Virtual Assistants come in all shapes and sizes with different specialities, different skills and sometimes even different names!
I call myself a Remote HR assistant. I still identify with the VA community as I am still essentially providing services, virtually. However, I know that I want to work with Human Resources Professionals to support them and their clients with their HR needs and therefore it makes sense for me to call myself a Remote HR Assistant.
The questions still remain, what is a Virtual Assistant or VA and what can they do for you?
I have put together just a couple of questions below that might help to answer some of those burning questions.
1- What in the world is a Virtual Assistant/VA?
A Virtual Assistant is a self-employed person who specialises in administration tasks and works from their own home or office.
2- What are the benefits of having a Virtual Assistant?
Reduced Labour cost
You don’t have to pay Tax/National Insurance or Pension Contributions
You don’t have to provide equipment or a workspace
You don’t have to pay any benefits associated with an employee
Increased Productivity
You can outsource the tasks that you can’t do, don’t want to do or don’t have the time to do. We all know how awful it is when we have a task that we don’t want to do so we end up procrastinating over it for hours on end. This then makes an admin task take 4 or 5 hours to do that a VA could do within 30-60 minutes and when you consider what your hourly rate is, that is an awfully expensive admin task!
Increased Flexibility
With an employee, you may have to set out the hours to be the same every month but with a Virtual Assistant, you can flex up and down to suit your business needs. Businesses have busy and quiet times, and some months you may need 20-30 hours and others you may only need 10 and that is entirely possible with a VA.
Increased Time
It goes without saying that if you are outsourcing tasks to someone else, you will save time. Time is money in business and if you are saving time on the menial low revenue tasks, that means that you can be focusing on the tasks that are making your business money!
Increased Revenue
This links into the above. If you are saving time and spending that time on the money making tasks then it is obvious that you will be making more money! Win, win!
3- What services can my Virtual Assistant provide?
This entirely depends on which VA you choose, because typically Virtual Assistants specialise in different things. So, you may need someone who specialises in Marketing, Social Media, General Administration or HR admin/Recruitment Support. It is finding the one who specialises in the thing that you need them to and then having a conversation with them to find out what you need to outsource to them and they will be able to help you identify that.
4- How quickly will your work be done?
That entirely depends on your VA’s availability at the time. What I would say, try and give your Virtual Assistant as much notice as possible. If you give them 24 hours, the chances are they won’t be able to turn that piece of work around in that time, especially given they are likely to have other clients and commitments. Giving them enough notice will ensure that you are not disappointed and they can prioritise tasks that need doing and ensure they are meeting deadlines.
5- How do I get started?
Ask around in your network initially to find out if someone knows a VA with the skills that you are looking for. The chances are someone will know someone who will be able to help you. Alternatively, I am more than happy to help anyone who is looking for a Virtual Assistant as I have a network of VA’s to be able to point you in the right direction.
If you need any help with HR administration or Recruitment Support then, of course, I am the one for you and you need to check out my website www.vivasupport.co.uk and book in a call with me so we can discuss how I can make your life easier!
If you have any more questions about what a Virtual Assistant is or does then please do contact me and I am more than happy to answer any questions emily@vivasupport.co.uk.