What is a Virtual Assistant?
Jan 12, 2023 • 4 min read
What is a virtual assistant and what do they do?
Virtual assistants are people who work remotely and help businesses run efficiently. They’re usually hired via an online platform or talent marketplace like Fiverr or DigiWorks
Virtual assistants work online, which allows them to work around the clock. This flexibility is attractive to many people as it allows business owners to receive the help they want when they need it.
What does a virtual assistant do?
Virtual assistants help people accomplish a wide range of tasks online. They handle daily tasks, email management, write blog posts, provide regular updates, answer phone calls, schedule appointments, handle calendar management, and much more. In short, they perform administrative, customer service, and operational tasks for your business.
There are many different types of virtual assistants out there. Some specialize in customer support, while others focus on sales, content writing or customer operations.
Ready to build your remote team?
Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.
Benefits of a virtual assistant
Virtual assistants don’t need to be physically present to perform tasks (they don’t take up any office space) and they are an indispensable tool for any growing business. They are there to make life easier, freeing up your time to focus your attention on other important aspects of your business. Here are three reasons why you need one.
1. Automate Tasks
You probably spend hours every week doing things like scheduling meetings, writing emails, updating spreadsheets, and managing social media accounts. If you had a virtual assistant, they could do most of those tasks for you.
2. Save Money
Virtual assistants are great because they allow you to outsource some of your administrative work. This frees up your time to concentrate on what really matters while saving you money.
3. Streamline Operations
A virtual assistant can take care of routine tasks, allowing you to focus on high priority projects. For example, they can handle customer support requests, schedule appointments, book travel arrangements, and much more.
An online assistant can also handle larger projects such as data entry, transcription, and proofreading. Virtual assistants can even be tasked to take care of your social media accounts.
You can easily scale up or down based on your needs. When you start working with remote employees, it’s just you and them. As your workload increases, you can add additional assistants. You can also increase and decide on their hours per day and hours per week. And if you decide to stop using an assistant, you simply cancel the account.
Finally, a virtual assistant can give you peace of mind. You no longer have to worry about whether or not your employees are doing what they’re supposed to do. You can focus on running your business while your virtual assistant handles and keeps track of everything else.
Virtual Assistant Duties
Virtual assistants handle tasks on a daily basis such as:
- scheduling
- administrative tasks
- managing emails
- answering and making calls, inbound calls and outbound
- sending emails
- communicating with potential clients/potential customers, making bookings
- creating spreadsheets, etc.
A virtual assistant usually does not interact directly with customers, but rather communicates with the client via email or phone.
The virtual assistant industry is growing rapidly, with many people now outsourcing some or all of their customer service, operational and administrative needs in a number of industries, example, service-based businesses (services to clients), real estate,
There are several different types of virtual assistants, including personal assistants, bookkeepers, administrative assistants, accountants, legal assistants, marketers, writers, editors, researchers, and social media managers.
How to hire virtual assistants
Virtual assistants are becoming increasingly popular among businesses of all sizes. They offer many benefits over traditional office employees, including flexibility, cost efficiency, and increased productivity. However, hiring a virtual assistant requires careful consideration.
You must consider several factors when searching for a virtual assistant. Here are some tips on how to find the best candidate for your needs:
1. Understand Your Needs & Expectations
Before you start looking for a virtual assistant, it’s important to understand what type of help you need. Do you require administrative support, project management, social media marketing, customer service, or something else entirely?
2. Find Someone Who Fits Into Your Organization
Once you know what you need and where to look, you can begin narrowing down your pool of potential candidates. Start by asking yourself questions like: What skills does my current employee already possess? How much experience does he/she have? Can I trust him/her to perform his/her duties without supervision? These are just a few examples of questions you should ask yourself before making a final decision.
3. Look Beyond Experience
You want someone who will fit into your organization and provide value to your team.
Also, platforms such as DigiWorks, Fiverr and Upwork are making it super easy to find and connect with vetted and reliable virtual assistants. Having a trial period with virtual assistants from these platforms is also really helpful. Business owners looking to hire virtual assistant services also find it convenient to hire VAs according to their hourly rates and hours of time that are most appropriate to their company and whether or not they need help on regular basis.
Ready to build your remote team?
Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.
Key Takeaway
Virtual assistants can save you hours each week. You’ll no longer spend hours on mundane tasks like answering emails or scheduling appointments. Instead, you can focus on what really matters – growing your business.
Related Articles
About DigiWorks
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.