Get More Hours Back By Hiring a Virtual Assistant

It’s only the beginning of the workweek, and you have three meetings today, eight emails to send, two business calls to make, projects to manage, payroll to handle, and much more, all while preparing for your startup’s public launch next week.?

Too much to do, too little time to do it — talk about a nightmare of a schedule!

What can you do without going insane? The answer is: hire a virtual assistant.

Hiring a virtual assistant is a great way to get more work done quickly, efficiently, and affordably while freeing up your time to focus on important things such as core business strategy.

Power?

What is a virtual assistant?

A virtual assistant is a personal assistant who works remotely for either a dedicated client or, often, multiple clients. Virtual assistants handle all sorts of tasks, from administrative tasks to highly specialized work.

These days, you can inexpensively hire a virtual assistant with almost any skill set and experience level suited to your business’ needs without much fuss or time required.

With the increase in the number of remote workers, businesses have started using virtual assistants to help with tasks beyond what a standard receptionist, office administrator, or personal assistant could do.

Task delegation is essential for business growth. With a virtual assistant, you can shave hours off of your workday previously spent on administrative tasks. Additionally, there is a good chance that a virtual assistant can get the tasks done more efficiently than you could yourself.

Without having to worry about repetitive, less important tasks, you’ll be able to focus your time and energy on strategic growth and scaling your business.

How can a virtual assistant help you?

Hiring a virtual assistant will save you time and give you the opportunity to hire from a larger talent pool without facing agency fees for temporary employee hires.

Some reasons you should hire a virtual assistant include:

• Can’t find local administrative talent
• Previous hires have been lower in quality
• High turnover rates with administrative staff
• Your job has become more demanding recently
• Core tasks aren’t getting done in the hours you have
• Wanting to pay only for hours worked
• Don’t want to or can’t afford to pay a full-time worker with benefits
• Can’t supply a physical office or room for your assistant
• Want to reduce stress and workload

Many virtual assistants have a niche area of expertise or a specialty such as accounting, event planning, or data entry. Think about what kind of virtual assistant would best benefit you and your company, and be sure to list these things in your virtual assistant job post.

Some examples include:

• Calls and emails
• Scheduling and calendar management
• Travel arrangements
• Composing letters or memos
• Database management
• Scanning and faxing
• Filing and organizing
• Bookkeeping and accounting
• Website maintenance
• Employee training
• Market or other research
• Direct mail campaigns and correspondence
• Content creation
• Project management
• Social media management
• Event planning
• Shopping and other errands

How do you find a virtual assistant?

Once you’ve determined your outsourcing needs, you can use platforms such as Hubstaff Talent and Upwork to find and hire a virtual assistant.

Finding virtual assistants on freelance websites, job boards, and social media platforms has its advantages but can also be a bit tricky. It’s true that there are millions of contractors on these websites, but it’s also true that there is a lot of uncertainty when hiring someone you don’t know.?

To eliminate these uncertainties, be sure to check out the candidates’ portfolios, including their profile description, experience, and availability, see if they have good reviews, and ask for references from their previous employers.

How do you effectively work with a virtual assistant?

Now that you’ve selected your virtual assistant, how do you work with them?

Here are some best practices:

• Provide your virtual assistant with the information they need to complete tasks successfully
• Communicate with your virtual assistant regularly
• Use time tracking software to keep track of your virtual assistant’s activity and pay only for hours worked
• Praise them for a job well done
• Don’t micromanage

When working with a virtual assistant, you need to find a way to ensure you’re getting consistent, high-quality work at a fair value for the price you’re paying while giving your virtual assistant the confidence and tools to succeed.

Thanks to workforce management tools like Hubstaff, you can keep your virtual assistant productive, accountable, and in touch. These types of tools are a cost-effective way to ensure time is being spent properly and productively.?

They’re also a great way to ensure that anyone on your team is paid accurately and in a timely manner. This means you track the time, invoice, and pay, all within one system, which puts time tracking at the center and kills tedious admin work associated with time tracking and payroll.?

Do you have any tips for hiring or working with a virtual assistant? Share your experience with us in the comments.