The Rise of the Virtual Assistant

When you jump on google and type 'What is a virtual assistant?', the results bring up a huge number of articles, blogs, and videos that cover the meaning, definition, salary rages, etc.

My definition? As someone with over 10 Years Experience as a virtual assistant, I can tell you that we come in many different packages, no one definition fits all, however here's a solid definition to start from. A virtual assistant can be an independent contractor or employee who provides administrative, social media, marketing or other services to businesses or professionals while operating outside of their office and/or resources. A virtual assistant typically operates from a home office but can access the necessary files and documents remotely. As businesses and busy professionals increase their use of the internet for daily operations, so dawned the Rise of the Virtual Assistant.

Virtual Assistant - Contractor or Employee?

When a virtual assistant is a contractor, a business does not have to provide the same benefits that it would for a full-time employee, such as health, taxes, etc. Also, since the virtual assistant works offsite, there is no need for a desk or other workspace materials/equipment at the company's office. The cons are that your virtual assistant may have other clients and cannot dedicate more than the time allotted for your tasks, which is fine if your company only requires a few hours of services per week.

When a virtual assistant is an employee, a business will provide the same benefits it would for a full-time inhouse employee, such as health, taxes, etc. Since the virtual assistant works offsite, there is still no need for a workspace or the required equipment. With this employee virtual assistant, they are usually required to give 7-8 hours daily as a full-time employee and should be able to commit to a full 40 hours weekly work schedule.

Mclean Virtual Office Ltd is a Virtual Assistant Agency that Is capable of giving your business any required amount of assistance it needs as a contractor. You receive all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. You are assigned a personal account manager and your projects are tracked through our project management portal.

Most virtual assistants adopt a per hour model, however, packages are also available for those that would like a retainer or a capped amount. Based on the virtual assistant services provided, the cost may vary from various agencies to freelance virtual assistants.

When do you need a Virtual Assistant?

What is the Eisenhower Matrix?

The Eisenhower Matrix also referred to as Urgent-Important Matrix, help you decide on and prioritize tasks by urgency and importance, sorting out less urgent and important tasks which you should either delegate or not do at all. On the decision block, we see delegate, who can do it for you? This is where you decide what aspects of your business TRULY require your attention and focus it there, delegate or delete the rest.

If you are starting to feel overwhelmed in your business, have too much on your never-ending to-do list, have certain special tasks that require skills you don't have the time to learn, then it's time you delegated to a virtual assistant.

Tasks you can outsource to a Virtual Assistant

Here are some of the tasks you can outsource to our Virtual Assistant Agency:

The skill range is very wide and can be used to your optimal benefit. You will only be paying for the service(s) and/or the time you need. Our skilled virtual team is ready to deliver great service as we strive to digitally transform online business and the world of work.

When it comes to delegating these tasks, you want to ensure you have the appropriate deliverables, deadlines and report delivery process in place.

From help with your social media and project management to designing websites to SEO and other Admin related tasks, it's evident that the demand for virtual assistants will continue to increase. With technology changing the way we learn, communicate and work, we now have access to people in ways we could never reach them 10 years ago.

With digital marketing being the great big umbrella for several online activities and marketing initiatives, we start to learn that the better we are at delegating, the more we can accomplish and get things done.

Having the backing of a virtual assistant agency is key to unlocking more hours in your day and accomplishing a positive ROI.

Which tasks are you currently delegating? What's stopping you from getting the help you need?

Lacian Mclean is the C.O.O and Sales & Marketing Manager for Mclean Virtual Office Ltd. With over 17 Years Administrative and Customer Service experience, Lacian has been in the Virtual Assistant field for over 10 years and has worked with a number of professionals and small businesses delivering great service with reliability, precise organization and professionalism. You can click HERE to book a 30 minutes consult with Lacian to discuss the different tasks you need help with and to collaborate on upcoming projects.