Why should small businesses hire a Virtual Assistant? Well, many small business owners quickly reach the point where their business is growing. But, at the same time, so are their routine admin and business tasks, which increasingly take up more time.
It could be you’re replying to more emails, arranging more meetings, or struggling to update your CRM. Whatever it is, you’re doing much more of the ‘stuff’ that is necessary to keep the business running smoothly.
However, the problem is you’d rather be spending your time on the things that will continue to grow your business, such as:
- Working closer with clients
- Growing your sales pipeline
- Developing your products and services
- Delivering your products and services
- Developing business strategy
While you could employ staff, many small businesses don’t have the workload or budget to justify a full-time employee, which is why hiring a Virtual Assistant can be the perfect answer for a small business.
Why are Virtual Assistants important?
A Virtual Assistant, who is often referred to as a VA, creates time for a small business by handling the routine admin tasks with the flexibility to match the ebb and flow of your business.
Virtual Assistants have many qualities, such as:
- They are highly skilled
- A Virtual Assistant works independently
- Virtual Assistants are adept at using their initiative
- Hiring a VA is more cost-effective than employing a full-time PA
- They are business owners themselves and recognise the importance of providing a top-notch service.
Virtual Assistants are experienced in providing support to business leaders and it is their role to keep your business running smoothly in the background.
This level of support gives you the time and space to increase productivity, reduce stress and focus on the things you do best, for example developing your products and services, or working more closely with your clients.
Hiring a Virtual Assistant Pros and Cons
There are pros and cons in many of the choices we make and hiring a Virtual Assistant is no different. Here are some to consider:
Hiring a Virtual Assistant Pros
1. Time
What’s the thing you hear most people complain they don’t have enough of? Time.
In business, it’s often because you’re so caught up in the necessary routine tasks that you haven’t got the time to do all the things you’re good at. This is where a Virtual Assistant can handle these routine tasks, creating the time for you to take the actions that will grow your business.
2. Productivity
With a Virtual Assistant handling your routine tasks, your productivity will naturally increase. Whether that’s growing your sales pipeline faster, being more responsive to new enquiries and clients, or developing more products and services. This all has a positive effect on your income generating actions.
3. Pay by the hour
A Virtual Assistant is hired by the hour. There is no full-time salary (along with the additional employment costs that come with an employee), or long term-commitment, both of which can be a big obstacle for small businesses.
As you’re not paying them a salary, you don’t have to find work for them when you don’t have it and you’re not paying them when they are on holiday or off sick!
4. Flexibility
Being able to hire a Virtual Assistant by the hour gives a small business total flexibility. You decide the tasks they handle and how many hours they work for you. This means they’re working when you require them to, but you are not paying them when you don’t.
5. Highly-skilled
You can hire a Virtual Assistant who has the specific skills and experience required for the job, but for a fraction of the cost of a full-time employee. VA specialisms can include social media, credit control, HR, marketing, events, general admin, and EA/PA support to name a few
6. Build a team
Being able to hire a highly-skilled Virtual Assistant on an hourly basis, means you could build a team of 3 or 4 specialists for the cost of one full-time PA. This is a viable way small businesses can grow, utilising specialist skills only when needed.
7. Bring an outside view to your business
Virtual Assistant’s also work for other businesses and so will get to see how other people work. This experience means they could suggest better, more efficient, or more cost-effective ways of doing things in your business
8. Contacts
Following on from working with other clients, they may have people in their network who could also help you
9. Avoid overwhelm and stress
Bringing us back to a big reason why people hire Virtual Assistants, handing over many of the time-consuming routine admin and business tasks takes a weight off your shoulders and allows you to take a step back and think more clearly
10. Focus
By handling your routine tasks, a Virtual Assistant allows you to focus on your key business activities, working closer with clients and developing your business strategy.
Hiring a Virtual Assistant Cons
1. They are not based in your office
As a Virtual Assistant is not based in your office, they cannot do the ‘physical’ office tasks, such as:
- Open the post
- File documents
- Answer your phone when you’re away from your desk
- Discuss things with you face-to-face
2. They will be working for other clients
The chances are they are also working for other clients, and so things may not get completed the instant they crop up. As a result, you may have to wait a little if they’re working with another client at that moment
3. They are an additional cost
Although a Virtual Assistant is an additional cost, as we’ve already discussed, continuing to do the routine admin and business tasks yourself puts the brakes on your business growth
Technology allows a Virtual Assistant to handle the majority of tasks efficiently and professionally. So apart from the most obvious point about not being based in your office, the pros of hiring a Virtual Assistant to work remotely really do outweigh the cons.
Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Virtual Assistant
In summary, here are our ‘at a glance’ top 10 Reasons to hire a Virtual Assistant:
Why Should Small Businesses Hire A Virtual Assistant?
Every business has its own unique needs, and so in attempting to answer the question, ‘why should small businesses hire a virtual assistant?’ I am very aware this article is just scratching the surface.
Having said that, although every one of our client’s want something different from us in terms of the tasks undertaken and outcomes delivered, it’s fair to say their reasons for hiring us in the first place all follow one or more of the reasons mentioned above.
If you have any questions about working with a Virtual Assistant, or points that are specific to your business, please do get in touch as we’re always happy to answer them.
Bio:
Allen Wooding, co-founder of award winning Virtual Assistant company Core PA Services, helps business owners focus 100% on their key revenue generating activities, by handling the routine business tasks that often overwhelm small businesses.
Download his 3-Step guide ‘What Should You Outsource to a Virtual Assistant’ and dramatically increase your productivity.
I like the valuable information you provide in your articles. Such an informative article. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your kind comment, I really appreciate your time.