Why do you need a Virtual Assistant? 7 reasons you need to know

Oftentimes small business owners look for cost-effective resources with whom they can discuss some common problems, and solutions. But the idea of having someone to assist you in day-to-day tasks and hiring someone can be overwhelming. If you are not good at scheduling your meetings, manage your social media, prepare reports, and even manage calendars – this is where you should know why you need a Virtual Assistant Services.

No matter what type of business you run, when things start to move in a successful direction you have to look at decisive matters, arrange investments, meet deadlines, and do several other activities related to your business. However, at some point, you need to acquire resources that remain at your back to keep your daily tasks rolling.

When most of the business functions are done by in-house staff, some of them can be managed by a person who remains connected from home and performs tasks that you consider non-essential right now. That’s where virtual assistance comes into play.

Who is a Virtual Assistant?

It is the term used for an administrative specialist providing a range of services to businesses and entrepreneurs. They usually work remotely for specific hours of the day at a package price and complete administrative tasks that are usually performed by in-house staff.

To put it in another way, they are highly skilled freelancers who provide administrative support to businesses. They are not meant to be permanent employees but are accessible when your business needs them. Besides, they save you plenty of time and of course, money.

An experienced virtual assistant can easily cater to more than one customer and managerial tasks regardless of the density of the work with ease. Virtual assistance varies according to the expertise, some of them offer social media management, some web designing, bookkeeping, marketing, and even copywriting.

Certainly, you can’t put efficiency in every business-related task, and being the only decision maker it’s hard to cope up with everything timely. Ease your burden, it’s high time to delegate.

Later in this article, we have jotted down some reasons why you need a virtual assistant for your motivation. Which can tremendously work to bring your business back on track if the escalated workload has dropped your performance.

7 reasons why you should hire a VA

1. Work-Life Balance

Being continuously occupied in making financial and operational matters, many of your business-related tasks remain untouched. That’s why because of these circumstances, having an assistant at your side will always help you complete your daily tasks timely and efficiently. A virtual assistant can do:

  • Scheduling
  • Email marketing
  • Bookkeeping
  • Market Research
  • General Administrative tasks
  • Social Media Management
  • Human Resource Tasks
  • And many others

for you. Experienced virtual assistants are experts in multiple areas of administrative tasks (some of them mentioned above), and by assisting in these areas, they unburden you from many of the administrative tasks so you can regain your energy and act proactively.

2. Provide you extra time so you can focus on more important things

Carrying a business is not everyone’s cup of tea. You need to remain focused on different functions of your business that require your full attention. With a virtual assistant, you can focus on the core responsibilities of your business while leaving other matters to your virtual assistant. If something is holding you back, then consider these two things;

  • List down things that you shouldn’t be doing by yourself as an owner of a business
  • Note things that you aren’t good at

If the division of these tasks to your in-house team is impossible for any reason, your virtual assistant can do it for you, maybe with even less time than your in-house team normally does. They are also connected with the major management executives that can bring more business to you and help you connect better in the market.

Additionally, they don’t need your direction, they are experts in their field. They can help you to let go of the worries and focus on your main agendas.

3. A cost-effective option

When it comes to cutting operational costs, companies keep it at their high priority. But being able to reduce operational costs on the flip side actually appeared to be impossible to perform. This is because most of the time, due to currency devaluation or for any other reason, the costs keep rising.

In connection to that, outsourcing your work or hire a freelance VA is an innovative option to practically cut down your operational costs. Another advantage of hiring a virtual assistant is to give yourself a cushion against additional taxes, providing necessary equipment, and office space. Not only this, you don’t have to purchase additional furniture, request for telephone connections, stationary, and of course laptops or computers as they are virtually connected with you from a remote location.

4. Hire only when you need

A great number of SMEs are unable to keep their employees busy the whole time as there are not many tasks to perform at this position. Mostly busy businesses only need assistance in long working schedules, at month-end, or for a specific event/project. So hiring staff to work 40 hours a week when you need them only for a few hours, would not be an efficient move. By hiring a virtual assistant, you can utilize your paid hours according to your business needs by figuring out if you need someone for 5 hours per day or 5 hours per week. Plus, it is even flexible to pay your VA knowing that you are only paying against your needs.

5. Increased productivity

If you are an entrepreneur, you wear several caps throughout the day. From maintaining your balance sheet to managing productions, there are several things that you should look into. Being a busy bee throughout the day, certainly, it is not practically possible to give your best in every role. This is because you’re incessantly switching your role from one to another. At the end of the day, you won’t be feeling good enough to enjoy the rest of the day with your family or if you have to meet with a client at late hours. You won’t be as productive as you should be because you’re already exhausted.

On the other hand, hiring a virtual assistant will divide your burden of responsibilities and will allow you to be productive and be the person your work demands.

Let’s put the scenario into a practical example. Suppose you have to visit another city for a business meeting and you are too occupied making presentations and creating agendas that you’re not left with much time to make accommodation and travel arrangements. Tasks including accommodation, travel, and car rental arrangements can be left with your Assistant while you push all your focus on preparing the presentation.

6. Upscale your service level

Having a virtual assistant at your side unlocks the door to success and allows you to upgrade your service level. Once you identify their skills, you can use them in many other fields and make the most of your time. Let’s not get into a geographical disadvantage factor, virtual assistants are now approachable from any corner of the world at any time zone. And when you gel with each other smoothly, you can hire them anytime and they will remain available for you when you need them at even competitive prices.

7. Flexible working hours and schedules

Virtual assistants work for flexible working hours. Therefore, it is even easier for them to fix their schedule and work according to their working schedule, no matter what their location is. Adjustable working hours also increase productivity and maximize performance across the board.

For instance, if you have just turned down your alarm in London while you get ready and reach the office, your virtual assistant in South Africa may have already completed the allocated tasks for the day.

How to work with a Virtual Assistant?

Now that you know the reasons why you need a virtual assistant, it is equally important to know how to work with a VA and prioritize your tasks. List every task that you need assistance in and hire the right person from the right platform. Don’t hesitate to provide information to your VA so you can get accurate results as every business needs are different and sometimes intricate. Be clear about what your business needs. You must;

  • Be clear on your terms about what you need to be done
  • Explain to your VA how you like things by mentioning personal quirks
  • Avoid assuming that your Assistant will hear your thoughts, speak clearly, and provide brief
  • Agree on discussing work-flow
  • Be available when your VA needs information, and let go of some of the control
  • Be concise with deadlines and requirements

Final words

Virtual assistants are a great way to expand your network and increase your diurnal productivity. With experience and expertise, they can make a positive contribution to the success of your SME as well. You can hire them freely whenever you’re occupied and want assistance in lessening your burden while you can concentrate on your business functions.