 Some entrepreneurs, small business owners and self-employed professionals have discovered the benefits of enlisting the help of a virtual assistant - a solution to the endless hours of desk-bound administrative work which is necessary for the proper running of a business. Others still spend hours trying to do it all themselves - are you one of them? Perhaps a virtual assistant is the solution for you?
Engaging the services of a virtual assistant allows you to enjoy the advantages of assistance and support without incurring the expenses and taking on the responsibilities associated with employing full-time staff.
A virtual assistant is a skilled and experienced professional who offers administrative and secretarial support to business owners. The virtual assistant is self-employed in his/her own right and is equipped to work from home.
The basic skills and experience of a professional virtual assistant usually include typing/word processing skills, telephone and emailing etiquette, good customer service skills, administrative knowledge, good communication and correspondence skills, computer and internet knowledge, office management, as well as organisational and diary management skills.
Some virtual assistants also offer unique and diverse services based on their individual skills and experience, such as bookkeeping/management accounting, debtors/creditors, web/graphic design, editing, desktop publishing, translations, marketing, public relations, risk/compliance management support, paralegal assistance, etc. The broader their experience and skills base the more assistance they are able to offer you.
Of course, whilst the virtual assistant’s skills and experience, together with accuracy, efficiency and speed of delivery, go a long way towards ensuring success in this type of working relationship, there are other critical success factors that can make or break it. Both parties need to invest in the relationship in order for it to work. I share with you a few critical success factors to keep in mind as you consider this solution to your administrative nightmares:
• You need to be comfortable working with someone in a virtual environment, where your assistant is nowhere near you; communication with him/her is mostly via email and sms, with the odd telephone call once in a while and a regular meeting once or twice a month;
• Clear communication and feedback between you and your virtual assistant is essential – the lack of clear instructions and feedback leaves both parties with uncertainty;
• Mutual respect as equals – both you and your virtual assistant are in business, so the relationship is not one of “boss and employee”, but rather one of two businesses partnering and collaborating for the greater success of both;
• Time management - time is of the essence to both of you, so there is a need to be forthcoming and timely with instructions, feedback and any necessary information otherwise the other party’s service delivery is hampered causing delays on both sides;
• Both of you need to be reliable, conduct yourselves with honesty and integrity, and share the same work ethic;
A suitable virtual assistant can become a valuable asset to your business as the assistant gets to know your business and you start working together as a virtual team. Whilst there will always be a few administrative matters that will require your personal attention, on the whole you will have much more time to focus on growing your business with the peace of mind that your virtual partner is taking care of things for you “back at the office”.
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