Virtual Assistants: The cost-effective way to grow your business

Virtual assistants have become an integral part of our modern digital lives. They play a critical role in facilitating our daily lives in a world where information is abundant, and tasks are increasingly complex and varied. Hiring and using virtual assistants has become commonplace in business and personal settings.

In this article, we will explore what the Philippines virtual assistant are, why they are needed, and how they effectively help us manage tasks and simplify our lives. We will discuss various aspects and benefits of working with virtual assistants.

The trend of remote assistants

Among remote jobs, one is in high demand for business assistants. Specialized portals publish dozens of vacancies for specialists in various business fields daily.

Advantages of hiring a virtual assistant

Prestige

It is prestigious for a manager to hire a virtual assistant Philippines as a representative who is responsible for solving business tasks.

Multifunctionality

Remote assistants can handle various tasks, both business and personal. Their functionality is not as strictly limited as that of an accountant. Therefore, the manager can determine the number of jobs to be assigned to the assistant based on the needs and specifics of the company.

Cost reduction

Most business tasks do not require a physical presence in the office and can be performed remotely. Now you can hire a remote assistant from any region and for any workload, from 1 hour to full-time. This allows you to reduce the cost of salaries, office rent, or co-working space.

Who is a Remote Assistant?

A remote assistance like these continues to gain prominence, business owners recognize that these virtual right-hand individuals are not just geographically distant employees but essential contributors to the core functions and achievements of the business. The evolving landscape of remote work and virtual collaboration positions remote assistants as key players in enhancing productivity, efficiency, and the overall success of businesses in the contemporary professional sphere.

The main difference between a remote assistant and a personal assistant is that the former works entirely remotely without being tied to an office or location.

Here are examples of the most common tasks that can be delegated to an assistant:

• Managing the executive’s schedule
• Telephone negotiations
• Business correspondence
• Arranging business trips and travel
• Administrative support for the office (arranging meetings, scheduling appointments, ordering stationery, etc.)
• Taking meeting notes
• Managing contractors (agencies, printers, freelancers, etc.)
• Ensuring that tasks are completed (reminding people, coordinating)
• Work with documents
• Handling personal errands (ordering food, merchandise, tickets), etc.

Experienced personal assistants who are already familiar with the required functionality and company specifics can also be assigned tasks such as

• Working with clients
• Assisting with social networking and building the owner/company’s brand (or supervising contractors in this area)
• Working on projects
• Negotiations, etc.

A remote assistant is an employee ready to help your business grow. A virtual assistant is a professional who always shows courtesy and care to her clients. When you hire a personal assistant, you gain a friend, a business partner, and a colleague whose job is to save your manager’s time.

What are the skills of an exceptional assistant?

Communication Skills

Any professional will tell you that communication skills are critical to the future of a business. Communication encompasses several criteria that a remote assistant must possess:

• Literacy
• Courtesy

A remote assistant should be able to type at least 180 characters per minute.

There is no way a virtual assistant can do without the ability to conduct business correspondence and knowledge of business etiquette. All this is readily available. You can choose a convenient learning method, such as online courses, local master classes, or audiobooks.

Advanced PC User

Communication skills are essential, but not the only ones. Working virtually with a client involves communicating over the Internet, so the worker must be a confident PC user. Here are five critical criteria a professional should possess:

• Knowledge of all Google services (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Forms). Using these resources will make creating essential documents and reports easier and provide convenient email management.
• Information Retrieval Skills.
• Familiarity with popular online portals is a valuable bonus.
• A skilled assistant will know the hotkeys’ location to quickly respond when there is no time to use the mouse.

Time Management

Time management is all about planning your work day. The ability to manage time is an essential skill for any remote assistant. Time management can be broken down into three basic principles:

• Working with goals
• Prioritizing tasks
• Knowledge of scheduling tools.

Where to start looking for a remote assistant?

Make a list of the tasks you want to delegate

We recommend creating a separate spreadsheet that lists tasks that can be delegated, especially those that are routine or tactical rather than strategic. Once you’ve identified this list, you must decide whether to redistribute these tasks among your existing staff or hire an additional assistant.

Decide on the assistant’s schedule

Answer the following questions:

• Is it essential that the assistant be available from morning to night?
• How many hours a day will it take to complete all the tasks?

You should understand that remote assistants with 24/7 availability (irregular schedule) are more expensive than those with a strictly fixed schedule.

Define your search criteria

Remote assistants may be newcomers to the profession. For example, they may be recent college graduates who want to work in the field but may not have much experience. The advantage of these candidates is that they have a clear goal of becoming a Super Assistant and are eager to prove themselves. In addition, these candidates are often willing to negotiate their salary because their priority is to gain experience. They will need some adjustments and additional training within the company.

Remote assistants can also be seasoned professionals. The advantage of hiring experienced assistants is that they are proactive and have honed their skills, which means they can offer ideas and best practices to optimize your work time. However, experienced assistants usually have higher salary expectations commensurate with their knowledge and the results they can deliver.

Create a job description

We recommend that you clearly describe the job using the following structure:

• Company information (area of expertise)
• Work schedule
• Candidate requirements (desired qualities and qualifications)
• Job Responsibilities
• Communication channels.

The more precise and more detailed the job description, the fewer questions candidates will have and the more responses you will receive.

Choose your search channels

You can search for remote workers in several ways: through Telegram channels, freelance sites, or specialized blogs. You can also seek help from schools that specialize in training such specialists. For entrepreneurs, this ensures that the person is fully prepared for the job, as these courses cover the most important aspects of working as an assistant.

The Bottom Line

Remote assistants can be beneficial to business owners in improving their efficiency. By delegating tasks to virtual assistants, business owners can free up time to focus on the strategic development of the business.