Are you interested in hiring a virtual assistant?

If you bring the right person on board, a virtual assistant can make your work life (and even personal life) much easier.

In this article, we will discuss what exactly a virtual assistant does, the benefits of outsourcing to one, and how to go about the hiring process. We will also discuss which in-house tasks you can and should outsource to your VA.

Let’s jump right in.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant offers entrepreneurs a variety of administrative services remotely, providing support to people with an already full schedule. These services can include social media management, bookkeeping, marketing, and other housekeeping tasks.

The work done by a virtual assistant often covers recurring activities that take valuable time away from business owners. These may include scheduling appointments, creating invoices, answering emails, and other day-to-day administrative must-dos.

Virtual assistants have different contracts, but most function as freelancers or independent contractors.

Tasks to outsource to a virtual assistant

Here are a few tasks that a virtual assistant can help you with:

• Filtering through emails
• Scheduling appointments
• Bookkeeping
• Setting up automated responses or responding directly to emails and messages
• Building a database of leads and/or customers

Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Having your own VA sounds pretty idyllic, but let’s take an in-depth look at all the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant:

1. Reduce labor costs

Virtual assistants work as independent contractors, which means you won’t have to pay their taxes, insurance, and travel fees, or contribute towards their retirement benefit. Plus, you outsource to a virtual assistant to perform specific jobs, and you only pay for their time spent on these jobs.

2. Enhance flexibility

Thanks to a virtual assistant, you won’t have to work 24/7 to get your routine tasks done. A skilled VA can help you to maximize your time and assist with work you might not have time for. In addition, if you find that you and your virtual assistant don’t work well together, you can always end the contract with minimal fuss.

3. Increase productivity

As virtual assistants typically work as independent contractors, you’ll just be paying them for the time that they have spent working. Why pay someone a full 9-5 salary if they spent most of those hours idling? On the VA’s end, the work process also becomes more efficient and time conscious.

4. Improve work quality

One of the many upsides of outsourcing to a virtual assistant is the fact that you don’t need to keep them trained and clued up on the latest technological trends. They do that all on their own.

By hiring a skilled virtual assistant, you know that you’ll be bringing someone on board who already knows and understands the work that you need done. You’ll also have more time to deliver quality service to your clients, instead of answering emails and doing mundane tasks all day.

5. Reduce risks and enable business growth

If you’re looking to hire a virtual assistant, chances are that your business is growing or that you have too much work and you are struggling to keep up.

As a business owner, there is always the risk that your venture might not immediately be successful, making it risky and costly to hire a full-time employee. To get things moving, minus the high overhead cost, you can start by outsourcing to a virtual assistant for a few hours a week. You can always have them work more hours or hire a full-time employee when you feel more financially secure.

Tips for Hiring a Virtual Assistant

To ensure that you outsource to a virtual assistant that’s the right fit for you, here are a few tips.

Hire based on skill

Although you might be tempted to decide based on personality, which is also essential, one’s skill set is more important. You need someone who will take care of things you cannot do but need to finish. If you require a VA who can handle your entire social media marketing initiatives, be sure to ask for a portfolio of their work.

Ask for recommendations or references

Word-of-mouth is as good as a resume. Ask the person you’re thinking of hiring for references and contact these people. Or, if you hear about a wonderful virtual assistant candidate from a friend, interview them. A person’s resume can only take them so far. Verify that their actual performance and attitude matches what they are saying on paper.

Make interviews experiential

During the interview, ask practical questions related to the actual tasks the VA will be doing. You can also ask them to give a presentation of their previous projects to give you an idea what skills they truly have.

The process starts with knowing what you want to outsource to a virtual assistant and what you might need this person to handle in the future. In this way, you can better identify the types of skills and personality you want out of your service partner to make the hiring process run smoothly.

Hire the Best VA Through the Right Outsourcing Partner

VAs are independent workers who can help business owners (or anyone!) with administrative and repetitive tasks. Outsourcing to a virtual assistant can save you time and money, no doubt, and the first step to achieving this is making sure you connect with the right person.

C9 Staff can take care of all the nitty-gritty of the job announcement and application process, so you only have to choose from a few of the best candidates to assist you. We will work with you closely to understand what your pain points are so we can provide you with the most efficient and skilled talent at rates that meet your budget. Get in touch with our team for your free consultation today.