What is a virtual assistant? A guide to services, benefits, and how to hire one for your business
In recent years, remote working has been on the rise. Gone are the days of dragging yourself to the office and sitting at a desk all day. Instead, you can work from the comfort of your own home and keep up to date with your colleagues through the use of Zoom, Slack or email.
If this is something you can do within your own business, it stands to reason that you can also remotely work with a part-time virtual assistant (VA), and more and more companies are starting to go down this path.
When I tell people I'm a virtual assistant, they either think I'm someone to pass their admin to or look at me blankly as they have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. But after speaking with me, they often come away pleasantly surprised.
So, what is a virtual assistant, and how can hiring one help your business grow? Read on for everything you need to know!
What is a virtual assistant?
Essentially, a VA is exactly what it says on the tin: a self-employed remote worker that uses cloud-based technology (the “virtual” part of a VA) to assist your business using their expert skill set (hence the word assistant).
Yes, a VA can help you with your admin, but most of us are also skilled professionals in many other business areas. My own expertise is in project management and content creation, but there is a whole host of other things a VA can do. If you can think of it, there’s probably someone out there who can do it!
Many people also forget that a VA is a business owner. They understand the hard work involved in running a business, and it is in their vested interest to help your business grow and succeed. Without you, their business will fail, so they’ll always strive to provide superior service.
What does a virtual assistant do?
It’s all well and good to say that a VA can do virtually anything, but I know that’s not exactly the most informative statement in the world. I’m sure many of you are still wondering, “what does a virtual assistant actually do?”.
We provide professional business support in so many key areas that it would take ages for me to list them all here! Instead, here is a quick rundown of the most frequently requested tasks that my team and I are hired to do:
Inbox and diary management
Event planning
Travel arrangements
Document formatting and proofreading
Transcription
Presentation design
Online research
Social media and email marketing
Blogging and content repurposing
Systems set up and support
What are the benefits of working with a virtual assistant?
Working with a virtual assistant has many benefits, and I’m not just saying that because I am one. I need help with the day-to-day running of my own business now and then and have worked with several VAs.
From my experience of both working as a VA and hiring my own VAs, here are the top three benefits of working with one:
1. Flexibility
One of the main advantages of working with a VA is the flexibility it gives you. When employing someone in the traditional way, they sign a contract obligating them to work a specific number of hours each day, and at times you may struggle to fill those hours. In comparison, you can change how many hours you want to hire a virtual assistant depending on the work that needs doing as your business ebbs and flows.
Bear in mind, though, that the flexibility will depend on the terms of the VAs contract. It all comes down to finding a VA that offers the right terms for you.
2. Reduced costs
Perhaps the most beneficial reason for outsourcing work to a VA is that it can save you money! Rather than pay an employee a wage for a job that only takes a few hours, you could hire a virtual assistant and only pay for the hours they’re actually working.
Not only that, you don’t pay for coffee breaks, toilet breaks, appointments, or office gossip by the water cooler. And you don’t need to worry about National Insurance contributions, holiday pay, sick pay, pensions, office space, laptops and other equipment.
3. Time-saving
Another main benefit of working alongside a VA is that it can save you a lot of time. When it comes to business, time is money, so why would you want to waste it on tasks that can easily be done by someone else?
Not delegating gets your business nowhere, whilst outsourcing will help your small business grow, ease your workload, and give you time to work on the things that matter.
Plus, doing everything yourself is LOSING you money.
"I was wasting a lot of precious time on tasks I didn't really understand which led to poor time management and frustration. Emma very quickly understood my needs and was great to work with."
Steps for hiring a virtual assistant
By this point, you may be considering hiring a VA yourself. Although it may seem as simple as typing “virtual assistant” into your search bar and hiring the first one you find, there is some preparation needed first so that you can be sure to find your perfect match…
1. Make a list of required services
Before doing anything else, make sure you have a good think about the kind of services you’ll need from your VA. The more specific you can be at this early stage, the better, as it will help you determine roughly how many hours of help you’ll need. If you don't know where to start, download my free worksheet to help you decide which tasks to outsource.
If possible, prioritise your tasks as well and create a detailed description of how they need to be completed. This can save you time in the long run, as your VA won’t need to ask you as many questions.
TOP TIP: Having Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place allows you to streamline these tasks, making delegation to your VA seamless. If this sounds like something you need, don't miss our comprehensive SOP Guide and Free SOP Blueprint. These resources will help you set up standardised processes that make managing your business a breeze.
2. Establish your budget
Now that you have a rough idea of how many hours you want to hire a VA for each month, it’s important that you figure out your budget. This stops you from wasting both your and any potential VAs’ time by enquiring about services you can’t afford.
Having a budget in mind also allows you to add additional hours each month if needed without accidentally spending more than your business can afford. This is something that most VAs offer when tasks unexpectedly turn up or take longer than initially thought.
3. Start your search
When searching for a VA, one of the best things you can do is ask your network for personal recommendations. If someone you trust loves working with them, there is a high chance they’re good at what they do. However, be aware that just because a VA is a good fit for one person, they may not work well for you. It all depends on the services you require, whether you share the same values and whether you'd work well together.
Once you’ve found a potential VA, I highly recommend you vet them before entering into a contract. Are they insured? Are they registered with the ICO for data protection? Can they provide details of at least 2 clients who would give them a good reference? This is one thing that I can guarantee you if you decide to work with my business; each of my VAs has been vetted to ensure you have the best experience possible.
4. Find your perfect fit
The last step in hiring a VA is finding your perfect fit. This often takes a bit of trial and error, so don't be put off if you have a bad experience. Most VAs won’t tie you into a long contract, so you can soon cancel and move on to someone else if they’re not a good fit.
If you go through a multi-VA company like mine, you may even be able to have two VAs working for you under one contract. This can be incredibly beneficial for businesses that suddenly need help with a new specialism that their current VA doesn’t provide.
If you do want to explore working with me, all you need to do is get in touch or drop me an email with any further questions.
"Emma matched me with 3 potential VAs and gave me a good insight into each of their skill sets, she also provided a specific recommendation for who she felt would be best to support me, which was really helpful."
TLDR: A virtual assistant is an amazing asset for any business, big or small. They can help with a multitude of tasks, provide flexibility, and save you time and money that you can use to grow your business! Hiring the perfect VA may take trial and error, but as long as you know what you want and how much you’re willing to pay for it, you’re sure to find a perfect match in no time.
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