Why Do Small Business Owners Need to Hire a Virtual Assistant?

As a small business owner, you can be overwhelmed by mountains of paperwork and constantly demanding customers, no matter how organized and efficient you are. You’ll want to hire an integrator who can be the perfect VA.

A virtual assistant can perform several tasks to assist you in reaching your business goals. But, first, they carry out the day-to-day tasks, and that’s why small businesses need virtual assistants. 

They ideally work remotely in their home comfort or a coworking space. Some agencies offer virtual assistance services for small business owners, or you can hire them through freelancers’ websites.

What a Virtual Assistant Does

Many virtual assistants can maintain basic records, manage contacts, confirm appointments, maintain databases, update websites, handle complaints, and handle customer service.

Virtual assistants will also be willing to handle any specialized administrative tasks that you provide training for. Some even have specialized skills and are experts in their respective fields. If they have an understanding of SEO, they can even help with optimization tasks.

Different Types of Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants can help you with a range of different tasks. However, there are a few virtual assistants who are experts in their field.

1. Social Media Virtual Assistant

Social media assistants are experts in managing your social media profiles. Right from creating original content to engaging with customers, these social media managers can do it all. 

2. E-commerce Virtual Assistants

Ecommerce assistants are certified ninjas who can help you with creating an online store on either Amazon, eBay or Shopify. 

They are taught how to upload product descriptions, categorize products, update offers and discounts, and review products, among other tasks.

3. Virtual Email Assistant

A cluttered inbox can be rather frustrating. You may have trouble finding what you need from all the emails coming at you, and this can affect your productivity. 

Furthermore, virtual email assistants can help you with email outreach enabling you to build partnerships and grow your brand. 

4. Bookkeeping Assistant

Maintaining an accurate ledger and tracking business transactions are essential for your business. Keep your business’s accounts, handle payments and maintain logs with the help of a virtual bookkeeper.

A bookkeeping assistant can help you with all your accounting needs as you manage to sort your income and expenses.

5. Travel Assistant

Having a Virtual Travel Assistant by your side can be a great resource if you are constantly on the go. You can use a virtual assistant to find the perfect flight and hotel based on your preferences. Your Virtual Travel Assistant will ensure a fun trip, regardless of whether you are traveling for business or pleasure.

Reasons Why You Need a Virtual Assistant

1. Save Money 

Managing your budget is often a top priority for small business owners, which is why hiring a virtual assistant can be so attractive. In addition, hiring virtual assistants can be far less expensive in the long run than hiring employees because:

• The price for a virtual assistant is less than paying a full-time employee’s salary.
• Unlike traditional employees, virtual assistants are independent contractors who work remotely, so they don’t need office space or any other infrastructure.
• Moreover, you don’t need to pay for benefits such as insurance and overtime pay.
• Time is money. If you have a checklist of tasks for your virtual assistant to get done, document these processes to help save you time on training so that you can focus on other things.
• You only pay for what you need and don’t waste time with under-utilized employees.

A virtual assistant would be a good choice if you cannot afford to hire a full-time employee and your to-do list continues to grow uncontrollably.

2. Save Time

If stress reduction isn’t enough of a benefit for you, this one’s got to be. Hiring a virtual assistant can save you valuable time. Because they take care of tasks that you then no longer need to do, you’ve got more time in your day to work on other things.

“Hiring a virtual assistant is very beneficial to any busy entrepreneur or business owner,” says Shilonda Downing, founder of Virtual Work Team. “Virtual assistants also typically need very little hand-holding, and that allows business owners to focus on the things they do best. Most importantly, an excellent VA will act on your behalf when needed and provide valuable insights into growing your business and doing things more efficiently.”

When you find the right VA who can understand your business and is easy to work with, you’ll find they can do even more than complete tasks. When making business decisions, they may also be a listening ear and support system.

3. Increase Productivity

A full-time employee’s productivity does not increase during a typical eight-hour workday in a familiar environment. They have to take breaks to drink coffee or browse the Internet. 

However, virtual assistants are different. They can focus and dedicate time to your work and complete it promptly. Their primary goal is to satisfy their clients, save their time to achieve that. If they slack off, they are likely to lose their clients. 

They are motivated and more productive than full-time employees for this significant reason.

4. Recruit Top Talent

Generally, virtual assistants are specialists who know how to operate efficiently. The best virtual assistants know what they’re doing, and they provide excellent service and can effectively lend to your company’s path toward upskilling. 

You can hire the best talents without any geographical restrictions when you hire a virtual assistant. As compared to hiring a full-time employee, you can access the best skills for a lower price. 

Communicating your business needs will help them understand what you want and how to accomplish it. Eventually, they become a valuable member of your company, regardless of their location.

Final Thoughts

Virtual assistants can help with multiple tasks. Regardless of the industry, they can help you increase your sales and achieve business goals. They save you tons of money spent on hiring a full-time employee, and they help reduce overhead costs. Additionally, they can help fill in by wearing multiple hats during the current labor shortage.

While there is a risk of being burned, the potential benefits to your business will at some point outweigh the concerns. 

If you do decide to hire a virtual assistant for your small business, be sure to ask friends for recommendations, interview multiple candidates and check references before you hire anyone. 

When you do find the right virtual assistant, they’ll be able to take on some of your important tasks so that you can focus on building and growing your small business.