Virtual Assistants: What They Do, and How to Decide if You Need One

Virtual assistants work remotely to provide administrative services to their clients. This can give entrepreneurs the opportunity and flexibility to grow their business.

Virtual Assistant - Work from Home

A virtual assistant is an individual who provides administrative services to clients while working from a remote location. Virtual assistants are often independent, self-employed contractors, though you can also work with a virtual assistant agency. Additionally, many candidates have a few years of experience as an administrative assistant or office manager in a professional office setting.

If you’re considering hiring a virtual assistant, here is everything you need to know:

Virtual assistant responsibilities

One of the major advantages of hiring a virtual assistant is small businesses can select and pay for the specific services they need. This level of flexibility can save business owners thousands of dollars every year, while also giving them the opportunity to expand their contract as their business grows and requires more services.

Some of the most common tasks and responsibilities of a virtual assistant include:

• Calendar/schedule management

• Travel arrangements

• File organization

• Email monitoring

• Call management

• Bookkeeping and accounting

• Social media management

• Vetting prospective clients and partnerships

• Customer service tasks

Depending on the needs of the business, a virtual assistant can operate as an executive assistant, administrative assistant or personal assistant.

Do you need a virtual assistant?

For many small businesses, the thought of hiring and handing off certain tasks to a virtual assistant is daunting. Some business owners may feel they don’t have the budget or the time to introduce a virtual assistant to their company. However, just as you can’t build an empire alone, you can’t handle every aspect of your business alone.

Here are some signs it's time to hire a virtual assistant:

• You're spending too much time on repetitive or menial tasks. If you’re considering hiring a virtual assistant, but aren’t sure you’re ready, start tracking how much time you spend handling small, menial tasks. These tasks can include answering emails, managing your calendar or booking appointments. If you spend several hours each week on repetitive tasks, it may be time to outsource them to a virtual assistant.

• You don't need full-time help, just additional assistance. If your business requires a full-time assistant who manages several involved tasks, don’t hire a virtual assistant. Rather, virtual assistants are ideal for businesses that need to offload one or two specific tasks or projects that don’t justify hiring a full-time salaried employee.

• You have the budget for it. Before hiring a virtual assistant, prepare a cost-benefit analysis to determine the value of your time versus the cost of time spent working on specific tasks. If you have the budget to hire a part-time contractor and your cost-benefit analysis indicates you will gain valuable time back, look for a virtual assistant.

Source: https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/technology/what-is-virtual-assistant