In this day and age, it is more important than ever for a business to have a healthy presence online. On top of that, digital transformation has already made administrative tasks paperless. As long as you have a laptop and internet, you can be as productive anywhere as you are in an office. However, doing all these time-consuming tasks all by yourself is not practical at all. You can do so much on your time instead of doing repetitive tasks. If you are still a startup and you don’t want to burn cash, hiring a VA or virtual assistant through outsourcing is the way to go.
In this article, you will get a clear understanding of how virtual assistants operate. At the same time, you will also learn the best way to outsource your VA.
What is a virtual assistant?
As defined by The Balance Careers, virtual assistants are administrative assistants that work remotely. Your interactions would be on screen but they would still be able to deliver the virtual outputs expected from them.
It can be hard to stay on top of everything, especially if you have a lot going on. A virtual assistant is a person who helps you run your business by managing various tasks. He manages all of your day-to-day tasks, from scheduling appointments to scheduling social media posts.
Some virtual assistants are jack of all trades, some are also masters in their field of specialization. Once you find the perfect VA, you will achieve success with less burnout and headache.
How to Hire a Virtual Assistant Through Outsourcing
Outsourcing a VA is easy, but getting the right one for your business needs will require more than just a simple job posting on social media and freelancing platforms. To attract a virtual assistant as an asset, below are the steps in hiring a virtual assistant through outsourcing.
Set Clear VA Job Responsibilities
First, you need to identify from the beginning what outputs you want to get from your virtual assistant. A way to do this is to list down the everyday tasks that are crucial to your business. Is it answering inquiries? Is it processing order invoices and storing your customers’ data on the database? Whatever urgent repetitive tasks you have, you should list them down and pick which ones to delegate to your VA.
There are basic tasks you can pass on, like handling social media inquiries, communicating with clients, or data entry. On the other hand, there are also the intricate tasks which you aren’t familiar with. These might pertain to social media management and advertising, or managing your Shopify store. With that said, there are two types of virtual assistants you can choose from. These are the general virtual assistant and the specialized virtual assistant.
General VA
Your general VA will be your personal assistant in the virtual sphere. You can list down the simplest day-to-day tasks you require to operate your business, and an effective general VA can perform them.
Here are some examples of the general tasks you can delegate:
- appointment scheduling
- social media customer service
- booking your travels
- order processing
- data entry
- recruiting freelancers.
Once you find a well-rounded general VA with outstanding performance, you get productivity and growth as a reward.
Specialized VA
For complicated regular tasks that need the expertise to be done, a competent specialized VA can handle them for you with ease. They have the relevant experiences, high-value skills, and knowledge to exceed your expectations.
To give you an idea, here are some examples of tasks you can assign to a specialized VA:
- Bookkeeping
- Lead Generation
- Website Management
- Digital Marketing
- Content Creation
An A-player for this role will not only do these intricate tasks diligently, but he can also pivot into doing the general tasks when needed. A real estate virtual assistant for example should be adept at lead generation while remaining effective on the other general tasks.
Furthermore, when it comes to virtual assistant rates, those with special knowledge and expertise cost higher. However, outsourcing an offshore VA will still cost way lower than hiring someone in your local area.
Create a Detailed Job Description
Your job description will also help you attract the best virtual administrative assistants, and wane off the ones that do not meet your requirements. To tackle further, below are the sections you should include in your virtual assistant job description.
Company Background
Include in this section the years you have been in the business, the industry, your products or services, location, and the company culture. A well-written company background will stir the interested applicants’ excitement to be a part of your company.
List of duties
Since you have already set clear job responsibilities to delegate, making your list of duties will be an easy and thorough process. This list is also significant so that interested applicants will know ahead of time what the job entails. Through this, they can easily determine whether they are fit for the role or not.
In addition to the list of duties, state the specific apps, software, and other tools the VA will be using.
Qualifications
Set the qualifications based on the quality of work you want, and the investment you are going to make for this role. Add your required educational background, years of experience, and paramount non-negotiable skills.
Find a BPO Partner From an Excellent Outsourcing Marketplace
Now that everything’s planned out, you will only need an excellent outsourcing marketplace that can supply you with trusted and well-vetted offshore outsourcing partners. An outsourcing marketplace can help you get a quote for your desired virtual assistant. On top of that, it can give you great options according to your business needs.
Get Familiar With the Skills of an Effective VA
Equip yourself with more knowledge about how to spot an effective virtual assistant during interviews.
Here are the fundamental skills to check when hiring a virtual assistant:
- Excellent communication skills
- Problem-solving
- Reliability
- Tech-savviness
- Eagerness to learn
Prepare for Interview
Your interviews are your portal to attract your next asset. Consider your questions carefully and make sure that these are open-ended ones. Your questions should give you an idea about the applicants’ work ethics, knowledge, experience, skills, and personality.
Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant Through Outsourcing
Once you have already chosen the right VA that will contribute to your growth and future expansion, let your BPO partner know. Your outsourcing partner will handle all the paperwork, and orient the VA about his role. Basically, your offshore BPO partner will do the human resource management, while you get the high-quality services and outputs from your new team.
There are indeed many benefits that come with hiring a virtual assistant through outsourcing, namely the following:
- Lower costs with quality outputs. You save costs for office equipment, maintenance, rental, and local employee salary and benefits.
- You get limitless access to the best talents across the globe. The best outsourcing companies with well-trained and knowledgeable talents are in the Philippines.
- You get more leverage over time, and time is the most valuable asset you can get when doing business.
Focus on your strengths and the things that matter to you most by borrowing other people’s time. The best thing about outsourcing your virtual executive assistant is you acquire more time in the most practical ways possible. Additionally, you get to focus on your core responsibilities as an entrepreneur or businessman while staying productive in the other aspects of your business.
