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Making Virtual Assistants Work

By on March 23rd, 2022 in Uncategorized

You may not have any experience with a virtual assistant yet. As things are becoming more virtual in our work lives these days, it’s a great opportunity for you to explore. 

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant (VA) is loosely defined as an independent contractor who provides administrative services to your firm while operating outside of the firm. A lot of virtual assistants are independent contractors. As the term “virtual” suggests, virtual assistants help you get your work done without them having to work in your physical location. 

A great VA will help you find stuff and things they could do for you so you start taking some things off your plate. And once you’re in that mindset of finding things to outsource and finding things for someone else to do, it gets easier and easier.

Where to Find Virtual Assistants

The Benefits of Hiring a VA

1. It costs less.

Hiring a VA, especially offshore can be less expensive, primarily because the cost of living in other countries is much cheaper than in the U.S. And so, even if you’re paying two-thirds of what you might be paying in the U.S., virtual assistants are making more than they would be making if they were working locally for a company in their home country. 

As business owners, it gives us a bigger place to draw from the bigger talent pool. Similarly, as a VA, if you’re able to find a job not just within your country, but within anywhere in the world, that opens up your pool to choose from as well. Hence, it can work and benefit both ways. 

Another benefit of hiring a VA is since they’re working remotely, you don’t need to have an office space or as much overhead expenses or physical tools as you need to, which can add up when you’re hiring. Hence, there’s an opportunity to save on cost.

2. Increased productivity​​

Due to the time difference, since most of the VAs are located in the Philippines, the idea that you can have someone working when you’re not is just awesome. It improves your productivity since you can just set up their tasks the night before and they’re typically done with the work by the time you get into the office the next morning. 

Things You Need to Make Working with VAs Work

  • Make sure they have a computer and fast internet connection.
  • Make sure your data and machines are protected.
  • Independent contractor agreements
  • Look into using a VPN (Virtual Private Network)
  • A task system to keep things organized
  • Using a password manager
  • Onboarding training and procedures
  • Ensure regular check-ups

If you want to learn more about how to make virtual assistants work, check out Episode 034: Making Virtual Assistants Work.