What are Virtual Assistant Services?

Today, businesses of all sizes are attempting to minimize costs, boost profits and become lean and mean. With the costs of taking on employees soaring – payrolls, benefits, taxes and insurance – it has become more feasible for a company to outsource work to virtual assistance services.

When you’re the sole proprietor of a small business, you have hundreds of tasks you have to fulfill before the day is done. Everything from bookkeeping to social media management, as a small business owner (SBO) you have a lot on your daily plate. We recommend every entrepreneur to create a “Lists to Freedom” for immense entrepreneurial success. List three things. These three things help you delegate your time more effectively and boost productivity.

Here are the three things you should write down:

1. Things you hate doing.
2. Things you can’t do yourself.
3. Things you shouldn’t be doing.

The first item is very simple: write down what you dislike doing in your business on a day-to-day basis. This could be anything from bookkeeping to administration.

The second thing are daily elements of the company you don’t have any experience in, which could consist of social media marketing to graphic designing.

Finally, the third placement will fundamentally change your business and is a “game changer.” So ask yourself honestly: what shouldn’t I be doing? Remember, you’re not a superhero.

Administration – emails, payrolls, invoicing, sales reports and customer inquiries – can diminish the amount of time an employee or even the SBO can focus on another important part of the business. This is where a Virtual Assistant fits in.

A Virtual Assistant will likely be hired specifically to perform these types of duties and will be assigned with general virtual office responsibilities. By completing these various jobs, entrepreneurs can boost their productivity levels and help the small business grow to new heights.

1. Bookkeeping and payroll duties: calculating hours, adding expenses, updating salaries.
2. Receptionist duties: answering calls, leaving voicemails and checking messages.
3. Database building, entry and updates (sales, contacts, CRM, etc.).
4. Performing banking needs, like paying bills and transferring funds.
5. Writing and sending invoices to clients.
6. Creating, filing and presenting weekly reports on sales, deliverables, hours and tasks.
7. Checking email, responding to customer inquiries and managing spam.
8. Organizing technical support tickets and participating in chat support.
9. Creating and sending out greeting cards, invitations, newsletters and thank you notes.
10. Establishing, updating and managing a calendar of important events.
11. Scheduling appointments with clients, businesses and salespeople.
12. Launching and maintaining cloud computing accounts (DropBox, OneDrive, Google).
13. Converting, merging and splitting .PDF files.
14. Preparing training manuals for new staff members or remote workers.
15. Composing documents from handwritten drafts, faxes and dictations.
16. Create forms or surveys for customer feedback.
17. Proofreading documents and other office materials.
18. Producing graphs from your spreadsheets.