You might be surprised to know what there are many people who don’t know what a VA. I must admit though in recent years with more and more people working from home this is a little more widely known but there are still some that are not sure.

Many people think a VA is a bot on a website!

Basically, a Virtual Assistant is like and Administration Assistant working in your business, just remotely.

Imagine this, you are working from home or in a serviced office where it is only you. Your business has grown where you really need some help if you are going to grow any more or just get some of your own time back to stop you working on the weekend.

You need help!

However, you don’t want to bring someone to work with you in your house or you don’t want to lease anymore space. Plus, you may only need someone to do 2 hours of work a week at this stage. It really isn’t worth it to invest in getting additional office space, stationery, computer equipment and insurance just to put someone on for 2 hours work a week.

Maybe, you just need them to answer the phone but you don’t have enough work to keep them busy all day so they can be there to answer the phone. Not to mention the budget to pay for someone full time.

This is where a VA can help.

But what sort of things would they do for you?

Well, basically anything you need them to do. Virtual Assistants can be skilled in many different tasks, not just general administration. You could have a Virtual Assistant who is skilled in Social Media, Recruitment, Finance, Arranging Travel, Research, Customer Service, Bookkeeping, Video Editing or Graphic Design. There is a large array of skills that various VAs have, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Virtual Assistants can offer monthly packages or charge by the hour, it is up to how they run their business and what they offer.

If you think a VA is something you would like to investigate then here are some tips to help:

• Make sure you are ready for a VA. Ensure you are clear on what tasks you would like them to do as this will assist you to find a suitably qualified VA. To do this you can start a list of the work that you do repetitively and then when you have a list of a few things, you can start looking for a VA.
• Ensure you have systems in place in your business. This will make the handover of work a lot easier if you have a system. The VA will know exactly what is required from them and how to implement it. If you don’t have systems, contact us to discuss how we can assist with setting these up.
• Ensure that you feel that you can work well together. If the relationship is strong then the work that is implemented will be strong.
• Decide if one VA can do all the tasks require or do you have to split the tasks across various VAs with different skill sets.
• How often do you want the VA to work and what availability do you require? Some VA only work school hours as they run their business around their children. Do you need work covered outside of the hours that they work?

Finding the tasks that you wish to handover and finding the right VA can be a bit of a process. However, you need to take the time to think about these things to ensure you find the right VA for you and your business.

I have included a downloadable list for you to get you help get you started on your Virtual Assistant journey. Download the 20 Ways to use a Virtual Assistant list here.

If you wish to chat with me further about how we can assist you in your business, please feel free to contact me at info@beyondthemaze.com.au