Learn helpful tips for hiring the best virtual assistant (VA) so you can build your business while saving time and money.
In this blog, we will discuss:
- Why Does Every Small Business Need a Virtual Assistant
- What Can a Virtual Assistant Help Your Business with?
- What are the Advantages of a Virtual Assistant for Small Businesses?
- The Key Functions of a Virtual Assistant in SMEs
- Final Thoughts
Key Takeaways
- Virtual Assistants are remote professionals who help by performing dozens of different assignments—administrative, creative, technical, customer-facing.
- You can hire a VA directly from freelance service sites for short-term work or projects. Many small businesses choose to work with a virtual assistant company to develop a longer-term dedicated support person.
- The key benefit for small business owners in hiring a virtual assistant is that they can delegate daily administrative tasks and spend more time on the high-level activities that drive growth in the business.
The need for virtual assistants in the small business space is trending upward. Businesses need more flexible, efficient, and cost-effective help. The role of virtual assistants for small businesses will only continue to expand into the next phases of digital modernity as the business ecosystem is evolving.
Read further in this article to determine the benefits and opportunities that virtual assistant services offered can help with in your small business.
The comprehensive guide to hiring administrators.
Hire fast for the right role.
Why Does Every Small Business Need a Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistants are remote professionals who help by performing dozens of different assignments—administrative, creative, technical, customer-facing. Virtual assistants, unlike your traditional employee, do not require office space, insurance, and overhead associated with growing a full team. For small businesses, they are the perfect resource in an increasingly constrained budget environment.
Hiring a VA can help you:
- Improve your work-life balance
- Reduce the chances of burning out through the process of multitasking
- Simplify all your daily operations
- Grow your business without expanding your costs
Also read: Is It Time to Outsource? 4 Clear Signs Your Business is Ready
What Can a Virtual Assistant Help Your Business with?
Virtual Assistants bring flexibility, experience and skill-set to the table. These professionals can help with:
- Administrative support (calendar management for you or other team members, email management, data entry, etc.)
- Marketing and branding (social media applied scheduling, ongoing email campaigns)
- Customer support (answering inquiries, responding to live chat)
- Finance and bookkeeping (sending invoices, and using tools like QuickBooks or Xero)
- Ecommerce support (manage Shopify Etsy or Amazon Seller Central)
- Research and strategy (performing market research, analyzing competitors)
Many VAs know how to use software apps like Asana or Trello, slack, Zoom, Canva, Mailchimp, etc. to facilitate in an integrated fashion based upon your operations workflow.
Freelance Virtual Assistants vs Virtual Assistant Companies
You can hire a VA directly from freelance service sites for short-term work or projects. Many small businesses choose to work with a virtual assistant company to develop a longer-term dedicated support person.
With a virtual assistant company, you will expect to get:
- A distinct assistant to perform all your daily tasks
- Access to a full team of specialists (graphic designers, video editors, web developers, professional content writers, digital marketers and accountants, etc.)
- Coordinated support to fulfill advanced needs such as website design, video production and finance
This mechanism allows small businesses to create agile remote teams without employing full-time employees while achieving both cost savings and growth.
Also read: Top 5 Tools Every Remote Team Needs for Effective Communication and Productivity
What are the Advantages of a Virtual Assistant for Small Businesses?
Increased Productivity
The key benefit for small business owners in hiring a virtual assistant is that they can delegate daily administrative tasks and spend more time on the high-level activities that drive growth in the business.
By having a virtual assistant taking care of administrative tasks, business owners can put more energy into strategic thinking, business development and client meetings. Increased productivity is a positive outcome for any business.
Scalability and Flexibility
Virtual assistants are the ultimate scalable resource for businesses; as needs change, businesses can continue to scale the level of support they require without the complications of hiring and laying off staff.
Flexibility for small businesses is essential as they continue to grow or if they have seasonal fluctuations in business needs. Whether you need a part-time VA, or have everything from customer service to bookkeeping, hiring a VA can help support the business at an hourly rate that makes sense for your budget.
Specialized Skills
Many virtual assistants can provide specialized skills and expertise in areas such as digital marketing, graphic and web design and development or bookkeeping that a small business may not have.
Even if hiring a full-time graphic designer, small businesses can implement high-quality design without the longer term commitment of hiring a full-time graphic designer. Virtual assistants can do online research, and can help small businesses stay in the loop about industry trends or best practices.
Improved Work Quality and Innovation
VAs often deal with numerous clients, giving them exposure to a variety of industries. This exposure makes them a well of fresh ideas and perspectives that can improve work quality and introduce innovation to a small business.
Enhanced Customer Service
Through virtual assistants, small businesses can provide customers with access outside of office hours, depending on time zones. Business owners can ensure customer inquiries are serviced almost any time of the day, thus improving customer service overall.
Efficient Business Operations
Virtual Assistants can provide improved business operations through keeping workflows organized, managing communications, and keeping projects on task. Virtual Assistants help maintain organized systems for the overall running of a business and help ensure deadlines are met and that nothing falls through the cracks.
Cost-Effective Engagement Management
Businesses can save considerable costs on the overhead of full-time employees, by bringing in virtual assistants.
Small businesses often find VA services are billed at a competitive hourly rate as compared to the expenses of providing health benefits, or office space, for a full-time or contracted employee as well.
Also read: Mastering Remote Delegation: 5 Proven Strategies for a Stress-Free Workflow
The Key Functions of a Virtual Assistant in SMEs
In today’s world of business, companies are always looking to streamline their operations, cut recruitment costs, cut overheads and remain competitive.
One developing solution is to utilize the virtual assistant for administrative/tactical support in business. Virtual assistants work with their clients’ using available and relevant digital communications, working collaboratively on complex tasks together, and the results can be achieved in the absence of any physical working environment.
Now let’s take a look at the responsibilities and tasks a virtual assistant can undertake, particularly in ways that suit small business needs.
Administrative Support
This is the primary scope of many Virtual Administrators. A virtual administrative assistant can help manage emails, schedule appointments, data entry, customer relations through a CRM. However, for small business owners, an administrative support action is valuable, but time-consuming, keeping them from core business activities, and making money for their business.
Financial Management:
Virtual Accountant Assistants will send out invoices, look after accounts payable/receivable, manage other financial and accounting duties, and provide financial statements. This is good for small business owners, which may not be able to afford a full-time accountant.
Digital Marketing:
The importance of digital marketing in the online-centric world we live in today is invaluable and there are now Digital Marketing Virtual Assistants, which can take care of every detail of managing social media, creating content, managing email marketing campaigns, even basic SEO. If small businesses are looking to get an online presence without hiring a full marketing department, a VA could definitely help.
Research
Whether it is looking into potential competitors, checking out new market opportunities, or just simply collecting data for a presentation, VAs can do a lot of research-oriented work and can help small businesses with their research.
Customer Service
No matter the business, keeping customers informed is important; for small businesses, it is even more important. Virtual Customer Service Reps can answer customer questions, obtain feedback, and can even provide some basic tech support if necessary, which means that the customers can always have a point of contact.
Website Management:
Most VAs will have a basic understanding of website development and management. They can update content; add to blogs, or even troubleshoot any basic issue. Small businesses that are reliant on their online presences can benefit greatly from VAs.
Event Planning:
VAs can do the logistical planning and execution of a business event; whether it is a webinar, workshop, or special occasion. They can send invites, manage RSVP lists, and collect feedback after the event is finished.
Human Resources:
If a small business is attempting to expand and hire an employee, an HR Virtual Assistant can create job postings, do initial screenings, as well as keep employee records.
Supply Chain Management
All supply chain management can be done by VAs, such as communicating with suppliers, managing stock/inventory, and processing continuing orders for the business.
Project Management
Most Virtual project management assistants are trained in various project management systems such as Trello, Asana, or Basecamp. They could be used to manage projects, ensure timelines are achieved and delegation occurs.
In the end, the benefits of VAs to small businesses can be vast. They can wear many different hats, each hat represents the specific and unique requirements of the business they are helping.
Due to the abundance of different types of VA’s and the affordable nature of their services, it is very common for small businesses to hire VAs to assist their businesses. As the business world continues to change, so will the reliance on VAs especially for smaller businesses.
Also read: The Ultimate Guide to Building a Career in Outsourcing
Final Thoughts
If you can hire a virtual assistant that suits your small business needs, it can change your small business — giving you valuable time back and increasing productivity.
Choose carefully! The right virtual assistant will significantly cut down your workload and free your time.
Compatibility is everything. Take your time to make sure the VA has a good read of the job to be performed and your vision and mission for the business.
OWL TPS provides both general virtual assistants able to handle every day tasks, as well as specialists for niche demand across industries and business departments.
Contact us today to discuss how our Virtual Assistants can help you!
