Manage your Business Task – Hire Online Virtual Assistant

If you don’t have enough time to do all your work and there’s no way that you want to face any problems while doing that work – then taking the help of an online virtual assistant. You can take the pressure of your work as well as your team by taking the help of the online virtual assistant. There were times when working at home or even doing freelancing work had negative outcomes. 

But, nowadays various independent workers are working as virtual assistants, where working from remote locations is the main feature. Such virtual assistants try to handle specific tasks for a company.  The skillset may vary according to the specific person, but they all work towards a common goal.

Merits Of Using Online Virtual Assistant 

  1. Reduce The Company’s Labour Costs

When a company will hire a full-time virtual assistant, the company not only have to provide his salary but also the following benefits as well:

  • Provide sick days.

  • Provide tax deductions from 

  • Provide holiday leaves.

  • Provide compensation for working at the company.

  • Provide dental as well as medical benefits. 

Virtual assistants are always hired as independent contractors, which means that such assistants will be handling all their expenses, insurances and taxes. These assistants are hired simply for a specific kind of a job – for a specific period and that should be its end. The company can save that extra money, which can be used for better purposes elsewhere in the company.

  1. Improve The Overall Productivity

When you take into account the full eight hours working schedule for a general employee, it has been found on average that an employee does only three hours of useful and productive work. The rest five hours are spent on both productive and unproductive work. Therefore, why should the company pay for an employee if the full productiveness of the employee is not guaranteed, right?

But, on the other hand, online virtual assistants work in the best way possible because they don’t have to deal with all the distractions that are being caused in a certain office environment. This is the reason why such virtual assistants can dedicate and focus on getting tasks done in a much quicker manner. 

Since such online virtual assistants are self-employed, therefore the main goal is the satisfaction of the client. If the assistants are missing their deadlines or not doing their work – then the company can easily fire them. On the contrary, if the assistants can do the work in the best way possible – then the company can hire them again for future purposes.

This is the reason why virtual assistants are always the most motivated bunch. 

  1. Enhance The Flexibility

Online virtual assistants can work according to your schedule and therefore they can work when the company can hire them when they work. When working in different time zones, such virtual assistants can come to the company’s advantage.

The same cannot be said for a full-time employee and that’s why such flexibility is needed.

Advantage Of Using Online Virtual Assistant

If you don’t have enough time to do all your work and you don’t want to face any problems while doing that work, you might want to hire an online virtual assistant. You can handle the pressure of your work as well as that of your team by hiring an online virtual assistant. There was a time where hiring a virtual assistant was a tough job. 

Nowadays, however, various independent individuals are operating as a virtual assistant, where working from remote locations is the main feature. Such virtual assistants help the company to handle the specific tasks assigned to them.  Their skills can differ depending on the specific person, but they all work towards a common goal.

Merits Of Using Online Virtual Assistant 

  1. Reduce The Company’s Labour Costs

When a company hires a full-time employee, not only does it have to provide his or her wages, but also the following benefits:

  • Paid Leave.

  • Bonus & Appraisal

  • Infrastructure

  • Tax Form.

  • Medical benefits.

Whereas in the case of Virtual Assistants, they are always hired as independent contractors, which ensures that they will cover all their costs, insurance and taxes. Such assistants are employed specifically for a particular type of work and for a specific period of time, and that should be the end of it. The company can save that extra money that can be used elsewhere in the business for other purposes.

  1. Improves The Overall Productivity

When you take into account the full eight hours working schedule for a general employee, it has been found on average that an employee does only three hours of useful and productive work. The rest five hours are spent on unproductive work. Therefore, why should the company pay for an employee if the full productiveness of the employee is not guaranteed, right?

But, on the other hand, online virtual assistant works in the best way possible because they don’t have to deal with all the distractions that are being caused in a certain office environment. That’s why these virtual assistants can commit and focus on getting tasks done in a much quicker way.

Online virtual assistants are self-employed, and their primary objective is to satisfy the client by completing the task brilliantly. If the assistants are missing their deadlines or not doing their work – then the company can easily fire them. 

  1. Enhance The Flexibility

An online virtual assistant will work according to the schedule and preferences of the company. They can work when the company wants them to, thus online virtual assistants are very flexible and efficient. The same cannot be said for a full-time employee and that’s why such flexibility is needed.

Virtual Assistant Services – The Road To Success

In this digitally high world, you see a new website every single minute of every single day. With every new website, you require assistance in the formation, maintenance, and marketing of the services it provides, that’s exactly when a virtual assistant comes into play. It’s the job of the online virtual assistant to make it easier for you to function in this digitally high world. 

Here are some fields where you will find the best virtual assistant services:

  • Social media marketing:

Social media is one field where you require the best virtual assistant services to grow your clientele, give an identity to your product, form connections with the outer world (place far away from your den), and gain the loyalty for your product. The whole managing, scheduling, monitoring of posts, likes, comments, and shares is done with the help of virtual assistants. 

  • Start-up business:

Your start-up business needs a boost in form of website design and creation, email marketing, contact management, and any complex task that requires a third person to do all the time-consuming and tedious paperwork, data management, data analysis, and data sharing. The best virtual assistant services come with certificates of their training, learning, and originality.  

  • Customer support:

An organization runs for its customers and customers need assistance for buying, knowing, selling off products. To get that customer support, you need the best virtual assistant services in the world. To understand a customer and his requirements is an art, and a virtual assistant knows how to do justice to this art form.  

  • Virtual administrative services:

Big companies need reminders now and then for the smallest thing for the day before them. To remind them of which event will take place, they are in urging the need for a virtual assistant. Someone who can help them set their calendar right for both big and small tasks for the day. Virtual assistant plays a crucial role in daily routine work general administration tasks, data management, and emailing and calling for the day. 

  • Real estate virtual assistant:

Who doesn’t need a place to stay? A place to work? And, a bigger place to build a bigger organization? When you go about searching for a suitable place, you will end up feeling lost and undernourished. Instead, there are now the best virtual assistant services that can help you find a suitable place for work, study, stay, and schooling. A real estate company feels at ease to manage its daily tasks of administration and to schedule meetings with different clients. 

Be it any field of expertise, virtual assistance is now a powerful sword to fight off forgetfulness, and tedious and time-consuming paperwork. There is no scope of disappointment when it comes to the best virtual assistant services to manage your day-to-day activities in your workstation, as well as your den! The best part about virtual assistance is you don’t have to wait for assistance. You can always depend on them for services revolving around your organization or private business. 

 

Virtual Assistant Services that will help you to grow in a Competitive World

A virtual assistant is a person who provides a variety of services to entrepreneurs from a remote location. From digital marketing, event management, personal errands to scheduling appointments hiring a virtual assistant makes it all stress-free.

Services Provided by Virtual Assistants:

  •   Virtual Admin Services: Virtual admin services include managing appointments, organizing tasks and scheduling meetings. It is important to hire a virtual assistant to carry out daily routine activities like general administration tasks, data management, and mailings and calling tasks. It will lead to an increase in work productivity. These regime activities may look small but affect drastically the core tasks if not handled on time.

  •   Accounting and Finance: Accounting and finance is the most important function of a company. This task being lengthy and having standards to follow it is recommended to hire a virtual assistant. The services provided by the expert virtual assistant are calculation and accounting services, assisting financial reporting, updating and maintaining invoices and checking deductions and taxes. Increase employee productivity by hiring a virtual assistant and lessen the burden of senior-level employees so that they can focus on more important tasks like forming efficient strategies and executing those strategies to achieve organizational goals and objectives.

  • Virtual Tech Support: Technological developments have been increasing at a fast pace and these advancements have proved beneficial to the business. But just installing software is not enough entrepreneurs need to manage it too. Virtual assistant providing tech support includes services like software installation, CCTV surveillance, windows support mac support, set up and configuration and remote diagnostic services. The tech support services work the best for small businesses that are willing to expand.

When an organization hire a virtual assistant to do a job in a professional way it saves cost on training employees to do the same task. The organization saves on salary as virtual assistants don’t work full time so the payout is also less. The most important aspect of hiring a virtual assistant is that it will save time for organizations as they can outsource activities to professional assistants and can focus on more important tasks.

Hiring a virtual assistant is beneficial in this competitive world. As virtual assistants are well trained and qualified, they can handle any tasks given to them. By hiring virtual assistant, entrepreneurs can expand the business as entrepreneurs don’t have to handle all tasks. 

5 Common Mistakes while Hiring a Virtual Assistant Services Provider

A virtual assistant services provider is someone who works from a remote area and helps you to tackle the administrative tasks of your business. This job is normally done by the employees, who used to work under you in your office itself. However, virtual assistant services offer the same perks but without burdening you with the responsibilities you would have for in-house employees.

In the present generation, a virtual assistant services provider is the most preferred solution as these people mainly multitask and end up managing all your tasks and needs, single-handedly. However, hiring a virtual assistant can be quite frustrating at times if you fail to explain your working style properly. Most companies opt to hire VA services providers to solve immediate needs without thinking of the consequences. 

Nevertheless, there are some common errors you need to avoid. Here they are mentioned below:

  • It is necessary to find out the reason why you want to hire a virtual assistant. Without sorting out your needs, do not look to choose a virtual assistant randomly. That would put you in more trouble and the entire process would end up getting more messed up along with wastage of both money and time. Make a proper list of the tasks you need to get done and then look for a qualified and experienced VA who can serve you in a proper way.

  • When you are appointing a VA, it is advisable to not keep a lot of expectation from a single person. The field of expertise will vary from person to person. Thus, if you are hiring a person for managing your websites and social media accounts, it can be possible that he is not well-versed in handling your clients and management process. It would be a waste to over expect from your VA and in order to avoid complications, maintain clarity of your requirements and communicate accordingly.

  • Hiring a virtual assistant does not mean you won’t review their works. It is needed to maintain a calendar and to examine their progress so that you can also suggest amendments and changes. It would boost your knowledge and would help to avoid the repetition of mistakes.

  • In recent years, there has been a rush in outsourcing VA to overseas companies as it benefits the financial side and also does increase the productivity of work. However, you need to give a thought to the part that language and cultural barriers may affect his service to some extent if proper instructions are not provided as and when needed.

  • Virtual Assistant Services are mainly provided by administrative experts who are trained and have a fair experience in this domain. Yet, they need proper instructions and briefings for the service and work to be done. Prepare a step-by-step guide that would help you to get maximum benefit.

By taking care of the steps you need to take from your side, you can prevent blunders and increase the productivity of your business Plus, all of this at much lower cost.

What to prefer: Chatbot V/S Virtual Assistant?

Nowadays a company can make it to the top only if it provides outstanding customer service. There are many competitors in the market, but the one with prompt customer service comes out as the winner. Companies spend a lot of money on building an efficient customer service team.

Customers do not like to wait as they want their queries to be resolved as soon as possible. To curb this challenge, companies hire customer executives to address the problems and queries of the customers. Hiring a huge team of customer service officers can be an expensive affair, therefore, only big companies could afford it. For a startup, it is not possible to invest so much money in a customer executive team.

But now the tables have turned, even small companies are able to provide amazing customer service through chatbots or Virtual assistant. But wait, aren’t chatbots or Virtual assistant, the same thing? This is a common misconception and often Online Virtual Assistants or chatbots are branded as one. They almost do similar things, but the scope and limitations are different in both. For example, an Online Virtual Assistant works with you on a more personal level as you will be hiring experts to complete a specific task. These professionals will help you and work with your side-by-side in order to achieve a particular organizational goal. On the other hand, chatbots are only pre-programmed applications that are there to only clarify the doubts and queries of the target audience.

In this article, we will point out a few major differences between an Online Virtual Assistant and Chatbot.

Limitation

Chatbots are programmed in such a way that they can only answer a set of pre-programmed questions. If a question is asked which is not programmed in the chatbot, then the chatbot will fail to answer the question. Chatbots cannot hold long and interactive communications like a human. They mostly communicate in the form of text messages. 

Online Virtual Assistant is a more interactive platform than chatbots. They can understand every word which a user conveys. These assistants learn as they interact. Unlike like chatbots, they can have long interactive conversations. This way they can also handle complex tasks and solve them.

Tasks

As discussed earlier, chatbots can complete tasks that are only programmed within them. They are fed with FAQs and if something is asked beyond these questions, then the chatbots fail to answer.

On the other hand, Virtual Assistants understand everything a customer conveys. With the use of its learning behavior, an Online Virtual Assistant can compare products as per the features wanted by the user. It can also tell you which product is the best among the lot. 

Final Result

Now we know that Online Virtual Assistant and chatbots are different. Chatbots are limited to performing only selected tasks. Whereas, a VA can solve complex tasks due to its learning ability. Hence, for a company, it is advisable to opt for Virtual Assistant, to ensure that users experience a smooth customer service experience.

How Small Business Owners can use Virtual Assistant Services

One of the most difficult things to accomplish in this cut-throat corporate world is to start a new business from scratch. Starting a business requires a certain level of planning and investment, without which the small business cannot survive. The budget allocated in terms of investment is limited and hence, must be utilized adequately so that it benefits the company concerned eventually down the line. Therefore, in order to successfully establish your small business within a specific industry, it is imperative that you avail virtual assistant services.

Since finances are limited for a start-up firm, relying upon the expertise of virtual assistant service providers can be deemed as a safe bet. Following are some of the ways small businesses should look to use virtual assistant services:

  1. Use Virtual Assistants for its Skillful Labor and Experience – The experience level of virtual assistant service providers is immeasurable as the companies concerned have collaborated with hundreds of companies and have provided an effective solution. All the candidates working with virtual assistant companies expertise in various professional skill. Therefore, avail the services will minimize the risk of mistakes as you will get accurate results on a regular basis. The aspect of experience can benefit small businesses hugely as these start-ups are new in the market and do not have a defined target or goal in mind. Availing virtual assistant services will help the company to move in a particular direction.

  2. Save Time and Effort – Establishing your business in the market should be the primary goal of every small business. The level of competition is increasing in the market. Therefore, it is crucial for the start-up to get accustomed to the market trends so that it can survive in this competitive environment. Planning and strategizing can take up a lot of time. Therefore, additional duties and responsibilities should be outsourced to virtual assistant firms. It will then allow the management team to solely focus on operation and make sure that the performance of the small business meets the expectations of the target audience.

  3. Better opportunity to grow and develop – making a commitment to recruit an in-house team can be overwhelming for small businesses [especially when the true potential of the start-up has not been realized yet]. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of hiring employees but cannot maintain them as the fixed cost of salary can be difficult to fulfill, especially for companies who have limited business. Therefore, the best decision here would be to rely upon virtual assistant services as per nature and the needs of the business. This will automatically help the small business to grow and develop in the market with an immediate improvement in service quality. 

Small businesses must make smart decisions in order to minimize risks and maximize profit levels. This can only be achieved by depending upon virtual assistant services as it is not only affordable but also generates favorable results in due course of time.

Why Should Businesses Rely On Virtual Assistant?

The process of initiating business was only limited to the geographical location before the introduction of the internet. Entrepreneurs had to rely upon the services which they could avail from the local market. Due to limited resources, the growth and development of the concerned firm were also restricted to a certain level. In order to penetrate the international market companies had to invest a significant amount of money, However, the entire landscape of business changed with the evolution of the internet.

People could now get in touch with international clients with just one click of a button. Consequently, the potential of every firm reached a whole new level as business corporations could now outsource their additional work to professionals who excelled in a certain field. This was the advent of Virtual Assistant Services. The concept of virtual assistance is gaining popularity in the present economy as both small businesses, as well as larger firms, rely upon the assistance offered by these Virtual Assistant Service providers.

It is obvious that an individual cannot be a perfectionist in every field. There are multiple segments to a business such as finance, marketing, and general operations. Managing all the spheres of a business can be overwhelming, to say the least. Also, it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to keep track of these activities. This is precisely why corporate firms now look to avail Virtual Assistant Services as it is a much more convenient and reliable option to depend on.

Let us now identify some reasons as to why you should outsource your additional responsibilities to Virtual Assistant Service providers:

  1. Specialized services – The primary reason why you should avail Virtual Assistant Services is that these firms only work with specialists which come together and offer freelance services to various companies. From expert accountants to marketing pundits, Virtual Assistant firms shelter a large volume of professionals who possess diverse skills and knowledge within a particular field. Therefore, you will be able to gain specialized assistance as per your business needs and requirements. 

  2. Convert Fixed Costs into Variable Costs – Maintaining a separate team can be expensive as you would have to pay a fixed salary at the end of a financial month to every employee, regardless of the amount of work assigned. This step can be extremely risky for start-ups as the concerned firm still is trying to establish its presence in the market. With Virtual Assistant Services, you can outsource work on an individual project basis. Hire freelance services based on the specific needs of an assignment. Therefore, it is a fantastic option that every small business must take into consideration.

  3. Free time – When you outsource your additional responsibilities to an external party then you as an entrepreneur will have more time to supervise your business and allocate more time into monitoring the operations. The additional stress of maintaining accounts, tracking mails, formulating marketing strategies, etc. can be controlled by the Virtual Assistant Service provider.

So if you’re struggling to cope with all of your business responsibilities it’s time for you to get in contact with a company that provides virtual assistant services to make use of effective solutions.

4 Signs You Need a Virtual Assistant

While the awareness about Virtual Assistant Services is on the rise and businesses are realizing the potential benefit of hiring a Virtual Assistant. However, the adoption of Virtual Assistants is still through word-of-mouth or stumbling upon such services.

While entrepreneurs are aware that Virtual Assistant Services are provided by experts from a remote location and their associated benefits, more often than not they think that it is not for them.

The ideal scenario would be when businesses and entrepreneurs understand the position of their company and make an informed decision about the right time to avail Virtual Assistant Services. Here are 4 common signs which tell you that the time is right to avail of the services of a Virtual Assistant.

You are scaling up rapidly – Companies in the rapid growth phase find it difficult to scale up their teams at the same pace. As a result, some business function or the other suffers. At this point, the entrepreneur spends their time simply managing a hygiene level of service delivery until a proper team is in place. If you are facing a similar situation, this is a sign that you need Virtual Assistant Services.

Your costs are escalating disproportionately – Businesses undergo phases of escalated costs some time or the other. This may be due to a variety of reasons ranging from capital expenses to employee-related expenses and sometimes losses. The need of the hour is to reign in costs without compromising on the quality of services. Enter the Virtual Assistant Services which are cost economical as compared to in-office employees due to the simple reason that there are no hiring, training or retention costs involved.

You plan to diversify – If you are planning to offer a completely new service to your clients, then it may be a good idea to try out delivering the service through Virtual Assistant Services on a pilot basis. The idea is to simply gauge the response from your consumers before committing any investments to that service. Also, since the Virtual Assistant is a highly experienced and qualified resource you are assured of a strong performance from day 1.

You are a start-up – If you are the promoter of a Start-up you very well understand the importance of hiring the best resources for your business while keeping the costs at a manageable level. No matter if you are a well-funded start-up or a bootstrapped one it’s always a question of finding the most productive resource for the company. The good news is that with Virtual Assistant Services start-ups can get the best of both worlds. World-class qualified experts with years of experience at economical costs.

If you find yourself facing one or more of the above signs then its time to lookout for a good agency providing Virtual Assistant Services. Abroad Assistant offers a wide range of business solutions and virtual assistant services to individual clients and small businesses across the world. It is trusted because of stringent hiring protocols of professional experts as well as its no-compromise attitude on confidentiality and privacy. Focus on the important priorities of business while Virtual Assistants handle other tasks for you.

7 Minor Changes That’ll Make a Big Difference with your Virtual Assistant

So you have hired a Virtual Assistant? Congratulations, you have demonstrated vision and acuity. But hiring a Virtual Assistant is not the end game. Rather it’s the beginning of an entirely new way of operating. Want to truly get your investment’s worth in a Virtual Assistant? Then try to incorporate these changes in your business processes. 

  1. Impart a sense of ownership –

    Let your Virtual Assistant feel invested in the tasks assigned to her. Since you will come to depend on your Virtual Assistant a lot more as the days go by, you should be able to completely trust her. For that, the person should feel responsible for the task at hand. If you successfully impart this feeling then be assured that the Virtual Assistant will stand shoulder to shoulder with you.

  2. Create rule-based jobs –

    Try and create rules and guidelines for most if not all the jobs handled by your Virtual Assistant. This way the assistant will need minimum training and will hit the ground running. Also, clearly defined rules mean lesser chances for mistakes or time spent on consulting with you for clarifications and directions.

  3. Notice proactiveness –

    Be on the lookout for proactive behavior displayed by your Virtual Assistant. Encourage your VA to look for ways to create work for himself. Be open to suggestions and improvements from your VA. Be sure to reward your VA when he displays proactive and productive behavior. This will ensure that your VA always works like your in-office employee.

  4. Hire with Parity –

    Always hire your Virtual Assistant the same way that you will hire your in-office employees. This way you will look beyond language expertise and technical skills. You will also look at the overall personality and cultural fit with your company. In the long run, this will pay rich dividends by way of continued loyalty and higher productivity.

  5. Gradually increase complexity –

    Virtual Assistants work remotely from your office location. Hence there is always room for a communication gap. This will eventually be smoothened out as you work more and more. Hence, start with simpler tasks and gradually increase the complexity. This will cut your losses if things go wrong.

  6. Invest in your Virtual Assistant –

    Most Virtual Assistants will be happy to finish the tasks at hand to the best of their abilities. However, to really make a difference with your VA, invest in them. Interact with them, mentor them to get their fire burning. An invested employee is a productive resource.

  7. Establish a healthy feedback mechanism –

    Create a two-way feedback channel early on in the relationship. When it’s safe for both of you to communicate with each other then the chances are that the work will be done right the first time around. Also, this will establish a healthy relationship in the long run. The Best Virtual Assistant Services help structure a feedback mechanism in case clients need assistance in that.

As with all work relationships, Virtual Assistants too need some working. But if handled correctly, VA can be a boon to your business and work life. Abroad Assistants is among the best Virtual Assistant Services in the market today as every resource is taken on board after evaluations of soft skills and trainability besides their technical expertise. We regularly train our resources to help them build strong bonds with clients while providing the highest level of productivity so that they make a difference to your business.