Business Advice, HR & Employment

What is a Virtual Assistant and Should You Hire One?

Business Advice | 18 January 2023 | 11 months ago

If you know anything about the business world, you will know that virtual assistants are gaining popularity. A few years ago, the idea of hiring an assistant to work remotely might have seemed odd, but now it’s an extremely common practice. If a business has administration work that needs doing but they don’t have enough worthy hiring a full time member of staff, they can turn to a virtual assistant.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant performs the same tasks as a standard assistant, but they do so remotely. It’s one of the major roles that has come out of the freelancing world in the last few years, and everything about being a virtual assistant is managed online. In fact, it’s unlikely that they will ever visit a business’ offices. Virtual assistants offer a whole host of administrative support to the team, ranging from data entry to scheduling meetings, and they usually work on a part time or flexible basis.

What are the Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant?

There are a lot of advantages to hiring a virtual assistant, which is why it’s something that a lot of businesses are choosing to do. Instead of hiring a full time member of staff, businesses are saving money by hiring a virtual assistant. This gives you the freedom to pay for a part time assistant, or simply to pay for the hours of work that you need doing, rather than budgeting for a full time wage. It’s also an extremely flexible way to ensure that your business administration is kept up to date, without having to commit to hiring someone on a long term basis. Plus, there is no need to find space in your office for an additional person, as a virtual assistant works remotely.

Duties for Virtual Assistants

The role of a virtual assistant is an extremely flexible one, meaning you can tailor the role to suit your business’ needs. However, they do tend to focus on the admin side of a business. This could include data entry, responding to emails, organising meetings, arranging travel and accommodation, creating presentations, carrying out research and answering phone calls. The majority of virtual assistants offer their services on a bespoke basis, meaning they are able to tailor their role to meet your individual needs.

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant

Hiring a virtual assistant is a lot easier than many people realise, especially if you utilise websites such as Upwork and PeolpePerHour. These websites are ideal for finding freelancers, and there are a number of virtual assistants offering their services. You can also hire a virtual assistant by reaching out to other people in your industry and asking for recommendations.

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