By Raquel Gomes, Founder — Stafi
The US unemployment rate remains low, and companies continue to struggle to hire and retain talented employees. This problem has persisted for so long that many business leaders now recognize the necessity of changing business practices and experimenting with new solutions.
One such innovative solution is outsourcing tasks to virtual assistants. This approach not only helps businesses solve their labor shortages, but also saves them valuable time, energy, and capital.
Kinds of Work Virtual Assistants Can Do
Many business leaders are astonished by the range and complexity of tasks that virtual assistants can handle. While virtual assistants can act as administrative assistants by answering the phones, responding to correspondence, doing data entry, and coordinating interviews, they can also do a lot more.
Each individual virtual assistant’s particular interests have an impact on the kinds of tasks they can take on. For example, some are adept with financial matters. These virtual assistants can assist with many activities related to accounting, such as tracking accounts payable and receivable, creating invoices, reaching out to customers whose bills are due, and conducting necessary purchasing for the company.
Other virtual assistants take an interest in marketing and social media. These workers are a natural fit for businesses that need help with their online presence or seek to reach their target market better.
Many are highly effective writers and editors. Not only can they proofread copy, but also they can generate it themselves. They often serve as a first line of preparation for meetings, compiling profiles of participants, summaries of agenda topics, and possible follow-up questions so that you walk into every encounter on the best possible footing.
Virtual assistants can even help busy business leaders balance their work and personal obligations. They can keep track of children’s activities and needs so that baked goods or equipment never go lacking or a bill never goes unpaid.
With the help of a virtual assistant, it really is possible to have it all, even if one can’t do it all. The important thing is to identify the particular roles you need to fill.
Finding a Trustworthy Virtual Assistant
Engaging a virtual assistant can be as easy or as difficult as you choose. On one hand, you can look for a virtual assistant on your own, which launches an entire hiring process. This option would require you to solicit resumes, review them, schedule interviews, conduct them, and possibly even do more than one round of meetings. You would also need to vet the candidates fully to ensure they are as highly qualified and educated as their materials suggest. In taking this approach, it would be advisable to develop relevant assignments for them to complete, as well as evaluate their work.
On the other hand, virtual assistant companies can do these tasks for you. If you do go with a virtual assistant company, then make sure they have a rigorous vetting process in place. These providers should ensure their virtual assistants are skilled in the necessary tasks, speak fluent English, and have college degrees, as well as screen their candidates extensively by conducting background checks and contacting their references. These companies should also provide dedicated teams that ensure your virtual assistant is completing the tasks you have assigned in a timely and appropriate manner.
Choosing to go with a virtual assistant company brings other advantages as well. Your provider will be responsible for their employment taxes, employee benefits packages, and training. If you find you no longer need your virtual assistant, you can let them go without guilt, confident in the knowledge that their company will simply assign them to a different client.
Virtual assistants can help a wide range of businesses address their labor needs. As a result, business leaders will be able to put staffing worries aside and return to what they do best: building their businesses.
Recommended Resources
- “5 Things Lawyers Should Look For When Hiring a Virtual Assistant” – https://nyweekly.com/business/5-things-lawyers-shoulvirtual-assistant/
- “Find the Perfect Virtual Assistant in Three Easy Steps” – https://www.inc.com/david-finkel/find-perfect-virtual-assistant-in-3-easy-steps.html
- “Work Smarter Not Harder: How to Reach Peak Efficiency with a Virtual Assistant” – https://ceoworld.biz/2022/08/31/work-smarter-not-harder-how-to-reach-peak-efficiency-with-a-virtual-assistant/
- “Five Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Make You More Productive” – https://www.sba.gov/blog/5-ways-virtual-assistant-can-make-you-more-productive
