Productivity with Virtual Assistants

How to use a virtual assistant. Cartoon people in background.

How to Use a Virtual Assistant

Deciding to hire a virtual assistant or a VA is a great plan if you are trying to leverage your business by outsourcing tasks that cannot be automated. Virtual assistants work on a contractual basis for your company. Using a virtual assistant can leave you with time to dedicate yourself to core business activities, however, knowing which tasks you can delegate can seem puzzling at first. This is why we are going to look at some effective ways to use a virtual assistant for your business growth!

Calendar scheduling

An experienced virtual assistant can be valuable by taking over your calendar management. They will help you keep you and your team organized and on schedule, from arranging client meetings and managing sales meetings with prospects to larger event preparation.

Bookkeeping

Keeping track of company bills and other bookkeeping tasks can be one of the simplest things to delegate to your virtual assistant. Many small companies prefer to share their bookkeeping systems with virtual assistants, who can then follow up on things like outstanding payments or pending invoices. Hence, a virtual assistant can help you stay on top of all your bookkeeping tasks efficiently.

Researching

Finding information on other corporate websites, gathering information about new products, and verifying possible business contacts are all common tasks that can be executed by your virtual assistant perfectly.

Data entry

Virtual assistants are well-suited in keeping your databases accurate and continually updated. Have a discussion with your VA to communicate your goals and expectations and they will be able to manage your data seamlessly.

Email Management

Virtual assistants will filter your most essential emails and answer the rest on your behalf. Remote email management is simple, and you can ask your assistant to copy to you before sending any answers to add your inputs. With the help of a virtual assistant, communication will become a lot easier for you.

Social Media

Not many people think about delegating this task to their virtual assistants, but your virtual assistant can handle your social media accounts to establish your brand presence. This can include publishing your posts, responding to comments, and managing your overall presence.

Picking the right service

There are so many factors to consider when picking out the right virtual assistant service. Are you looking for US-based assistants or is out-sourcing to another country an option? You can get started with some services for $20 a month, while others cost a lot more.

Check out our reviews of virtual assistant services to find the right one for you.

What else?

Bonus tip: You may already be on top of your business operations, but are unable to dedicate enough time to your personal life. Then, your VA can take care of your appointments, reminders, and other activities for you.

Thus, virtual assistants are a great addition to your company for your tasks and operations.

10 Things to Outsource to a Virtual Assistant

Alina Dizik has a terrific breakdown of how to use a virtual assistant.

Using a virtual assistant can shave hours from your workweek, but knowing which tasks to delegate can be tricky, whether you’re starting or growing a business.

She shares some tips for getting the most out of a virtual assistant.

  • Bookkeeping
  • Online Research
  • Database entries
  • Data presentations
  • Managing email
  • Social tasks
  • Travel Research
  • Scheduling
  • Chasing business
  • Industry knowledge prep

There are tons more great tips too. Read the full article.

Check out this list too.

Using a virtual assistant for a small business

Virtual Assistants aren’t just for personal tasks. Learn how to use virtual assistants from as service like Fancy Hands or Ask Sunday to transform your business.

Follow this guide to learn the best way to use a virtual assistant at your small business.

Sarita Harbour wrote a great article about this topic.

What can a virtual assistant do for your small business?

VAs perform a variety of tasks for small businesses of all sizes, ranging from daily, repetitive tasks to more specialized activities and projects, such as creating and maintaining websites and carrying out online marketing campaigns. Of course, the types of tasks you plan on having your VA cover will determine the skill level needed—and affect how much you pay them.

When to hire a virtual assistant for your small business

VAs are especially useful when you’re growing but aren’t quite ready to hire an employee, says Diane Diresta, author, founder and CEO of DiResta Communications, Inc., a New York City-based consultancy serving business leaders who deliver high stakes presentations.

How does it fit into your work-life?

“I think one of the secrets of being a good business owner is to focus on the work that only you can do and to farm the rest out to other employees, whether in-person or virtual,” says Catania. “Use VAs to open up your schedule, so you can do just that.”

  • What tasks am I currently responsible for that anyone could do?
  • What tasks/projects need to be done for my business that none of my current team members know how to do?
  • What is the most immediate task/project a VA could take on as soon as they’re hired?
  • What could I do to grow the business if a VA was handling some of this work?
  • How do I want to manage my VA (e.g., via Skype, email or phone)?

Read the full article.

Find out more information about Virtual Assistants

I Paid Someone $9 Per Hour To Do My Job For 5 Days

Matt Handal took a deep dive into Fancy Hands and had some interesting results.

How does it work?

A virtual assistant doesn’t come into your work. They work from home, wherever in the world that may be. And they typically don’t work for CEOs. They usually work for entrepreneurs or office slugs like you or me.

Is Fancy Hands worth it?

Yes it is.

I think it is officially enough time to call the experiment a success. You can look at the statistics yourself.

Read the full review here.

Fancy Hands Might Just Change Your Work Life For The Better

Matt Handal, a blogger has used Fancy Hands for many services such as having flowers delivered to scouting out daycare options to even having edits done to a document.

Fancy Hands is a service I’ve been using for about two weeks. And I have to say, so far it’s mind-blowingly great!

Fancy Hands can make purchases on your behalf, safely.

They can also make purchases on your behalf. When you “approve” additional purchases to be made, a complex system generates a temporary credit card number for a one-time use for that purchase price only. That way, no one ever sees your card number, keeping your finances secure and not in the hands of many assistants.

Read the whole Fancy Hands Review

Check out Fancy Hands Virtual Assistants