
Six reasons to hire a Virtual Assistant
Using a Virtual Assistant (VA) can give you back so many hours in a week but it’s sometimes difficult to know what tasks to give away right?
The VA industry is growing and there is a wide range of expertise out there. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a VA that fits your organisation.
Entrepreneurs can use VAs for a myriad of things from handling email and making customer calls to writing copy and managing social media accounts.
They can become an important member of your work team who just so happens to work remotely.
If you have ever thought about hiring a VA but don’t know where to start, here are 6 ways you can utilise one to improve your business.
Social Media Management
As much as some of us dislike social media, it’s here to stay as a tool for promoting your business. Building a virtual presence takes time. It also takes a lot of planning and knowledge about how the different platforms work. It is time consuming so give it away.
Managing Email
You know the amount of email you receive can be overwhelming. A VA can filter your important emails and respond to less urgent ones on your behalf. This is an easy task to do remotely. Just make sure that you brief the VA and give guidance on responding to different kinds of queries.
Online Research
Do you need to find information on new products, vet potential companies or business contacts etc? Keep up to date with industry news and developments and stay current and relevant.
This is a great task for a VA. Just make sure that you provide clear instructions and give the VA the necessary usernames and passwords for speciality software and tools.
Database Maintenance
Have you met a lot of new business contacts and potential clients recently? How do you find their information quickly when you need it? Do you have a current database and if you do, is it up to date?
This can be a mind-numbing and incredibly time-consuming task that you could give to a VA.
Travel Research
Planning the minute details of a business (or personal) trip is something you don’t want to get wrong. This is a perfect task to give to a VA. They can find hotels, book airfares and navigate the tricky time-zone details that can make or break a trip.
Scheduling your Calendar
How long does it take you to deal with meeting invitations, scheduling appointments or co-ordinating events? Too long I’m guessing. This is a perfect VA task.
I’ve had discussions with potential clients who have been reluctant to give away the tasks that are holding them back from growing their business. I can understand that. I’m a details person and if I’m honest, a little bit of a control freak when it comes to how I want my own things done. It’s hard giving control over to another person who you think can’t love your business the way that you do.
When I take on a job, I put myself in the business owner’s shoes. If it’s a business that relies on outstanding customer service, I also put myself in the customer’s shoes. From those angles, I can use my own high expectations to help me provide the service to others that I expect myself. I have found that this works very well. Most of my work has come from recommendation.
If you’re considering hiring a VA, please give me a call.
My experience and skills are varied: an executive PA in London and Australia; I have worked exclusively in a Secretariat co-ordinating Board meetings, agendas and minutes and parliamentary enquiries; campaign executive for an animal welfare NGO in Singapore; an interior decorator consulting for a large paint company and have project managed 2 large personal renovation projects.
I am also a professional Artist and still practice and exhibit. My Art company is called “Ocean Sun Design” and you can check it out here https://www.facebook.com/OceanSunDesign/
My interests include marine conservation and cetacean advocacy. I have been a Scuba Diver for years and am qualified to Rescue Diver level (meaning I’m fabulous to have in a tight spot and I don’t panic – trust me!). I also love reading, writing, cooking and hiking.
- Diploma in Public Administration
- Certificate IV in Interior Decoration and Design
- Diploma of Visual Arts
- Advanced Diploma of Creative Product Development
- Diploma of Justice.