Business owners have to take on many tasks, and often, the workload can become overwhelming. Every entrepreneur wants to see his venture flourish, but as the profits grow, the responsibilities also double. To keep your business on track, you may need new resources to support this growth and prevent overloading yourself.
More freelancers and entrepreneurs hire virtual assistants to help them carry out their business-related tasks. Working with a VA gives you more time to focus on other critical aspects of your venture, naturally increasing productivity and helping you achieve your goals more quickly and effectively.
What is a virtual assistant?
You may have heard about virtual assistants before, but you may not know precisely what they do. In the previous years, people were puzzled when hearing about working from home or freelancing. But recently, these two options have gained ground – more and more people find remote work highly convenient.
Many freelancers working from the comfort of their homes are virtual assistants. Also known as online assistants, they are hired by organisations to handle specific tasks. They can work from anywhere in the world and offer a wide variety of services to businesses, whether creative, administrative or technical. Some of the most common tasks virtual assistants perform include:
- Project management;
- SEO;
- Website design;
- Email management;
- Content writing;
- Blogging;
- Social media management;
- Administrative tasks.
Depending on the terms and conditions customers put forward, virtual assistants have various responsibilities. Some of the duties may be appointment scheduling, online file storage and travel planning. But a VA can perform many other tasks – it all revolves around the organisation's demands.
5 reasons why you should hire a virtual assistant
It lowers your business expenses
One of the reasons why businesses work with virtual assistants is to lower their expenses. Statistics show that choosing a virtual assistant over a full-time worker can save companies 78% in operating costs annually. The reason for it is that trained VAs are either self-employed or work for an outsourcing agency. Thus, someone else is responsible for the expenses, operational costs and employee benefits.
By working with a VA, you no longer have to pay extra benefits or allocate rental space for the job. Plus, you don't need to invest time or money in developing their skills because they are already trained to perform the tasks.
It enhances productivity
Hiring a virtual assistant helps you achieve profitability not only by decreasing your business costs but also by enhancing productivity.
A study conducted to examine the productivity of remote workers concluded that employees are 13% more effective when working from their home. This study and many other reports inspired large companies to include telecommuting in their workforce strategy.
Hiring a VA boosts productivity because you can outsource ordinary and time-consuming tasks, getting extra time to focus on other critical aspects of your business that require your expertise. Additionally, since VAs are self-employed, their priority is to meet clients' expectations through their productivity. If they don't, the client will avoid hiring them in the future. Missing deadlines will affect their livelihood, and it is mainly for this reason that VAs are highly motivated and reliable.
It provides business flexibility
Flexibility is one of the most significant reasons business owners choose to work with a virtual assistant. Unlike regular employees, a VA can fit their schedule with yours since they have flexible working hours and are likely to be available whenever you need their services.
A Virtual Assistant can help you regardless of the difference in your time zone, which can be very beneficial to your business. Suppose you need a VA to handle social media management tasks. You may need specific data entry finished outside of regular office hours. Or perhaps you want some social media posts to be done in the morning. In such a case, a VA in a different time zone can handle these critical tasks effectively.
It boosts efficiency and lowers the risk of burnout
Research has shown that many entrepreneurs experience burnout at some point in their careers. The risks of developing the condition include social isolation and high levels of uncertainty.
If you feel like you're working hard but don't accomplish much, you're probably taking on numerous small tasks that decrease your efficiency.
This is when a virtual assistant can help you tremendously by carrying out those tasks while you get to focus on decision making. Whether it's about updating an invoice, making an appointment or a travel arrangement, a VA can do that for you, improving your efficiency and lowering the risk of burnout.
It provides work-life balance
Business owners are so caught up in their workload that they often forget to take breaks. However, knowing when to pause is imperative for staying motivated and productive. Hiring a virtual assistant helps you achieve a work-life balance because you get extra time. With reliable VAs in place, you can explore the world and simultaneously ensure your business runs smoothly.
It may be challenging to relax when you have so many responsibilities. Handing over your tasks to an expert will give you peace of mind as you get to spend more time doing things for yourself. Whether meeting with friends or doing your hobbies, you invest in activities that are nurturing for your soul. Finding more time to focus on what matters the most to you leads to more productivity. When you become overwhelmed with all the workload, there's a high chance of burning out.
When should you hire a VA?
There is no such thing as the right time to hire a trained virtual assistant. If you think their services will boost your business, you should do it as soon as possible.
However, here are some things that could be a sign you need the support of a VA:
- You feel very stressed and overwhelmed with your current workload;
- You cannot afford to hire another full-time worker;
- You don't have the expertise to handle specific tasks;
- You want to make the most of your time and increase your business's productivity.
If these things sound familiar to you, it's about time you consider hiring a skilled VA. As mentioned previously in this article, working with a VA has many benefits, including increased flexibility and efficiency and achieving life-work balance. You don't have to do things independently – in fact, delegating mundane tasks to someone else can be one of the most intelligent decisions you could make for your business.
This article was written in cooperation with Virtalent