When I first started my business there were so many of my friends and family that didn't have a clue what a virtual assistant was and had never even come across the phrase. I had to explain that, basically, it's a Personal Assistant (PA) or Executive Assistant (EA) that works remotely from their own home.
I suppose, in a way, I've already been a virtual assistant (VA) as, just over 20 years ago, I worked for a company doing data entry and creating databases and did this from home. Back then we were called Outworkers and we didn't do any work via the internet (with those dial up times, you'd get hardly anything done in an hour). Remote Workers is also a description sometimes used.
These days internet speeds are superfast and you can speak to someone as if they are sitting directly next to you either by phone, email, or video. Files can be safely transferred in 'The Cloud' with more than one person working on them collaboratively . We have the world at our fingertips!
So, let's talk about you! You're running a successful business but the day to day admin tasks are beginning to become a headache and are taking up more and more of your time - valuable time that you could be spending with new clients or your family. You're looking for support with your administration but why should you consider a virtual assistant?
Well, here's why..
Less overheads - as a VA will work from their own home, you won't need to pay expensive rental fees on an office.
A VA will pay their own tax, national insurance or pension contributions.
Flexible working hours - a VA will state in their Client Agreement between what hours they are willing to work, however, there is often more flexibility and they can be on hand for that occasional, urgent matter that needs completing outside normal office hours.
A VA will provide their own equipment, you will only be paying for the service provided.
You will only pay for the time spent on your projects. Most VAs use a time monitoring system, just like a stopwatch, so you really are getting valuable for money. You're not paying for them to make a coffee or go to loo!
Ease of use - VAs tend to have retainer packages where you sign up for a set amount of hours per month at a set price per hour. You'll know exactly how much you're going to be paying each month thus making budgeting so much easier. A good VA will always check what your budget is and will update you when you've almost used your monthly hours up.
Lastly and probably most importantly, Virtual Assistants are self-employed. It's their top priority to have clients that are happy and satisfied with their work so that they will use them again or recommend them to others. I mean, no clients means no business!
Ready to take the next step? Download my free eBook, "Working with a VA: A Business Owner's Guide." Packed with top tips and essential insights, it will guide you through the process of outsourcing, making your transition smooth and effective.
Thanks for reading.
Paula
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