03 Feb Welcome to the Era of Virtual Assistance

Even before the pandemic, remote working was something that virtual assistants were familiar with, and already accustomed to. Virtual assistance has become all the more relevant in light of work-from-home arrangements during the ongoing pandemic. Based on a research conducted by Nanoglobals, engagement of Virtual Assistance has increased by 41% in 2020.

The era is now for virtual assistance. If you are thinking of engaging a Virtual Assistant for a project but are also not sure how he/she can help you, here are a few ways that a virtual assistant can help to boost company performance and create quality output at affordable rates. 

Time Saved

If you or your company’s employees have a lot of important work to do, it can be challenging to juggle between your core tasks and other duties that are time-consuming but just as important. For example, you might be having an important client meeting and are preparing to pitch your proposal to them. While cleaning up your presentation slides and familiarising yourself with the content to be presented, it might be difficult for you to multitask and be in the space to work on other tasks at hand. Switching to another task such as cold-calling leads and switching back to your core task may be taxing on the individual and affect productivity levels. 

With a virtual assistant, they are able to take your hands off such time-consuming duties such that you can focus on important work. From handling administrative duties, to replying to emails, to data research, to cold calls, down to leads generation, virtual assistance can handle a variety of tasks depending on your business needs. 

Money Saved

The economy can be volatile and unpredictable. We don’t know when the next financial crisis will be, or when there will be budget cuts in the company. Hiring a full-time employee to take over specific jobs may also prove costly depending on the nature of the tasks and the kind of work that the company does. If you know that your company has peak and low seasons during certain times of the year, it might be good to consider hiring a virtual assistant during peak periods, as opposed to hiring a full-time employee. This way, less expenses are required on hiring a full-timer that might not have anything to do during low seasons. Virtual assistants are also able to work remotely, this saves expenditure needed for office equipment. They can also help to save up on additional costs required to issue insurance, medical coverage, and other employee benefits that full-time employees are entitled to. 

If you are looking for someone to cover specific projects that need an extra helping hand, virtual assistants might be the people for you. Virtual assistants will work according to the job scope and the time required for completion. With predetermined durations to work and remote working arrangements, they can better tailor their job scope to what you require of them. 

Work-Life Balance

The pandemic has led to the blurring of boundaries between work and life. Due to work-from-home arrangements, it can be challenging not to let go of outstanding tasks left to complete and take time to rest and relax, or spend time with loved ones at home. Employing a virtual assistant can help to take off workload from the employee. This can help the employee to focus on other tasks and complete them at a much faster rate. During after-work hours, time is also freed for them to rest and relax without having to constantly worry about the work that they have to complete. With virtual assistance comes increased productivity levels, increased efficiency at work, and the employee is better able to keep a work life balance amidst trying times. Stress levels are alleviated and the company is able to reap cost-savings while looking out for the welfare of employees. 

Quality Work 

Virtual Assistance is not just a desk job or administrative job. Many virtual assistants are experts in their fields and have specific specialisations. If you are looking for someone to handle tasks that require expertise in a certain industry, it is highly likely that there will be a virtual assistant with the ability to do them. 

For example, some virtual assistants can not only handle tedious work such as generating and nurturing leads with prospective clients, they can also take on consultancy roles and provide useful information related to the industry to their clients. This increases the chances of prospective customers converting to paying clients. With virtual assistants being specialised in the fields that are suited to your business needs, you can expect quality work produced at affordable rates. In the realm of virtual assistance, there is a large pool of talents with diverse skillsets. Exploring virtual assistants that are able to cater to your business needs with the right industrial knowledge is crucial in boosting your business’ performance. 

A good virtual assistant would be able to think nimbly when handling work assigned to them, be able to work independently with minimal supervision, and have a skillset that helps them to be competent in completing tasks at hand. He or she should have excellent communication skills, is tech-savvy and in an era of digitalisation and be able to handle work that can be tedious or time-consuming. 

It can be overwhelming to handle specific tasks that may be more efficiently handled by a single person. With the changing work landscapes amidst the pandemic, evolving lifestyles and a volatile economy, the future can be unpredictable. Virtual assistants can help you to stay future-ready during this time of uncertainty, save time and money, provide quality output, and help with work-life balance. They can help you to reap fruits for your business in the long run. If you are interested in engaging with a virtual assistant that can fulfill specific business needs, click here to find out more about our Virtual Assistance services. You can also check out Pivot Tree’s other digital consultancy services here. Click here for a free consultation.