Being a businessperson, we have to fulfill the job roles of all types. Like doing administrative tasks like filling orders, responding to customers, marketing your business, and running day-to-day operations. The to-do list in an entrepreneurial organization is never ending. It is impossible that you decide to take all the small and big tasks of your enterprise in your hand. That’s why every entrepreneur needs a virtual assistant in today’s times.
A virtual assistant should be the first “hire” that online business owners make to get help and proficiency in the daily tasks involved in running a business. As the entrepreneur needs to focus on the bigger things, the need of a virtual assistant can’t be ignored.
Having a virtual assistant is like having extra help. If you are concerned about how to manage all the things by yourself then it might be the right time for you to hire a virtual assistant.
Things to Consider while Hiring a Virtual Assistant
- Who is a virtual assistant (VA) and how can they help?
- What to hire a Virtual Assistant for?
- When to hire a virtual assistant?
- How much would you have to pay for a Virtual Assistant?
- From where to hire a virtual assistant?
- How to hire your first Virtual Assistant?
- How to divide your work with a VA
1. Who is a Virtual Assistant and How can they help you?
A Virtual Assistant is an efficient employee who works remotely (WFH) and executes tasks delegated to them such as responding to emails, scheduling social media content, and entering data.
A VA can operate from anywhere around the globe, manage multiple clients, and is often proficient in areas like content writing, bookkeeping, or design.
2. What to hire a Virtual Assistant for?
Virtual Assistants don’t take up on an entire business function rather assist you in some major parts of the business in which you might be requiring some aid. For example A Virtual Assistant won’t build up your entire website rather help you in managing the online orders or help you in Search Engine Optimisation or creating content for your website.
Some basic functions which VA’s usually help with are:
- Answer customer emails, social media comments, and phone calls
- Perform community management tasks like moderating comments on your Facebook ads or monitoring Twitter for engagement opportunities
- Build blogger/influencer outreach lists based on specific criteria
- Research statistics and examples for upcoming content
- Process orders and returns from customers (you can find VAs who have experience with Shopify specifically or coach them on how to follow a process)
- Perform bookkeeping duties or data entry from different sources into a single spreadsheet
- Make sales calls when provided with a script and guidelines on how to respond to common questions
- Schedule meetings or book appointments for you
- Run remote-friendly personal errands like ordering flowers or online gifts (some virtual assistant services empower them to make purchases on your behalf)
3. When to hire a Virtual Assistant?
You really need to hire a VA when:
- You are working in your business more than working on your business, this means you are overburdened with the administrative tasks of your business and rather than thinking about how to make it more efficient and improve over time you spend your time working in your business.
- You’re willing to spend Rs 4,000 to Rs 30,000+ per month to buy back your time by hiring a VA.
- You are aware about the tasks and services which you wish to outsource
- You need help with organisation and Administrative tasks.
- You are overwhelmed by the work responsibilities that you are holding and are in an urgent need to delegate your work.
- When there is a busy period coming up for your business and you know that you’ll need help like an increase in Orders during Festive seasons.
4. How much would you have to pay a Virtual Assistant?
Prices for a Virtual Assistant can vary according to the skills, time, and experience required. It can vary from Rs. 200 to as high as Rs. 40,000 per hour. Many charge by the hour. Some charge a monthly retainer of Rs. 20,000 – Rs. 2,00,000 or more for a set number of hours. There are also virtual assistant services that charge per task or project—these services can be as low as Rs. 4000 per month.
5. Where to hire a Virtual Assistant from?
Freelance Marketplaces are a good platform to hire Virtual Assistants when you are on the look for an efficient worker. You can make use of LinkedIn or Naukri.com and post a job opportunity and let the interested people send in their resumes. From there you can examine if there’s someone who suits the job role.
6. How to Hire your First Virtual Assistant?
- Document your process before you outsource it, you can make sure that there is an reduction in errors made by the VA’s by documenting and setting guidelines about the tasks that they have to do, so that they have in written what they need to do exactly.
- Write a job description to hire the most suitable candidate, this can attract the right person with the desired skills. Make sure to add points like- the scale of your business, experience required, language requirements (if any), skills required, tasks to be performed. LinkedIn is the most effective platform in finding the most suitable person for your workspace.
- Hire and onboard your VA, shortlist the candidates and take interviews through platforms like Google meet or Zoom. Look for references from their past clients or superiors and others that attest to their past performance as a virtual assistant.
- Protect your Information and Accounts, once you have hired your VA you need to make sure that you are giving them a limited access so that they don’t misuse your accounts. If you’re not using a virtual assistant service designed for secure login sharing, use a password manager like Last Pass; the free plan lets you share each password with one other user (i.e., your VA).
7. How to Divide Work with your VA
Outsourcing and Delegation are the keys to achieving work/life balance. Doing that is even harder when you’re doing everything on your own. So make sure to allocate the work properly so that you can focus on the more important things of your business.
Hiring a virtual assistant lets you focus on the things that matter most—growing your business, spending time with your family, or just giving yourself moments to catch your breath and have a mental space to get creative ideas.
So, these were some simple steps, taking help of which you can hire a VA. Always remember that it is okay to delegate work rather than putting all the workload on yourself.