Jan 12, 2023 • 21 min read
Virtual assistants are becoming increasingly popular among businesses looking to save money and increase productivity. These workers help companies with including administrative tasks such as scheduling meetings, answering emails, creating spreadsheets, and managing social media accounts. While some people believe that hiring a virtual assistant requires a lot of upfront investment, there are ways to hire one without spending too much money. Here are five tips to consider when deciding whether to hire a virtual assistant.
Before you start searching for virtual assistant services determine what type of work you want done. What kind of daily tasks do you need to be taken care of? Do you just need someone to answer calls once a month? Or someone to handle your calendar management and phone calls? Or do you need someone to handle multiple projects simultaneously? If you’re running a small business, it might make sense to outsource everything except customer support, while larger organizations can afford to pay a full-time employee to handle those duties.
If you choose to use a virtual assistant, you’ll probably want to find someone who works well with your schedule. Some independent contractors offer flexible schedules, while others prefer working during normal business hours. Make sure you understand how your virtual assistant plans to work before agreeing to anything.
When you look for a virtual assistant, be clear about what skills you want them to provide. For example, does your organization need someone who can write articles for your blog? Does it need someone who can do your social media management? Ask yourself what specific skills you need now and where you plan to grow your business in the future. This way, you can ensure that your virtual assistant provides the skills you need today, but also the ones you need tomorrow.
Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.
Hiring a Virtual Assistant can save you money and improve your business’s productivity. If you outsource some of your daily tasks to someone else, it frees up your time to focus on your core competencies. You can hire part-time employees, freelancers, contractors, or even full-time employees.
Personal Assistants can do things like book travel arrangements, research products, handle phone calls, write emails, schedule meetings, and handle administrative and personal tasks. They can also perform specific functions such as data entry, transcription, and customer support. They can even take care of marketing, customer service, and social media management.
The benefits of outsourcing include saving money (most VAs are paid at an hourly rate), increasing productivity and improving overall business performance.
If you’re looking to grow your business, you’ll probably find yourself spending most of your time working on low-revenue repetitive tasks like customer support, marketing, sales, product development, etc. This is great because it helps you build a strong foundation for your business. But there are some downsides too. You might feel like you’re wasting your time on unimportant stuff while your competitors are building out their businesses around you. And you could end up feeling frustrated when you see how much money you’ve spent on low-margin activities compared to the amount of money you’re making.
But what if I told you there was a way to make sure you’re focusing on the right activities? What if I told you there’s a way to ensure that the work you do generates more revenue than the work your competition does? Well, there is. In fact, it’s pretty simple. All you have to do is focus on high-value and/or income-generating activities and delegate your personal tasks/repetitive tasks to a Virtual Assistant.
Administrative assistants are becoming increasingly popular among small businesses looking to operate efficiently while saving money. They allow companies to outsource administrative tasks such as bookkeeping, payroll, customer support, marketing, sales, etc. While it might seem like a luxury for some companies, many experts believe that virtual offices are actually essential for growing a successful business.
In fact, according to a recent survey conducted by Virtual Office Pro, nearly half of small business owners say that they couldn’t survive without a virtual office. In addition, almost 80% of respondents said that they use virtual offices to improve productivity, increase profits, and reduce overhead expenses. Trying out different communication styles and communication tools is important when you have a virtual team.
The key benefit of working virtually is that there are no fixed costs associated with renting an office space. Instead, most virtual offices charge monthly subscription fees based on how much space each employee needs. This way, even if one person leaves the company, the others still pay for the same amount of space.
Another advantage of working virtually is that you can save money on real-estate costs. If you decide to rent an office space, you’ll likely end up paying around $1,500 per month for a single room. On the other hand, if you opt to lease a virtual office, you can typically find spaces starting at $200 per month.
A third benefit of working virtually is improved morale. Employees who work from home tend to feel less stressed because they aren’t commuting every day. Plus, they often enjoy spending more time with family and friends.
Finally, working virtually doesn’t require hiring additional employees. When you work from home, you can effectively manage your entire workforce from a single computer. This makes it easier to scale down or grow your business as needed.
If you want to hire someone to do a variety of tasks like book travel arrangements, answer emails, project management, schedule meetings, etc., there are plenty of virtual assistant companies out there that offer services at very affordable rates. A few of my favorites include TaskRabbit, Upwork, and DigiWorks. The cool thing about platforms like DigiWorks is you can choose the number of hours per week you need coverage and all the talent on the platform is pre-vetted and assessed.
While it might seem like a good idea to pay less for something, I think most people forget about how much of a hassle hiring a full-time employee can be. You have to interview potential candidates, train them, onboard them, set up their benefits, deal with taxes, payroll, insurance, etc. And even though you’re paying them less, you’ll probably end up spending more in the long run because of all those extra costs associated with regular employees.
The best part about virtual assistants is that they don’t require you to spend too much time managing them. Most of the time, you just tell them what needs doing, give them a list of tasks and they take care of everything else. For example, let’s say you wanted to book a flight for a client. Instead of calling around yourself to find out where they want to go, you could simply ask your VA to book a flight for you. You can even make use of a project management tool to to make sure your high-value tasks are being tracked.
The cost of hiring someone full-time and with specialized skills is expensive. You might pay $50-$100 per hour depending on where you live. But there are ways to cut down on costs. One way is to use a virtual assistant and you can find several suitable candidates by going through virtual assistant companies.
Another option is to hire a part-time virtual assistant. Part-timers usually charge less money than full-time employees. If you want to save money, consider delegating your virtual assistant needs to talent from emerging countries like South Africa, Nigeria, and the Philippines. DigiWorks is a great solution for connecting you with talent from these countries. With DigiWorks, you also don’t have to worry about entering long-term contracts and they will check-in with your new VA on a regular basis.
Remote work is becoming increasingly popular among companies looking to reduce costs while increasing productivity. A recent study found that remote workers are less likely to take sick days, miss meetings, or show up late. And according to a survey conducted by FlexJobs, nearly half of respondents say that working remotely makes them happier.
While some people love the flexibility of working remotely, others struggle to find qualified candidates. If you’re struggling to fill open positions, consider hiring virtual assistants. These freelancers can help you with everything from scheduling interviews to writing proposals. Plus, since they don’t live near you, you won’t have to worry about finding someone reliable.
You don’t even have to compromise on the level of expertise you can you can get from VAs.
Burnout happens when you feel you are working too hard and affects millions of busy professionals. You start feeling tired, stressed out, and overwhelmed. You find yourself getting into arguments with coworkers because you don’t want to do something anymore. You might even start procrastinating when you have to handle everything from content creation to email management.
When you delegate these common tasks to someone else, it frees up your brain to focus on what matters most — creating great products and delivering exceptional customer experiences. When you delegate low-value tasks, you take care of the things you love while letting others handle the rest.
Here are some ways to avoid burnout:
1. Set Boundaries
2. Focus on What Matters Most
3. Give Yourself Time Off
4. Make Sure Your Work Environment Is Healthy
If you are running a small business, chances are you are already working long hours. You might even feel like you don’t have enough time to do everything you want to do. But there is one thing you can do to make sure you’re spending your time wisely – focus on high-value and income-generating activities. If you aren’t doing that now, it’s time to change things up. A VA can provide you with a wide range of services on a daily basis so you feel less over-whelmed and have more time for high-value tasks.
There are many different types of digital assistants, each specializing in specific tasks. These include email marketers, customer support representatives, social media managers, and much more. Here’s what you need to know about the different kinds of virtual assistants.
An email marketer helps businesses send emails to customers. This includes things like newsletters, promotions, and event notifications. Email marketers often use software to help manage campaigns and track performance. They also provide tools to segment lists and analyze data.
A customer support representative handles incoming calls and chats with customers. He or she might offer advice on products and answer questions. Customer support reps usually don’t handle sales directly, although some do. They may also assist with account setup and billing issues.
A social media manager manages multiple accounts across platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and Snapchat. Social media managers typically monitor comments and respond to complaints. They also set up profiles and schedule posts. Many companies hire full-time employees to manage their social media presence.
A general virtual assistant helps you manage multiple things like emails, calendars, social media, etc. These assistants are great if you want to automate repetitive tasks and save time. In addition, they’re helpful for those who don’t have much time to spend managing their daily activities.
A Specialized Virtual Assistant is a type of virtual assistant that specializes in one particular task or field of knowledge. They are typically used by companies who want to outsource specific areas of work. For example, there are specialized virtual assistants that help customers find products online, write articles, manage social media accounts, etc.
There are many different types of specialized virtual assistants available. Some specialize in customer support, while others focus on sales, marketing, research, writing, editing, translation, etc.
When you work with a virtual assistant, it’s important to understand what kind of task you want them to perform. You might think that you just want them to write blog posts or edit video clips. But there’s a difference between tasks and outcomes.
Tasks are things like writing blog posts or editing video clips. Outcomes are things such as increasing social media followers or improving customer experience. If you don’t know what type of outcome you need, here’s how to find one.
First, ask yourself why you need to hire a VA. Is it because you want someone to do something for you? Or is it because you want to improve your business? If it’s the former, you’ll probably want to look for a general VA; if it’s the latter, you’ll likely want a specialist.
Second, consider whether you need a task or an outcome. A task is something you need done, while an outcome is something you want to achieve. For example, let’s say you want to increase your Twitter following. You could hire a general VA to tweet about your brand once per day. This is a task. Alternatively, you could hire a specialist VA who will use automation tools to help you grow your Twitter audience. This is an outcome.
Finally, choose your provider wisely. There are plenty of VAs out there, but they aren’t all equal. Some specialize in tasks, others in outcomes. Make sure you pick one that does what you need.
Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.
Hiring a virtual assistant (VA) is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a small business owner. When it comes to hiring a VA, there are many things to consider. You want someone who is reliable, trustworthy, easy to work with, and able to deliver quality work. And while you might think you know what qualities you’re looking for, you probably don’t. So how do you find the perfect VA for your needs? Here are some tips to help you out.
1. Know What Your Needs Are
The first thing you need to figure out is exactly what you need your VA to do. Do you need her to take care of social media marketing? Data entry? Customer support? Writing? Researching topics? Hire someone who specializes in something you need done. If you need customer support, don’t try to convince yourself that you can handle it yourself. You won’t succeed, and you’ll end up frustrated and angry. Instead, hire someone who knows what she’s doing.
2. Find Someone Who Can Deliver Quality Work
You want someone who can deliver high-quality work consistently. This doesn’t mean you want someone who always does everything perfectly; it just means you want someone who delivers consistent quality every time. Ask yourself questions like “Can I count on her?” and “Does she give me feedback on my writing?” If the answer is no, look elsewhere.
3. Be Realistic About Expectations
When you start working with a VA, you need to set clear expectations about what you expect from her. For example, if you tell your VA that you want 10 blog posts written per week, you need to be prepared for her to say, “I’m sorry, but I can only write 2 blogs per week.” Or maybe you ask your VA to research 5 articles each day, and she tells you she can only manage 3. Set expectations early on and stick to them. Otherwise, you could end up disappointed and frustrated.
When it comes to hiring a virtual assistant, there are many things to consider. You’ll want to find someone who knows how to use technology, understands marketing, understand your specialized services and products, and can help grow your brand online. Here are four tips for finding the perfect fit for your business.
1. Know What They Can Do For You
Before you start interviewing potential VAs, make sure you understand exactly what you’d like them to do for you. If you’re looking for someone to manage social media accounts, set up email campaigns, and run ads, you’ll need to define those tasks clearly. Once you’ve done that, you can begin the interview process.
2. Ask Them About Their Experience
If you’re considering a candidate based solely on their resume, you could miss out on some great candidates. Instead, try asking questions about their experience. How did they learn to use certain software? Did they work for another company before? Have they worked with multiple clients? These are all good ways to gauge whether or not they’re a good fit for your needs.
3. Check Out Their Portfolio
You might think that having a portfolio full of projects makes a candidate look better. However, you shouldn’t be too concerned with the quality of the work itself. Instead, focus on how well the person communicates. Does he or she sound confident during interviews? Is his or her grammar clear? Are they able to explain how they solved problems? All of these factors go into making a great virtual assistant.
Hiring a virtual assistant can seem like a daunting task. You want to make sure you hire someone qualified, but how do you know what to look for? Here are six things to consider when looking for a VA.
Before you start searching for VAs, it helps to think about what skills you need. Do you need help managing social media accounts? Are you looking for someone to handle customer support? Or maybe you just need some extra hands around the house. Think about what you need and narrow down your search accordingly.
1. How much does it cost?
The price of a VA varies widely depending on location, skill set, and availability. Some people charge hourly rates while others offer packages based on project length. If you’re willing to pay a premium, there are many VAs out there who specialize in specific areas such as writing, graphic design, marketing, etc. Keep in mind that the best VAs often have multiple clients and can work on several projects simultaneously.
2. Is it worth it?
There are plenty of free resources online that can help you learn basic tasks that don’t require specialized knowledge. For example, you could use sites like Grammarly or Copyscape to check your documents for spelling errors. However, if you plan on assigning complex tasks, you might find yourself paying for outside assistance. A good way to gauge whether it’s worth it to invest in a VA is to ask yourself if you could complete the same job without one. If yes, then you’ve found a great fit.
A job description is the most important document you’ll ever write. If you’re looking for someone to help you grow your business, it needs to be clear what you’re hiring them for. You’ll probably use this document again and again throughout the hiring process, so make sure it’s thorough enough to stand up to repeated scrutiny.
Here are some tips to keep in mind while writing your job description:
1. Make it specific to your business.
The best way to attract the right candidates is to give them something concrete to apply for. This could mean describing the role in terms of skills required, experience preferred, or even just a few keywords. Don’t assume anyone knows what you do — tell them exactly what you offer.
2. Describe the work in detail.
If you’ve got a team of people working under you, consider including descriptions of each individual’s responsibilities. If there are multiple positions open, include separate job descriptions for each one.
3. Be honest.
If you’re looking for freelance work, it’s important to post your job description online. This way, people know exactly what you are offering and how much you want to earn per hour. You’ll find many freelance jobs posted on Upwork and Fiverr. These platforms allow freelancers to list their skills and rates. If you don’t see anything that fits your skill set, consider starting your own site where you can offer your services directly.
Video interviews allow you to see how candidates interact with each other and determine whether or not they fit within your culture. Character tests are an important step in finding out if someone fits your team. You don’t want to hire someone who doesn’t mesh with your existing team.
When looking for employees, look outside of the resume. Look at the candidate’s social media presence and personal life. This gives you insight into their personality and character.
The hiring process is often a frustrating one for both candidates and companies. Candidates are forced to wait weeks or months for a response, while companies waste money on interviews that don’t pan out. But there’s a better way. In fact, there are five steps you can take to make sure you hire the best candidate possible.
1. Ask good questions.
2. Make sure everyone understands what you want.
3. Don’t let anyone off the hook.
4. Use behavioral interviewing.
5. Give your top candidates a task.
Your virtual assistant needs to know exactly what you want before starting working. This isn’t always easy. You might ask her to find you some shoes, or maybe she wants to help you write a blog post. She could even suggest ideas for your next project. But how do you make sure she knows what you really want?
Start your new employee on a trial period. A good way to start is to give him or her a 30, 60 or even 90 day trial period. This gives you plenty of time to see if he or she is able to deliver on the tasks you assign. If it doesn’t work out, you don’t lose much money because you’ve already paid for the trial period. And if it does work out, you’ll have a great assistant to work with.
Sign an official contract with your virtual assistant. Once your trial period ends, sign an official contract with your assistant. Make sure there are no hidden fees or terms that aren’t included in the contract. Also, make sure that your assistant understands the scope of his or her job responsibilities. For example, does he or she need access to your email account? Does he or she need permission to use your phone? Is he or she allowed to talk to your clients directly? These questions should be answered in writing, and signed off on by both parties.
Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.
Virtual assistants are an important part of a growing number of businesses. They help employees work faster, improve customer experience, and save money. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to hiring a VA, DigiWorks is an amazing solution. The DigiWorks team will connect you with a global talent pool so you can find someone who is a great fit for you and your business!
DigiWorks is an easy-to-use platform that helps small businesses and start ups hire amazing remote talent from around the world. DigiWorks offers a way for you to hire, manage and pay people from all countries. If you find an amazing virtual assistant from Philippines, a content writer from Nigeria, or operations manager from South Africa – manage and pay your entire team from one platform with no hassle.
If you’re looking for a more affordable and sustainable option you might consider making use of a hiring platform like DigiWorks. Virtual assistant companies or platforms like DigiWorks are amazing as they not only match you with pre-vetted and assessed remote workers that can take care of all your business needs but they will also handle all onboarding and payroll needs as well.