How Virtual Assistance Has Changed the Way We Do Business
The advent of fast broadband technology has changed the workforce forever. Outsourcing has been common since the 1980s but at that point, a contractor still had to come into the office to get information and take it to their office to get the work done. Now, an outsourcer can live literally anyplace where they have access to the internet.
Once the internet became a viable and secure way to do business, companies first started outsourcing work to call centers in other countries like India. When the internet became commonplace among households, homemakers started realizing that they could do the work of any large outsourcing company – just on a smaller scale for fewer clients. This opened up the opportunity for small business owners to afford to bring on talent that they never could before.
* No Need for Fully Equipped Offices – A VA is a business owner who owns all the tools needed to do the work for you that you need completed. You do not need to provide the tools, and you shouldn’t. They are their own business owner and have the tools.
* No Need to Pay for Benefits – When you contract with a VA, they are independent contractors who pay for their own benefits. The money you pay the VA covers those expenses, which is why you may pay from $20 to $40 an hour or more depending on the specialty that you need. It still saves you money because you only pay for work you need.
* No Need to Train Someone – You do not have to train your VA on the tasks you want completed. You may need to show them how you like your work to look when it’s finished, but you won’t tell them what tools to use or how to do it exactly. They should know how to do it already.
* No Full-Time Costs for Part-Time Work – Many people think they have to hire someone full time, in their office, to get good work done. But the truth is, there are lots of times in the day where a receptionist is just sitting there. If you can pay them only part time for exactly what you need then you can afford to hire more experts, too.
* Expand and Contract Your Business As Needed – You only pay for and hire people to do work exactly when you need it. This means you can easily take on extra work when you get offered it, and get your VA(s) to help out with the parts they can do.
* Look Like a Big Business to the World – It used to be impossible for a small self-employed freelancer to make a big enough dent to make a good living working for themselves without practically killing themselves with the workload. Now you can look big by being able to bring on more outsources when needed without killing yourself.
* Find Very Specific Expertise When You Need It – Virtual assistants have a variety of skills that fall into many categories from finance, to management, to organizing and planning, to technical and more. Find the right help when you need it instead of having to keep people on the payroll when you don’t need them.
* Get a Proactive Partner in Your Business – Many VAs specialize in being a business partner who are very proactive in helping you run, manage and build your business. Look for an “online business manager” or “online marketing manager” or other specialties to help you run your business.
Virtual assistants understand how important it is to deliver good work to you because your success is very dependent upon their success. Virtual assistants work hard to train themselves to do tasks that are needed and in demand so that you don’t have to train anyone. You simply hire the expertise you need for your projects. VAs can be brought on long term or on a by-project basis.