4 MINUTE READ
Written by Jabiha Razi
In the last two decades, we have become increasingly dependent on outsourced staff for services that our businesses need or for services we want to sell. Be it a small business, a drop shipping company or a large firm, we are all becoming aware of the benefits of delegating work to entities other than our employees. Yes, we are dealing with virtual assistants, yet most of us are unaware of the term!
For instance, our customer service representative is most likely in a completely different time zone, diligently answering global queries regarding our product. Similarly, a remote salesperson is probably generating our leads.
WHO ARE VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS?
Virtual assistants are the remote or off-site professionals we hire, short or long term, for any aspect of our business (a) which we think are routine tasks and can be delegated (b) or for jobs they can handle better. They work as consultants, not as employees.
There is a probability the services of virtual assistants started from the era of off-site call centres. These services expanded to different areas such as consulting, designing, marketing, customer relations, accounting, taxes, vendor management, and research, in fact, to unlimited fields. Some work as plain vanilla single solution providers (e.g., bookkeeping), while others offer multiple solutions like CRM, digital marketing, content writing, etc. Advansis Virtual is a concern that provides numerous solutions to small businesses and individuals. It has successfully helped its customers grow by becoming more efficient.
BENEFITS OF HIRING VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
Pay for the work done: The most significant benefit of hiring virtual assistants is that you pay them for the job, project-wise or hour-wise. As a result, you do not pay for idle time or no-show days, as you are likely to do in the case of permanent or part-time employees. In the long run, this is a cost-reducing factor for most businesses.
Minimal training: For most jobs, especially for entry-level or routine tasks, business owners have to spend a lot of time training new employees, resulting in longer working hours for the owner or compromising on essential duties. When you hire a virtual assistant, especially for routine jobs, chances are they are already “in tune” with the required work and need minimal training to start contributing to your business.
Insights on sound business practices: Since experienced virtual assistants have worked in several industries and on numerous projects, they can often help businesses create good business practices. This rich experience of virtual assistants benefits startups who can take advice while creating policies, procedures and rules for their concerns.
Fill the skill gap: All business owners are not experts in every aspect of their businesses. You may be excellent at selecting a product range to sell in your store but not know how to have a great digital marketing campaign. Many virtual assistants help you cover skill gaps by providing their expert services.
More time for family and hobbies: With time-consuming jobs delegated, one can spend more time with family, building relations and pursuits, leading to a more fulfilled and satisfying life.
SELECTING A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
While you might not spend much time searching for the best virtual assistant for shorter projects, you must interview your virtual assistant thoroughly in the case of recurring work and long-term projects.
Personality match: Like in other relationships, a virtual assistant will be great to work with if they gel well with your company culture and personality and complement your shortcomings. So, look out for cues that show this match. After all, they will be a part of your team, and well-gelled teams bring better results.
Ethics and integrity: Look out how fairly they treat their other clients. Are all clients equally treated? What measures do they take to keep client data confidential?
Experience: Take a detailed write-up from them on their past projects. This exercise would give you an idea of the knowledge and experience of the assistant and may show some core expertise as well. Let them describe their past successes and failures and ask how they could have differed. This process would help you gauge their true potential.
Professional approach: Note the turnaround time of the potential assistant. How fast are they able to reply to your queries or emails? How well are they able to manage time in completing projects? How many reworks do their clients require due to errors?
Skills: Take a written detail of the skill set they have. If required, take a test.
Check their website: Does it look professional and authentic? Does it have well-structured communication with the correct grammar?
AFTER HIRING
Right at the start, it is always better to have written deliverables and reasonable deadlines, if any. Break down the tasks and deadlines, if required. Give them a job description and policies regarding when to get permission before acting independently. It is better to have a face-to-face meeting on this to avoid mistakes in the future.
Happy hiring!