By Gidon Levy, Founder & CEO — Remote CoWorker
The working world has changed dramatically in the last decade, especially in the wake of the pandemic. With remote work becoming far more prevalent, virtual assistants (VAs) have stepped in to help businesses with a number of tasks that were once only handled in-house.
Virtual assistants can come in the form of independent contractors or contracted “employees” from virtual staffing companies that offer a diverse range of VAs who can cover nearly any need a company may have. These workers can complete tasks ranging from administrative duties to sales and marketing outreach, to billing and accounting tasks, and customer service support. Because these workers are virtual by definition, they can work from anywhere in the world and adapt to the needs of global teams and different time zones.
The growth of remote work during and after the pandemic has led to a higher demand for virtual assistants. According to studies, the IT outsourcing industry will have a compound annual growth rate of 4.5% between 2020 and 2025, with the largest number of VAs hailing from the Philippines — which has become a VA hub in recent years.
The skills virtual assistants bring have been shown to increase the productivity of the companies they work for, helping them achieve success at scale and ultimately save money in the long run. Here are some tips on hiring virtual assistants for your company or small business, and how to get the most out of the VA experience.
Identify which tasks require delegation
Business leaders, but especially entrepreneurs and new startup founders, often have a habit of taking on far too much responsibility. While it can be difficult to relinquish a certain degree of control over specific tasks, there comes a point in the journey of every small business or startup where the founder must take a deep breath and acknowledge they need help.
The first step in finding the right VA for your business is to identify which tasks you’re willing to delegate. Since leaders are often the visionaries behind their business, they cannot be masters of all the processes their business relies on, and must delegate certain necessary tasks to free time from their busy schedules. These tasks can include anything from managing the company’s calendar to administrative functions, posting on social media accounts, and more. By identifying what kind of help is needed, business owners can get the most leverage from virtual assistants.
Clearly outline expectations for the VA’s role
Once you’ve decided what tasks the VA will be accountable for, you must then outline clear expectations for the VAs you plan to hire. Communicate your specific needs regarding the individual tasks, as well as your expectations for results and metrics for how those results will be measured.
At the same time, understand that the scope of the VA’s job may change and expand as the business grows, and this can be a good opportunity to allow a VA to grow within the company. As long as changes in job descriptions and expectations are consistently communicated to the VA, the relationship will remain mutually productive.
Seek out specific skills
Today’s virtual assistants are highly trained and multi-talented. With social media marketing becoming a necessity for most businesses, many VAs are increasingly becoming masters of marketing brands on these platforms. You can also search for VAs that specialize in more niche business areas, such as UX design, content creation, human resources, or bookkeeping.
Once you’ve pinpointed the areas of your company where extra help is needed, it will benefit the entire organization to be onboard a VA with the specific skill set you and your team need.
Seek a valued team member, not just another hired hand
Virtual assistants brought on to be productive members of the company team are bound to thrive in their new environment. Rather than simply thinking of a VA as someone hired to complete a specific task or set of tasks, they should be brought into the team fold and given the opportunity to share ideas and their skills. This means the VA should be included in all-hands meetings or company events.
Likewise, any changes or accomplishments within the company should be shared with the VA, as they would with any other employee. This will give the VA a far greater stake in the business, thereby enhancing their productivity to do the best work possible for your company.
Be aware of cultural and communication challenges
Two primary challenges that remain ever-present in today’s global, virtual work environments are cultural differences and communication hurdles. With a large portion of virtual assistants hailing from overseas, some business leaders may encounter struggles regarding differences in language, time zones, or culture that affect approaches to work or social interactions.
If you’re looking to bring on the help of a VA, ensure you remain open and accepting of the diversity within the VA field by staying cognizant of these differences.
Seek out a good fit and someone who understands your market
With the rapid growth of the VA space, business owners have a wealth of skilled virtual workers to choose from. However, that also makes it more challenging to do your due diligence in finding a VA that will not only understand your market niche, but also be the best fit for the skills you need and for your company’s culture.
With so many VAs from varied backgrounds with different skill sets to choose from, the perfect VA for your needs is bound to be out there.
Track cost-effectiveness and productivity benefits
Once a virtual assistant is hired, keep track of their cost-effectiveness by implementing metrics to measure how productive your business is with their help. You may find that you need to bring on more VAs or add on to the tasks of the VAs you’ve already hired.
Since VAs let you save on the cost of hiring, onboarding, and training a new full-time in-house employee, chances are you’ll find that their presence ultimately saves you more money over time. Virtual assistants can also make a business far more productive overall, allowing you and your executive team to prioritize tasks that more directly contribute toward your business’s bottom line.
The working world is changing, and VAs are poised to be a significant part of the shift toward more web-based, remote working. As the business landscape grows globally, I only expect that a growing number of businesses will discover the myriad benefits VAs have to offer.
About the Author: Gidon Levy is the Founder and CEO of Remote CoWorker. His expertise in effective outsourcing served as the catalyst for the inception of Remote CoWorker, an innovative enterprise dedicated to revolutionizing the outsourcing industry.