtual assistants have become high on demand.

So it makes sense for you to hire a virtual assistant to save money on benefits, taxes, and office equipment. This means you only have to pay for services when you need them.

Is It Worth Becoming a Virtual Assistant

Becoming a virtual assistant comes with some benefits. It offers the ability to own your time, run your own business, and be your own boss. The start-up cost and training are affordable, and you get the opportunity to work remotely even from home with good pay for your time and skills.

If you seek a balance between having a job, earning money, and enjoying your freedom, becoming a virtual assistant should be of great interest to you.

Also, it gives you the liberty to create a balanced lifestyle. But, like all jobs, it could be hard work, especially at the beginning.

You’ll have a lot to learn, be determined to the point of arrogance to scale through the first hurdle, but the freedom that will come with being in charge of your own life is going to be incredible.

You just have to believe in yourself, know your strengths, learn the basics, and you will be able to create your own business.

Conclusion

Before hiring a virtual assistant, you should ensure a smoother relationship by providing detailed instructions about the tasks you’re delegating to a VA.

A written guideline will help to create a cordial relationship and understanding in a remote working setting. Moreover, many VA service providers such as Lastiana offer 24/7 customer service for round-the-clock inquiries to ensure full value for your money.

Ready to offload your work and be free? Hire a Virtual Assistant today by contacting us.

Originally published at https://lastiana.com on January 12, 2022.