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.
Most virtual assistants are contract or freelance workers who do their
jobs from home and focus on administrative tasks that are similar to
those of an executive assistant or secretary. Websites that specialize
in contract workers, such as odesk.com and elance.com, have thousands of listings for virtual assistants.
With
the number of virtual assistants are growing, their expertise now runs
the gamut, making it easier to find someone who fits your organization,
says Jaleh Bisharat, vice president of marketing at oDesk.com, which is
based in Redwood City, Calif. In 2012, oDesk had 25,000 postings for
virtual assistant jobs, compared to about 2,500 in 2008.
Entrepreneurs
can use virtual assistants for everything from making vendor or
customer service calls to sending out thank you cards to prospective
clients. It's important to build trust, just as you would with a
permanent employee. "They become a team member who just happens to work
remotely," Bisharat says. Not sure where to start? Here are 10 ways you
can use a virtual assistant to improve your business.
Bookkeeping: Keeping
tabs on bills and other bookkeeping matters can be one of the easiest
things to assign to a virtual assistant, says Kathy Colaiacovo,
marketing director for the International Virtual Assistants Association,
a Henderson, Nev.-based trade group. Many small businesses choose to
share their bookkeeping systems with their virtual assistants who can
then follow up on tasks such as outstanding invoices or unpaid bills.
"You will need to hand over some control [including] passwords and
access to accounts," Colaiacovo says.
Online Research: You
can easily farm out Internet research to virtual assistants. Common
requests include finding information on corporate websites, exploring
new products and vetting potential employees or business contacts, says
Sue Kramer Harrawood, president of Peace of Mind Virtual Assistance, an
Orland Park, Ill., firm that provides companies with virtual assistants.
Be sure to send clear instructions, along with user names and passwords
so assistants can get access to specialty search tools or paid
websites. Tristen O'Brien, an eBay marketing expert in Westfield,
Indiana, asks his assistant to help him find blog topics, as well as
occasionally proofread his blog [link: www.theebayentrepreneur.com] on
eBay selling. "She researches what is trending and reports back to me,"
O'Brien says.
Database entries: Whether
it's a slew of new business cards picked up at a conference or updated
information for existing contacts, keeping databases current is a
suitable task for virtual assistants. Be specific about your needs and
expectations, and make sure the virtual assistant has done this type of
work before so there's less room for errors, Kramer Harrawood says.
"Follow up is a huge thing for business owners. Sometimes clients will
fax or scan business cards to us, and [virtual assistants] will plug
them into the database."
Data presentations: Turning
raw data into a clear PowerPoint presentation or summarizing research
findings in a Word document can be a huge timesaver when prepping for
meetings, says Rich Pearson, chief marketing officer at eLance.com, a
jobs website for freelancers in Mountain View, Calif., who uses a
virtual assistant himself. The data "comes back in a format I can
share," he says.
Managing email: To
keep you from wasting time in your email inbox, some virtual assistants
will filter your most important emails and respond to the rest on your
behalf, Colaiacovo says. Such email management is easy to do remotely,
but you need to provide guidance on how to pick out key emails and ask
the assistant to copy you before sending out any responses to reduce the
risk of errors.
Social tasks: Virtual
assistants can be a good bet to handle tasks such as writing holiday
cards or sending thank you notes, says Bisharat, who notes that social
chores have become a very common assignment. Such tasks can become "all
consuming" for business executives, she says, "but a good virtual
assistant can take care of all of it."
Travel Research: Virtual
assistants are a great resource for finding hotels, booking airfares
and mapping out trip itineraries both for business and pleasure, Pearson
says. The assistants can take advantage of the growing number of travel
research tools and review sites on the Web. They can also deal with the
hassle of navigating time zones when booking or researching
international travel options by phone.
Scheduling: Because
many scheduling tools are available online, virtual assistants are
managing the calendars of many clients, says Kramer Harrawood. Tasks
include dealing with meeting invitations from others, scheduling
appointments with clients and helping to plan events. "It's about being
comfortable and letting go of that calendar" to a non-staff person
working remotely, Kramer Harrawood says.
Chasing business: Prioritizing
potential business opportunities can be challenging, but virtual
assistants can help with the process. When deciding what to sell on
eBay, for example, O'Brien asks his virtual assistant to look around for
products that can be profitable to resell. "I give them quite a few
websites to visit, and they take it from there," he says. "They look for
clearance items and other types of products."
Industry knowledge prep: With
limited time to keep up with industry news, some small businesses have
turned to virtual assistants to keep tabs on the most important
happenings. Many executives then use the industry information to update
their Twitter feed or bring up interesting developments in conversation
with customers and prospects. This helps "executives appear to have
timely news," Pearson says.
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