Virtual Assistants: The Benefits and the Risks

Just about everyone is interested in virtual assistants these days, from online retailers to brick-and-mortar stores. And it’s not a mystery why. Virtual assistants give small and medium sized companies a great opportunity to save money on salaries, taxes, and a ton of other costs associated with hiring new in-house staff.That being said, saving money isn’t the only benefit of working with a virtual assistant. Let’s take a look at some of the other “pros.”

Boosting Productivity

The reason most businesses  start looking for virtual assistants, and the companies which provide them, is to help them cover the bases when they need to be in five places at once. Busy work and multitasking are the enemies of personal effectiveness. If you try to do10 things at once, none of the will get done on time or well.   Naturally, you could take care of all this work yourself. A virtual assistant, though, can get it done for a lower hourly rate. That leaves to you focus on higher value activities and increase your productivity.

Saving on Hiring and Office Space

This is one of the biggest benefits of going remote, and comes down to basic math: having in-house employees simply costs more  money. When you hire a new employee, you have no guarantee that his or her performance will satisfy your expectations, but beforefinding out  you still have to spend the money and time ontraining and onboarding. That doesn’t even take into account providing an office space and equipment.  With a virtual assistant, you only pay for the work.

Building an International Team

In a flat world, having an international team is really important, especially forgrowing businesses. , By hiring employees overseas, entrepreneurs get access to fresh ideas which can help them penetrate new markets. When you hire an in-house team you are, by definition, limiting your scope.  Building a remote team means breaking down the boundaries between your company and the rest of the world.

We’ve been spending a lot of time talking about the pros of working with remote staff. There are a few important caveats to note, though, before starting your search for a virtual assistant.

Qualification and Education

In the world of outsourcing, the biggest misconception out there is that one virtual assistant can handle everything for client, and that it’s a waste of money to hire a team of specialists.  Before hiring a professional virtual assistant, you need to check his or her professional and educational background. Here are some skills every virtual assistant should have:

• Fluent language skills
• Professional experience
• Good writing skills Advance knowledge of basic computer software like Microsoft Office
• Recommendations from former clients

Responsibility

When it comes down to it, the ability to take responsibility is the paramount characteristic of a good virtual assistant. N When you make the decision to delegate work to a remote assistant, you should expect the work to be done well and on time. If you see that your virtual assistant can’t meet deadlines its time to start thinking about a change. Virtual assistant should make your life easier.