Save time and money by outsourcing tasks to a virtual assistant
Key takeaways:
- A virtual assistant can handle many of your essential tasks without taking up office space.
- Virtual assistants can manage your calendar by setting appointments and giving you reminders.
- They can delete, sort, and answer emails.
- They can handle phone tasks and make travel arrangements.
- Virtual assistants can carry out marketing-related tasks.
- They can also help with data entry, invoicing, and generating accounting reports.
- Virtual assistants can work on operational tasks or assist you with personal business.
- A Business Process Outsourcing company can help you find a great virtual assistant.
If you need extra help with various business tasks, a virtual assistant (VA) might be your best solution. VAs handle a wide range of tasks, but because they’re virtual, you don’t have to worry about providing them with office space. You simply hire someone with the credentials you need, and they handle everything remotely.
When you work with a qualified Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company, they handle the logistics of finding, screening, and hiring candidates, saving you a lot of time and expense. If you’ve never hired a VA, you may be wondering what they can actually do for you.
Like any professional, their skill sets vary based on their experience and training, but here’s a look at the diverse ways a VA can support your small business.
– Calendar management
Struggling to stay on top of your busy schedule? A VA can help manage the assortment of details. They can schedule calls and appointments for you. They can also confirm your appointments, reschedule as needed, and remind you of upcoming appointments so that you don’t miss anything.
VAs inject a human element into this process, too. They do more than an automated calendar. In particular, they can safeguard your time by saying no to the people you don’t want to meet and they can continue to reach out to the people who have not responded to your requests for meetings.
– Help with email
Whether you’re drowning in emails or trying to build a list of contacts, a VA can help. They will delete or respond to emails based on your instructions. They can also organize emails when you receive them or flag them for your attention.
VAs can create contact lists, update lists, and organize lists for different purposes. They can also add details to client relationship management (CRM) systems.
If you have a list of projects like this that you have been putting off, your business may be losing valuable opportunities. As your business grows, you’ll no longer have the time to handle these types of repetitive tasks on your own, and this is where a VA provides a lot of value.
– Phone tasks
VAs can work as receptionists. They can answer calls during business hours, or if preferred, you can route calls to them when your staff is out of the office. They can also transcribe voicemails, schedule calls, or handle other phone-related tasks.
– Travel arrangements
Don’t waste time trying to find the best deal or looking for hotels near your meeting. Instead, let your VA handle your travel arrangements.
These professionals can research and book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more. They can make reservations for meetings at restaurants or take care of loose ends at your home such as stopping mail delivery or booking your pet into the kennel.
– Marketing and business development
If you have a VA do the grunt work, you become free to focus on personal interactions and closing the deal. Your VA can research leads online based on your parameters and curate a list of prospective clients.
When you’re targeting a potential lead, your assistant can do research to flesh out the lead’s contact information. They can also enhance the appearance of marketing proposals by inserting logos, formatting text, or animating slides.
– Bookkeeping and accounting
Sending out invoices is critical if you want to get paid. You also must keep up with your bookkeeping if you want to be able to apply for loans and fill out tax returns accurately. A lot of business owners dread these tasks, but you don’t necessarily have to hire an expensive accountant.
Instead, you can let a VA handle the basics. They will enter transactions into bookkeeping software, reconcile bank records, create and send invoices, and follow up with clients who haven’t paid.
– Operational assistance
VAs can perform all kinds of tasks that keep your business running. They fill out online forms, convert files into different formats, or perform research to help you make business decisions.
They can also set up projects in project management systems and add participants as directed by you. If you want to attend a webinar but don’t have time, you can have your assistant listen to it and take notes for you. The options for operational assistance are endless.
– Social media and writing
You can give your VA a calendar and have them update your social accounts as directed. Or, you can give them the reins and allow them to write posts, choose images, and update your social accounts. You can have them write blog posts or just get them involved in proofreading. Similarly, they can also proofread or edit business emails, ads, or other content created by your company.
– Help with your personal life
A VA works for your business, but they can also help you manage aspects of your personal life. Depending on what you need, they can make restaurant reservations, purchase gifts, or buy tickets to special events. If your cell phone provider puts an unexpected charge on your bill or if you need to start a claim with your insurance company, you can save time by putting your assistant on the job.
When you decide to hire a VA, make a list of the tasks you’d like them to handle. Then, contact a BPO company and let them search for the right professional. They can find someone who can meet your needs and works with your budget.
Contact Doxa7 to talk about hiring a VA today
At Doxa7, we help our clients find VAs and other employees from a deep pool of qualified candidates. We’re structurally aligned with your goals so we can deliver greater results for your business. There are no seat minimums and you can cancel the agreement at any time.
Want to learn more about how our professionals can help take your business to the next level? Then, contact us today.
