How Outsourcing Can Help Grow Your Business with a Virtual Assistant
Are you looking for an efficient and cost-effective way to supercharge the growth of your business? Virtual Assistants (VAs) can provide businesses with a powerful solution that can help to hone internal operations. Help streamline processes, increase efficiency, and ultimately maximise profits. With the right virtual assistant, businesses can unlock the potential of outsourcing. Make their operations more productive and cost-efficient than ever before.
What is A Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistants are highly skilled professionals who provide services remotely, usually via the Internet. They can help businesses with various tasks like customer service, email management, data entry, marketing, etc. With a VA on board, companies can free up their time to focus on what’s important – growing their business. VAs offer a unique value that is difficult to replicate in an in-house team: flexibility and scalability. Businesses of any size or budget can leverage the skills of a virtual assistant. Introducing flexible working, most office staff has been introduced into the concept of remote working. A VA can meet business needs without investing in additional resources or personnel.
The key to success with a virtual assistant is finding the right one for your business. Finding the perfect match for tasks can be tricky and requires research and patience. But when you finally find the ideal VA, it’s worth all the effort. The quality of work that they provide can make a real difference in how successful your business is overall.
What can a Virtual Assistant do?
Outsourcing specific tasks to virtual assistants will free up business time. This gives business time to focus on other areas of their operations. A VA can allow business owners to expand their services and offerings. VAs can take care of:
Customer service
Managing emails
Data entry
Software Testing
Social Media Management
Bookkeeping
Research
Travel and Conference Booking
Website updates and maintenance
The results of working with a VA mean that business owners have more time available to pursue new opportunities. Which could lead to significant successes down the road!
A virtual assistant is an invaluable asset to any business. With their help, companies can unlock the power of outsourcing. They can access a range of skills, services, and expertise that would otherwise be inaccessible. If you’re looking for ways to grow your business quickly and effectively, consider bringing on board a virtual assistant today!
You will need time and dedication to find the perfect VA. Any business can reap the rewards associated with harnessing the power of a virtual assistant. Besides saving money, reducing overhead, and freeing up valuable personnel resources, VAs can give businesses access to specialised skills without having to commit substantial financial resources or long-term contracts. The power of outsourcing should not be underestimated. Make sure that you can take full advantage of the opportunities presented by virtual assistants to help your business reach its full potential.
In conclusion
Virtual Assistants offer a powerful solution for businesses looking to unlock the potential of outsourcing and maximise their operations. With a suitable VA, businesses can free up valuable time and resources to focus on growth while streamlining everyday tasks. If you’re ready to supercharge your business, investing in a Virtual Assistant is an excellent place to start!
Services I should not have offered as a Virtual Assistant is easy to say when I look back at my career. When setting up your own business as a virtual assistant, one of the first things you have to decide, is what services should you offer. Like most businesses, this can be one of the fun aspects of starting from scratch and being your boss. However, at some point, you’re going to need to earn money, and this is when your creative skills are going to have to come to the forefront.
When I started as a virtual assistant in 2005, I was determined only to do the jobs that I wanted to do. I’d worked in the corporate arena for many years. I knew the majority of office tasks that businesses would need. I also knew the tasks that I didn’t particularly enjoy doing. It was therefore easy not to offer those tasks.
Nevertheless one of my first clients asked if I would undertake telephone answering for him. Having no income coming at att at this time, I jumped at the task. It is only with hindsight that we can look back upon the tasks that we do and decide whether they are good or bad. The decision to answer his phone calls directed the way myPA operated ever since.
Services I should not have offered as Virtual Assistant
My client wanted me to answer the telephone for his business when he couldn’t. That meant I had to be in the office from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. On the whole, for a small business that sounds like a good idea. I am at my desk, growing my business and earning money. However, offering a telephone answering service that only pays when you answer the telephone is hugely limiting. I found that I was sitting in my office and the phone only rang once a day. That meant that I was in the position to invoice for one telephone call. If I charged £250 per call that would be fantastic and I earned £250 that day. However, the majority of telephone answering fees are circa £1 per call. That meant I was sitting at my desk all day waiting for a telephone call and earnt £1.
Task Limitations
As a result of this contract, I had to find other work, which would mean I earned an income while I stayed at my desk, nine till five. This meant that I answered more telephone calls for additional people. I was, therefore, making my desk job financially viable. However, as a small business, I need to go out and network and earn more money. That meant I had to employ staff. Employing staff means paying national insurance, holiday pay, sick pay and now pensions. All these increases in outgoings meant that they had to earn more incoming. It then becomes a vicious circle. I employed staff to answer a phone when I wasn’t there which meant I had to go out and earn more money to pay the salaries of the staff I was employing so that I could go out
What services should a Virtual Assistant offer?
Those that you enjoy and are good at. Those that will give you a good return for your hard work and are profitable.
I’m not saying that answering telephones is a bad service to offer, but you do need to make sure you have the infrastructure in place to make sure that the service becomes financially viable for you. Selecting the services, you offer as a virtual assistant is vitally important. You need to understand the ramifications of their services. Having said that, if the infrastructure is in place and you offer a time-consuming service that requires additional staff and you make a decent profit then the service is of benefit to you and your business.
When setting up your virtual PA business always remember that the first client is your business. The services you offer hax to be rewarding to you and your business emotionally, financially and suit your skillset.
Welcome
Welcome to our online magazine from Julie and the team. If you have been on one of Julie’s training courses, you know she is passionate about PA, EAs and Secretaries being the best they can be. She also has very strong opinions about what a PA, EA and Secretary should and shouldn’t do. If you have a question, or would like to add an article, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.