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Virtual Assistants

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work you’ve got on? 

Or perhaps you’re struggling to stay on top of daily admin tasks, but can’t afford to take on an extra staff member?

Enter the virtual assistant.

Hiring a virtual assistant is a great option for your business when you need to scale up without spending a fortune.

What is a virtual assistant (VA)?

A virtual assistant (VA) is someone who works from a remote office location and provides various assistance by communicating online via Skype, Zoom, email or phone. 

Hiring a virtual assistant is just like hiring a regular employee, except there is much more flexibility in terms of working hours and arrangements.

You can hire a virtual assistant for practically any project or task in areas such as finance, admin, social media, SEO and bookkeeping to name a few.

When should I hire a virtual assistant?

Regardless of the type of business you run or how long you’ve been operating, it’s almost a given that you can benefit from a virtual assistant at some point along your business journey.

The going can get tough sometimes, and if any of the following things have cropped up in your mind it could be the time to hire a VA.

• You often find yourself thinking, “If only I had the time, I would be able to…”
• You don’t need another employee, you just need an extra pair of hands to do ad hoc tasks a few times a week or a couple of hours each day.
• You’ve looked at various virtual assistant software options to streamline your processes, but you’d much rather have a trusted human take care of it.
• You’ve discovered that there are certain tasks you’re just not amazing at, and would much rather hand them over to someone else so that area doesn’t suffer.
• You have many great ideas but managing routine tasks just doesn’t allow you the capacity to pursue them.

What does a virtual assistant do?

The short answer to this question is that you can hire a virtual assistant to do pretty much anything.

The real question should be, “What do you need your virtual assistant to do?” or better still, “What can’t a virtual assistant do?”

Here is a snapshot of some of the tasks and services you can outsource to a virtual assistant:

• Managing emails
• Answering incoming calls and making outbound calls
• Scheduling meetings and appointments
• Diary and calendar management 
• Data entry
• Bookkeeping and accounting
• Managing follow up calls and emails to leads
• Social media management and content creation
• Word processing and document/report preparation
• Website coordination
• Blog writing
• Customer service and support 
• Travel and event organisation and management

… plus a whole lot more!

What are the different types of virtual assistants?

From basic admin that you’re just far too busy for, to more complicated tasks that you need professional assistance with, there’s a virtual assistant out there to do the job.

We can split virtual assistants into two types: general VAs and specialised VAs.

What is a general VA?

A general virtual assistant is the most common type of VA. A general VA helps you take care of daily tasks and processes that are essential to keep the cogs of your business turning, e.g. email management, customer follow ups and data entry.

What is a specialised VA?

A specialised VA has a particular skill set and can help you with specific tasks or projects. Here are just some of the various types of specialised virtual assistants:

• Virtual legal assistant
• Virtual legal assistant
• Virtual secretary 
• Virtual customer service assistant
• Virtual SEO assistant
• Virtual digital marketing assistant
• Virtual personal assistant (PA)
• Virtual administration assistant
• Virtual executive assistant
• Virtual social media assistant

How much does a virtual assistant cost?

Virtual assistants usually charge on an hourly basis or a project or task basis. Some VAs may also charge a flat rate for a certain number of hours.

To give you a ballpark figure, the average cost to hire a virtual assistant in Australia ranges from $30 - $50 per hour for administrative work. 

How much do overseas virtual assistants cost?

Overseas virtual assistants tend to be significantly cheaper than Australian virtual assistants - sometimes even as little as $5 per hour. However, there are many disadvantages of hiring as offshore VA:

• Time difference: If your task is time-sensitive, then it's best to hire an Australian-based virtual assistant instead.
• Language barrier: Overseas virtual assistants may not be as proficient in English as an Australian assistant, which makes collaboration harder.
• Local knowledge: Foreign virtual assistants may not have the local know-how or understand trends, cultural sensitivities and the local lingo.
• Quality of work: A cheaper foreign virtual assistant may lack the experience and education needed to handle your business tasks.

How do I pay a virtual assistant?

If you go hire a VA through an agency, they will usually take care of the payment process.

If you hire a VA independently, here are some tips to ensure paying your VA is smooth sailing:

• Pay after the job is complete and only ever pay a partial payment in advance.
• Request an invoice and ensure there is sufficient information.
• Use recognised payment methods, e.g bank transfers, Transferwise or PayPal.

How does hiring a virtual assist work?

Hiring a VA is a little different from hiring in-house staff for obvious reasons. You will communicate virtually or via phone and will need to establish mutually beneficial working practices.

Hiring a good VA is half the battle, but as a business owner, you have a responsibility to create a professional and productive relationship with your staff and maintain good communication with all in-house and remote staff.

Here are some top tips to manage your VA:

• Offer a working trial and provide training: It’s better to have a trial period before hiring a VA for the long term. Train them during this period before handing over all tasks.
• Document all procedures: Ensure you have a comprehensive set of documents outlining all the details, standard operating procedures and rules. This will really help your VA to get up to speed with how you work.
• Set clear expectations: Clarify your goals and what you expect from your VA. This includes KPIs, reporting and communication. Defining these items clearly will help avoid any confusion and disappointment.
• Check-in regularly: Always check in with your VA, get their feedback and discuss things with an open mind. You should offer support and guidance in the early days to establish a good working relationship.
• Think long term: Always work towards building a long-term relationship with your virtual assistant. Hiring and firing frequently means you will waste money and lose productivity, which will impact your business.
• Establish good communication: Communicating with your VA using apps like Zoom and Skype will help you build rapport and communicate effectively with your VA.

What skills does a good virtual assistant need?

Important skills to look out for in a good virtual assistant include:

• Communication skills - you will be communicating with your VA remotely so great communication skills are essential.
• Time management skills - your VA will be working unsupervised so it’s vital that they can manage their time and meet deadlines.
• Organisational skills - ensure your VA has good organisational skills and has clear and organised working processes.

Computer savvy - if your VA needs to use programs and software to complete tasks ensure they are computer savvy and can use your apps.

Where can I find a virtual assistant?

You’ve got several options when it comes to finding a virtual assistant for your business:

1. Reach out to your professional networks like LinkedIn
2. Approach virtual assistant companies and agencies 
3. Freelance marketplaces 
4. Find a VA right here on SavvySME - simply tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll introduce you to the top VAs

Ready to hire a virtual assistant? Simply answer a few questions and we’ll help you find the best virtual assistants for your business.