10 Reasons You Should Hire a Virtual Assistant
Most articles of this kind will simply reel off a list of tasks a Virtual Assistant can do for you. However what is less often looked at are some compelling reasons you need a VA beyond the execution of tasks. In other words what leads you to hire a dedicated virtual assistant and are you the type of person who needs to use a Virtual Assistant.
If you do want examples of tasks a Virtual assistant can do then perhaps these links will help:
Otherwise... here are 10 reasons you should hire a Virtual Assistant:
1. There is something you are not doing, that you should be doing?
Running your own business often means you are a CEO, Marketing Director and Customer Support Operative and still you may not have the time or knowhow to manage your social media, boost your site SEO and a multitude of other things that bring traffic to your business. Hiring a specialist Virtual Assistant means you can concentrate on what you do best and let them take care of these other crucial aspects of your business.
2. You cannot afford to employ someone directly?
Employing someone can be difficult for many small businesses or self-employed people. Financially it is a burden which may not make sense in the early stages and you may also not want the legal burden of employing someone. A Virtual assistant can be hired, more cheaply, for a limited number of hours and you won't be tied into a long contract.
3. You want to reduce your workload or focus on other aspects of your business?
If your workload is grinding you down and you lack the time to balance your life properly or perhaps you simply want to spend more time on another aspect of your business that brings a greater ROI then a Virtual Assistant can help you. Delegating the time-consuming tasks to a VA can "buy" you valuable time to spend enjoying yourself or focussing on aspects of your business that directly influence your revenue.
4. You feel you spend too much time on admin and not enough on your business
One of the most common complaints I hear from our clients is the time it takes them to deal with Admin! Many of our clients are small business owners, solopreneurs or the type of entrepreneurial type, renting a desk in a shared workspace and grinding away to build something new.
Admin is often cited as the biggest drag, holding back the entrepreneurial spirit and yet, no successful person will tell you that the administrative side of the business is not important. A Virtual Assistant can take a lot of the day-to-day admin off your hands freeing you up to live your entrepreneurial dream.
5. Your clients are not getting enough attention
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush! however, we often forget our clients in striving to get new ones. The truth is there needs to be a balance in any business between keeping a good cycle of new leads coming on board and tending to your paying clients.
With a Virtual Assistant you can outsource some of the client relationship management; email or phone support, surveys, personal messages (e.g. birthdays and holidays). generally ensuring there is a prompt response to those who are after all paying for you to bring on new customers.
6. You have nowhere to put another employee
You may work on your own or you may have a team that has reached capacity. Do you want to have to move to larger premises in order to speculatively hire someone? Possibly not right away. The answer could be skilled Virtual Assistants. VAs work remotely so scaling up is effortless on your part.
7. You only require someone on an ad hoc / part-time basis
If you are a small business owner or a solopreneurs managing your workflow is not always straightforward. The amount of working coming intends to vary, but when its hot, you cannot afford to let it slip. Hiring a VA can give you that flexibility of using someone as and when you need them and not being burdened with an employee who is not used to their full capacity.
8. You are struggling to fill your employees hours
The same goes if you currently have one or more employees who simply don't have enough work on. A Virtual Assistant is not only a more economical option but a VA also offers the flexibility of reducing the hours and scaling as and when your business needs it.
9. You are a busy person who struggles to organise their home life
There is an increasing trend for people to use Virtual Assistants in their personal life. Modern society means our days are often packed from beginning to end. You may not have time to find a flight, a hotel and an airport transfer for your own holiday, let alone finding a present for your daughter's friend's 6th birthday party.
A Virtual Assistant can take a lot of the stress of this off your hands. Dedicated and skilled VAs are experienced in travel planning, finding the most economical flights and researching any aspect of your personal life in the utmost confidence.
10. It doesn't cost anything to try!
Ok, apologies for this cheeky one thrown in at the end, but you can try a Virtual Assistant for FREE with bizee.co and find out for yourself what kind of difference it could make to your work or home life.
Author: Thomas Smallwood is an outsourcing specialist. Having worked in companies around Europe, from the support desk to the boardroom, he founded bizee.co to help small businesses grow through efficient delegation to skilled virtual assistants. He is an award-winning blogger and a passionate advocate for mental health awareness.
Connect with Tom on LinkedIn.