As a business owner, you may find it hard to devote time to everything that needs to be done on your end. Luckily, with the increase in technology advancements, we have opportunities that will help get us ahead of the ball game – this involves the use of virtual assistants. Who are they, how do they know if you need one, and where do you look? We can all those answers and then some, below.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
Virtual assistants are individuals or contract workers companies that are hired to complete specific tasks. They can handle administrative tasks like answering emails, answering the phone, data entry, and calendar management. However, you can find virtual assistants available in niche areas like graphic design and real estate.
When Should You Hire a Virtual Assistant?
Often times, business owners think “I can do that better alone.” In fact, many of us say that to ourselves. Sure, it may be true, but this doesn’t mean that every single task is worthy of your time.
Here are a couple of ways to tell that you’re ready to hire a virtual assistant:
When you know your process – You should be familiar with your own business and tasks before you assign a virtual assistant. Once you are familiar with everything, then you can move forward.
When you have a list of tasks you need done on a regular basis – Are you sitting there answering emails every single day for over an hour? Write that down. Are you spending 45 minutes a week booking motels and flights? Put that down on the list. 20 minutes writing out expense reports? You know what to do.
When you have done a cost-benefit analysis – Take that list you just created and add up exactly how much time you are wasting on those projects every single week – now take a look at how much of your salary is being spent on doing those tasks.
When you have the money to pay someone – Don’t just jump right in and stretch your budget. You should only hire someone to help you when you are able to pay them comfortably.
Conclusion
Hiring a virtual assistant is definitely a move you need to make if you own a company – if not right now, then sometime in the near future when you’re ready for one. Another benefit of hiring a VA is that when they’re clocked in, they will be working on your tasks, so you will never be billed for work that is not your own. When you’re ready to hire a virtual assistant, just take some time to do your research, and conduct interviews just as you would do if you were hiring an in-house employee – from there, choose the best of the best. Once you have a good virtual assistant working for you around the clock, you’re going to see just how useful they are and be happy you decided to move forward and hire one.