As the first Virtual Assistant in my little country (as far as I know), I get asked a lot of questions about what I do. Today, I want to tackle one of the most frequently asked questions. What are the benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant over an in-office Personal Assistant?
1. Time to Focus on the Big Picture
When running a business, your mind is cluttered with a million different aspects of keeping it afloat. You may have an overflowing inbox with clients waiting for a reply, your appointments are in a mess, you are wasting a ton of time every day on social media trying to get a few more likes or to get new people to join your group, and your “to do” list is never ending.
A Virtual Assistant takes all these mundane tasks and lets you focus on the big picture, leaving you free to tackle the higher-level, strategic and money generating projects that often get neglected. Apart from the business aspect of things, a VA will give you more time for your family, personal life and interests too.
2. Reduced need for Office Investments
With a VA, you save so much money on office space, furnishings and equipment. If you had an in-office employee, you would need to rent out an office, go there daily, and provide all the equipment. With a VA you both can work from anywhere. You could be anywhere in the globe and still have the assistance you need. If your VA’s computer breaks (like mine did last week), it’s not your problem. Whether your VA is working from a Cafe, a desk at home, or even a bed; whether she is in a suit or still wearing her PJs at lunch time, the important thing to you is that the work is being done.
3. Cost Effective Business Solution
Whilst with an in-office PA you are paying a fixed salary, whether she is super busy or in the office doing nothing in a quiet period. With a VA, you are paying for what you need. You can buy a small package of 10 hours during the quiet period or buy a larger package when you need more help, making this a much more cost effective option saving your business a lot of money.
4. After-hours support
Say it’s Friday afternoon, you just got home from your office and you remember you forgot to answer an important email with a tight deadline. You email your in-office PA but wait, she will only see it on MONDAY…that’s way too late. A VA is sooo much more flexible, you can message her at any time and when it’s possible for her, she will get it done…no need to wait for Monday.
5. Vested Interest in your Success & Business
For a VA, her job is not just a job, it’s her passion. They love serving you and they commit themselves to your business and want to see your business grow almost as much as you. They have a vested interest in your success. They are also after your feedback and your referrals to other possible clients for their own business to grow. So hey, that's some extra motivation to do well at their job
6. VA take care of their own taxes
What else can I add to this…less headache for you
7. Delegate what you're not good at
Running a business includes so much and seriously, you cannot be great at everything. A VA can help you with all those tasks that are difficult for you. Being that blogging, designing, accounting, copy writing, tele-calling or email management; she will have your back.
What would be the #1 task that you would have a virtual assistant do?