Why Hire a Virtual Assistant?

The pandemic may have brought challenging times for the world, but there’s a silver lining. The virus prompted staggering growth of startups and small businesses across different countries, triggering a change in the playing field of entrepreneurs. In the United States alone, there was a 95% increase in business applications from 2019 to 2020, and 30% more registered companies by the end of December 2020. France also saw 84,000 more businesses in October 2020, a historical 20% increase from 2019, and Japan saw a 14% increase in new businesses in September 2020.

Perhaps the human nature to survive and thrive prompted the shift as a result of the pandemic. Lockdowns forced current businesses without a digital presence to create accounts online. The limited mobility also triggered an increase in online shops, and the financial struggles also created room for aspiring entrepreneurs to offer services and products that are more affordable.

However, the need for a virtual presence became a double-edged sword for businesses of all sizes. On one end, it was essentially free advertising and a groundbreaking platform to reach new customers across the globe, while on the other end, it opened challenges in the workplace as it created a seemingly new ‘department’ of its own evolving at a staggering pace. 

While established businesses have the leverage to tap experts to strengthen their online presence, this can be difficult for startups, small businesses, and new entrepreneurs. For them, scrimping on workforce also means juggling between both online and offline demands of their business. This compromise to save on finances can lead to unfocused work, exhaustion, and underperformance, harming the business in the long run.

Virtual Assistants as a Solution

Thankfully, together with the surge in new businesses during the pandemic also rose opportunities for online work. The new demands for businesses’ digital presence prompted the rise of the virtual assistant, or VA, a commonly outsourced worker that business owners can rely on to perform Internet-related tasks. Some of these tasks include managing emails and social media accounts, answering customer queries, and other administrative duties. 

Because of virtual assistants, startups and small entrepreneurs can focus on their products and offline marketing, while making sure that their online presence and back-office tasks aren’t left behind. Because of their versatility and diversity, 2021 data shows that 67% of business owners have hired at least one VA to assist them!

See more benefits of hiring virtual assistants below:

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant?

• Spend more time on your unique tasks.

Time is money for business owners, that’s why having an extra hand is always welcome. Instead of devoting time trying to balance between front-office tasks and administrative ones, hiring a virtual assistant is always a valuable investment. Spend a few days training and onboarding your virtual assistant, and you can depend on them to take over back office tasks in no time. As a result, you can focus more on product development, innovation, strategy, and other unique aspects of your business. 

• Hiring a VA saves you a lot of money.

From the word virtual itself, it saves you a great deal of money to hire an employee assisting you remotely. This remote setup saves you costs on office space, coffee, snacks, office supplies, and even water and electricity. Moreover, since most virtual assistants are project or contract based, there is usually a mutual understanding that you don’t have to pay for their employee benefits.

• Increase your productivity.

Hiring virtual assistants frees you from tasks like managing your emails, reviewing and inputting data on your spreadsheets, preparing payrolls, and even answering phone calls. They can also take charge of communications with suppliers, customers, and clients. Once you find a virtual assistant that is a good fit, you can trust them with most of the back office duties. The freedom you enjoy with a VA allows you to focus more on how you can grow your company and maximize your resources. 

• Have an extra pair of eyes for perspective.

Once your virtual assistant gains a grasp of your business and establishes rapport with you, they can also see things from a different perspective than yours. This allows them to identify areas where you need to focus on, or areas where the business process can improve. 

• Minimize office politics.

Because of the remote nature of their employment, virtual assistants rarely get involved with office politics and power play. On your end, this will be less stressful, and it saves you from worrying whether they’ll get along with officemates or if office drama will brew. They can also work on tasks independently, meaning they don’t have to go through a particular hierarchy that can potentially cause conflict. 

• Enjoy flexible pay or packages.

Because of the existence of per project or per hour work arrangements, you can also manage the expectations of virtual assistants that agree to this scheme. This flexible pay agreement allows you to manage through ups and downs of your business, especially when times get difficult. However, it would be best if you can give your VA a notice in advance especially if you are going to up or downscale their working hours, so they can financially prepare or have enough time to adjust their schedules.

• Get opportunities to access the best talent around the globe.

Because of outsourcing agencies, your options and chances to hire the best talent around the globe is practically limitless. There is a huge pool of talent in the world of virtual assistants, and this gives you the opportunity to expand your options of who to hire. The remote setup also allows you to outsource skilled VAs from different countries at an attractive rate. Moreover, if you build rapport with your VAs, they can even give you referrals in case you need more team members, saving you the time and effort of starting from scratch in terms of hiring. 

• Get access to different skill sets (minus the costs).

The diversity of marketing or back office needs can create quite a challenge in hiring. However, the endless skills offered in the virtual assistant market allows you to target even the most specific business needs. In case there are unique skills or software that your VA has to learn, you can also even include this in your job posting, and outsourcing companies can take care of this to ensure you get the good match that you need for your business.

• Adopt new best practices.

If you hire a skilled virtual assistant, chances are you may not be their first employer. Most virtual assistants have worked with many industries and have been hired multiple times, bringing with them techniques, best practices, and business process insights. Thus, while they learn the ins and outs of your business/industry, you can also gain insight and wisdom from them, and use this to improve how you run your business!

Frequently asked questions:

• What are some common virtual assistant jobs? 

Data Entry. Many businesses rely on organized information, numbers, or data. While it may be monotonous and time consuming to do data entry on your end, it is a highly essential part of your business. Good thing is that you can rely on a virtual assistant to take over this task, so you can focus your skills on other areas of your business.

Customer Service. One of the most important areas of business is customer service, since brand loyalty and word-of-mouth advertising can be at stake. However, if you’re a business owner who is trying to keep up with many moving parts, chances are that you may put customer service aside. This can harm your business in the long run and lose leads and loyal customers. As such, ensure that you have a reliable virtual assistant to facilitate voice or non-voice customer queries. 

Administrative Tasks. As easy as they may be, administrative tasks take time and effort to fulfill. From answering emails to ensuring your files are updated, there’s a degree of meticulousness and care that is needed. Free yourself and your in-house team and assign administrative tasks to a virtual assistant instead, so you can devote your time to more specific aspects of your business, like marketing or product development. 

Sales Outreach. A business needs sales to stay afloat and flourish. Have a virtual assistant take over this important aspect of your business, and let them handle email campaigns, calls, and other efforts to gather leads and potential customers. The virtual nature of these tasks also fit a virtual assistant’s remote setup perfectly, as they can perform these using only a laptop, a stable Internet connection, and a pair of headphones!

Social Media Management. The immense reach and impact of social media is something a business owner should take seriously. However, it should also not be your only concern given the many other aspects of the business. Social media management takes time, from creating regular and engaging content, to managing online pages, and answering messages from customers. Hiring a virtual assistant removes these tasks from your plate, as they make sure your virtual presence is maintained. 

• Why hire a Filipino virtual assistant?

Once you decide to outsource virtual assistants, it is a common recommendation to hire someone from the Philippines. Here are some reasons why you should hire Filipino virtual assistants:

A language difference is not a problem for Filipinos. Filipinos are very well versed in communicating with foreigners as English is their second language. Because there is a reduced language barrier, it would be easier for you to onboard and orient them about the nature of your business. They can also be able to comprehend complex instructions, lead meetings, answer queries and emails, and manage your social media accounts because language will not be a problem. 

Filipino virtual assistants offer affordable, but not “cheap” rates. Though outsourcing a Filipino virtual assistant would offer you lower costs, it does not mean that the quality of their work is compromised. It is possible for them to charge cheaper costs because the cost of living in the Philippines is significantly lower. Thus, hiring a VA from this country will save you resources, while making sure the skills they have are not compromised. 

However, you get the quality you pay for. Keep in mind that the rates that Filipinos offer for being a virtual assistant is not flat-rate. It is important to understand that going for the cheapest Filipino VA you can find does not mean it’s the best deal. Many Filipino virtual assistants have college degrees, professional or board-certified licenses, or years of experience behind them. They can significantly charge higher rates compared to those without these qualifications, but it can also mean they are more well-versed in the industry. Therefore, consider the background, skills, and/or referrals of your potential hires, or if they would be a good fit for the nature of your business. 

• How do I start outsourcing virtual assistants?

Because the outsourcing industry is booming, it is more convenient than before to find skilled virtual assistants from all over the world, including the Philippines. There are numerous reliable outsourcing agencies or companies that can assure you that the virtual assistant you hire is capable and reliable. One of these companies is Process Ninjas.

Process Ninjas

Process Ninjas is an outsourcing company based in Asia, with the main goal of providing skilled workers, or “ninjas,” for different businesses. They offer services for different needs and aim to create lasting partnerships with their clients. Some of the services they provide focus on virtual assistants, customer support, community management, content moderation, and game support. To add, they can also help you build your own team of workers if your business has unique needs, to make sure your operations run smoothly.

Conclusion

Despite the numerous challenges that come with being a starting entrepreneur or small business during these times, there will always be helping hands ready to assist you in the form of virtual assistants. They offer affordability and efficiency like no other to help you prepare your business for the success you’ve always dreamed of!