Why hire a Virtual Assistant in 2021?
Has 2020 made you realise that time is so valuable? Do you have more work than you can handle? Maybe you have research to do or are looking to expand your business into other areas. There are all kinds of different reasons to look at a virtual assistant and there are 100s of tasks and jobs that they can complete. Having a virtual assistant is easy to do and it doesn’t require a full time employee to have on the books as well. In most situations, you would simply agree to a fixed contract price or a pay as you go for works completed.
While some people have full-time virtual assistance that they assign tasks to, others only use them once in a while. Perhaps you have been awarded a huge job and you need a little help with it. For example, virtual assistance is great for content writing, graphic design and even filling out simple spreadsheets and tidying up emails. There really are so many reasons that someone would want to hire a virtual assistant.
Think of some of the mundane tasks that you do. Perhaps you are into dropshipping and need someone to fulfill your orders. This is a simple task that anyone can do, however, you really should be using your time to find that next product and go after more sales. It is up to you to decide your strong points and task others with things that anyone can do. There is even virtual assistants that assists in outsourcing product production. Whatever tasks you can get off your plate, will allow you to focus more on growing your business and less on the basics tasks of actually running your business.
Training your virtual assistant
The idea of hiring a virtual assistant can be daunting at first, but like anything new, it is hard to tell if you are doing the process correctly. There are many platforms in which you can find virtual assistants that offer many different tasks. Take a look at them and look at their reviews, ask questions, and even offer maybe a paid sample order. This allows you to ensure that they understand your needs and can follow your direction.
Writers for example have a certain style to them. Writing is a bit of a creative thing and sometimes the style of writing they do doesn’t click with what you had in mind. Be sure that you are very informative when you are asking your virtual assistant about anything, but especially if you have an idea in your head of how it should look, read, or be completed. Remember, many of them have worked for other business owners. How that business owner trained them, is how they will go about performing tasks. However, you might have a different way of doing things, and you should take the time to video record yourself so that it is very clear.
Keeping in contact and giving feedback
Just like a full time employee, its important to keep in contact with your virtual assistant and provide them with feedback on how they are performing. Its not a case of micro managing them its ensuring the tasks you are setting them are being don correctly and for you to pass constructive and positive feedback along to them.
You may already have a preferred method to keep in contact with staff but see what works best for both of you. There are multiple free services available that can keep you both in contact…..Zoom, Teams & Google Hangouts all have a free chat and video conferencing facility.
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