When COVID hit us in 2020, businesses faced their worst nightmares. It was a challenging time, and we pushed our limits, thought out of the box solutions for a unique problem. Now when we look at the past 18 months, we realize that few changes taken out of desperation were actually a more effective way of conducting our business. It took time for us to accept the changes for the way of doing things.
The pandemic has pushed us towards accepting these changes as they became a necessity overnight. Our acceptance for ‘virtual workspace’ will be the foundation stone for how resources will be hired and managed in the near future.
In the beginning, the idea was to ensure business continuity, but slowly it is becoming a new normal. There is growing acceptance of this model of resource management as being more economical and more sustainable.
Who are virtual assistants?
In simple terms, anyone who works through the internet will be a virtual assistant. However, in practical terms, it’s much more than that - just by accepting the idea that anyone can work from anywhere, we have created tremendous opportunities for how we conduct our business. It means you are not limited by location, hours, and physical address.
For big enterprises, it is a cost-effective way, but for start-ups, it is a game-changer. You get the best of both worlds - resources without increasing your recurring charges of running an office.
In 2021, the ‘virtual employees’ market is expecting a significant increase in demand, and here are 10 reasons why you should also consider a virtual assistant for your business in 2021.
1. Cost Reduction
When you hire a virtual assistant, they do not use your infrastructure. As a result, you can save on your office expenses; you do not have to pay rent or spend on logistics.
Overall, it will reduce the maintenance cost that you will usually have to spend if you hire a full-time employee.
For startups like Spores, this will help you create a team with significantly lesser investment. In addition, it will give you more room to focus on growth and spend more on customer acquisition.
2. Customized solution for your need
When you hire a full-time employee, you are committed to 8 hours, but what if you need something more flexible - where you can pick and choose your commitments hours?
In this case, hiring a Virtual Assistant will be a good idea. If you are getting more orders, hire them for 8 hours; if not hire them for 2 hours. It is a completely customizable solution.
You grow, you need more, you pay more. If not – dedicate that fund somewhere that needs more attention. You will manage your workforce as per your need.
3. Time-saving option
When you use a remote working solution, you can skip the most annoying aspect of the office commute: traffic. Instead, it saves you hours of your day and creates more room for creativity and productivity.
In addition to that, you now have the option to hire from across the world and get help 24X7. That means, if you need a specific work to be finished by day end tomorrow, you do not have to wait till morning to get someone started on the project.
In fact, Nelson Sherwin of PEO Companies discovered that he didn’t actually need to be in the office to do his role effectively. “It lends itself well to remote work” Nelson stated, “and without constant distractions, I can work more efficiently.”
You can choose - your work timing as well as for the resource you would hire.
4. Hassle-Free Work Management
Since you hire a professional remotely and pay them based on the deliverables, managing the output becomes easy and business-friendly.
You pay your workforce for being more efficient and finish the work within a mutually agreed time, not by how many hours they spend in the office.
This process incentivizes efficiency and enables you and the assistant to work independently of each other. It creates a hassle-free work management process, which can be optimized by holding meetings and conferences on a secure video conferencing software by Tauria and letting you and your remote assistant bring any questions or concerns up as well as maintain an open dialogue about current projects.
5. Peace of mind
There are numerous benefits to hiring a virtual assistant, but the most crucial benefit is mental serenity. In addition, they are a customized solution for your needs, making them cost-effective, professional, flexible, and accountable.
It removes one worry from your mind and allows you to focus on creating a work-life balance for yourself.
6. Scaling your business
Hiring a VA is very flexible and acts as a tailored solution for your unique situation; it allows you to scale up your business anytime.
It also means that if you need to scale down for a few months or even for a few days, you have the flexibility to change the hired hours for your VA’s. It’s easy and it’s feasible!
7. Problem Solution resources
Few people still believe that Virtual Assistants are limited to administrative jobs, but that is not the case. You can hire Vas for any specific tasks like – Customer support, Marketing, Strategic thinking, Lead generation, and of course for administration.
You can even hire a resource for the solution of a specific problem. So, suppose you need someone experienced to set up processes for your business. Then you can hire a VA from operations who have first-hand experience in setting up processes in a similar domain and save the hefty amount you will spend on a consultant.
The conclusion
The most crucial part of this transition is to know when to hire a virtual assistant, setting the right expectation and right parameters to measure success.
In today’s world of aspirations and innovation, there are risks at every stage of your business, but true success lies in knowing which risk you should take and which one you should pass. Getting the right people in your team will help you build your product and your brand.
Virtual Space has created enormous opportunities for employers and employees. They both get to choose the assignments as per their needs and aspirations. Besides, it creates room for experimental projects and opportunities to work with like-minded people.
It’s a win-win for both of us!
On that note, begin your search for a VA by looking for Virtual Assistant Agencies that meet your needs. Begin your search and keep an open mind about the possibilities.
About the author:
Bhawna Smriti is a writer out of passion at Wishup, loves to travel to historic places, and collects antiques. She likes fast cars, slow music, and the taste of cheese. You can find her wandering in the mountains whenever she's not sleeping or writing.
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