Get More Time to Work on Running Your Business With a Virtual Assistant
Do you feel like your to-do list never gets any shorter? Is it filled with small, but extremely important, tasks that you have to accomplish sooner or later? There’s a solution to your to-do list problems: a virtual assistant.
Virtual assistants aren’t just receptionists, and they can do far more than just answer your phones (though they can do that, too!) These professionals can function as a full-time assistant, and more, all at a cost that’s far more affordable than hiring traditionally. Keep reading to learn more about how you can leverage a virtual assistant for administrative support in your business.
What is a virtual assistant?
Before you hire a virtual assistant, it’ll probably be helpful to know what a virtual assistant is. Essentially, these trained professionals provide executive-level support to business owners, entrepreneurs, and other business professionals as needed. They can handle administrative tasks, marketing projects, client outreach, and more. Virtual assistants do everything from answering phones to conducting market research, and they are often working off-site.
Your virtual assistant can work part-time and as-needed, or they can assist you full-time. You won’t have to pay for vacation or sick days, cover insurance or taxes, and the best virtual assistant companies will even have multiple staff members who know your business, just in case someone has an emergency.
Administrative tasks that a virtual assistant can complete
Once you’ve determined that you could use a virtual assistant’s expertise, it’s time to think about the tasks that you desperately need some help with.
Determine which tasks you’ll outsource
It’s difficult to justify hiring someone when you aren’t sure what they’ll be doing! To begin, refer back to your to-do list. Are there any items on there that someone else could take care of? Create a separate list with each of these items and ask yourself whether having someone else tackle them would free up more of your time for other tasks and projects.
Example tasks that are perfect for a virtual assistant
If you still aren’t sure how a virtual assistant can help your business, read through the following list of examples. Do you need help with any of these tasks?
- Calendar management, including scheduling meetings, confirming appointments, and more.
- Receptionist duties like answering phone calls and organizing and filing paperwork.
- Research of all varieties, including research for content (blog posts, email newsletters, etc.)
- Social media management so that your company can continue to establish connections with customers.
- Travel management tasks such as booking flights and hotels.
- Website maintenance.
- Following up with clients via emails, thank you notes, phone calls, and more. Use your virtual assistant to keep the lines of communication open.
- Customer service and support, including answering client questions and assisting them with any problems.
- Event management, including events that you’re hosting and events that you’ll be attending, like conferences.
There’s no limit to how a virtual assistant can help your business
The list above is only a small sampling of the tasks that a virtual assistant can take care of, and professionals in a variety of industries can benefit from the help of a skilled assistant. Once you’ve outsourced certain administrative tasks, you’ll be left with far more time to focus on higher-level tasks that’ll grow your bottom line.
