Virtual assistants, as the name suggests, assist people from the different strata of the society but virtually. The virtual assistants normally known as the VA are basically entrepreneurs providing professional assistance to people in the administrative sphere, technical world and the creative field. They provide this assistance to the clients from their home office. There are several virtual assistants working from home to help the business people. The best part of hiring such assistants is that they are involved in a wide variety of works and are able to provide service accurately.
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However, these Virtual Assistants normally work for small scale organizations and consultancy groups. A worldwide survey has revealed that there are about thirty five thousand virtual assistants serving various small scale companies. Even the consultancy groups hire them for their services. Especially in the centralized economies virtual assistants are being hired often due to the short span of job. In these kinds of firms, assistants are hired for a small span of time where they are laid off after the completion of a project. This practice is often known as the FIFO method of staffing.
Normally the data transfer between the firms and the virtual assistants take place through e mail, telephonic conferences and fax machines. Sometimes it also takes place through instant messages sent online. The virtual assistants are hired on the basis of contracts for a stipulated time period. However, most of these relationships transform themselves into long lasting ones fetching more work for the virtual assistants. If you wish to work as a virtual assistant then you must have at least five years of experience at an administrative post in the previous office. Normally they work as executive assistant, secretary, legal assistant, manager or supervisor, paralegal, real estate assistant and legal secretary.
However, one must remember that he/she is not an employee of the company that has hired its services. He is considered to be an independent business contract owner. They come under the purview of tax paying workers. In fact, they pay their own self employment taxes to the government. They decide on the terms and conditions on which they will work and also the payment pertaining to their service. Hiring virtual assistant services uk them are profitable for the company since they do not come under the direct payroll of the company. Hence, they are only paid when they work for the firm based on the volume of work they have done. In fact, they are capable of expanding the small scale companies by generating more sales.
Since the VA is not a direct employee of the company, the company does not have to bear the expenses like training the employee, casual leaves, paid time off, sick leave, retirement plans and insurance of the employee. Hence, the burden on the house is much less. If you can free yourself from the little office chores then you will be able to attend more and more trade shows and establish contacts with other firms. They happen to be the obvious choice for replacing a full time secretary when he or she is on leave. Hence, working with a them has many advantages.
There are a heap of reasons a Virtual Assistant can be a valuable asset to your business. I have noted five of the most common ones.
1. BUSINESS HOURS CAN BE WORKED AROUND
A Virtual Assistant is just like a Personal or Executive Assistant, yet they don't usually work from your office. They freelance or contract their work out to businesses and even individuals remotely from their own space. So an email at anytime of the day is no problem. Just ensure you don't step outside their boundaries. They do need personal time too.
2. THEY TAKE CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS
You are busy at work, have a heap of documents to write, keep up with all your emails and social media messages and be present to actually run your business. A VA can free up your time by doing these tasks for you!
3. SAVE MONEY ON EMPLOYMENT COSTS
If you employ someone to do your work, you would usually need to pay your employee an hourly rate. On top of that, there may be penalty rates, Superannuation, annual leave, personal leave and possibly other bonuses. You also need to ensure you have adequate insurance and pay their tax.
Yes its still good to have an employee to do the tasks you want done and you most likely still will, however; hiring a VA cuts all these extra expenses out. You can get the same work done for less.
4. ONLY PAY FOR WHAT YOU ASK FOR
A Virtual assistant will consult with you to discuss your requirements.
Whether you need someone to help you for only a few hours a day, do specific tasks on a continual basis, or just one project, a Virtual Assistant can help you meet your needs.
A Virtual Assistant will manage your requirements with set fees and invoice you accordingly. The best bit is you only pay for what you ask for.
5. COMMUNICATION IS EASY
You don't have to manage a Virtual Assistant. Help is just an email or phone call away. There are no monthly check ins, writing reports, probation periods. If you have a question or need something done, you just contact them. If you feel your work is not completed to standard or as requested, they are obliged to make it right. They work with you to ensure your needs are met to the highest standard.
I can go on about the benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant – I will just leave it here.