Virtual assistants are the key ingredient in helping a startup get off the ground. They help entrepreneurs, the superheroes, in managing mundane business tasks so that they may focus on what’s important.
Initially, being a micromanager is easy but as time goes by and other responsibilities kick in, it’s hard to juggle everything. Here, the services of a virtual assistant come into play. Let’s find out what they can do for you.
Tasks That You Can Assign To Virtual Assistants
Virtual assistants perform various services from a remote location. Hence the name virtual. They can personal errands such as paying the bill to the offer that is under Spectrum specials or taking care of the digital marketing of your business.
Here are the tasks that a virtual assistant can perform for you:
Calendar Management
They can manage both personal and professional calendars. Imagine having someone who coordinates and schedules calls and appointments on your behalf. This would save you so many hours per week. It will also keep you from doing tasks that you dislike.
The virtual assistant can also confirm appointments on your behalf so that you don’t have to deal with last-minute cancels. They can also call or text you a few minutes before any scheduled appointments to make sure you don’t forget about things.
Email Management
An entrepreneur is often buried under tons of emails. Email management alone can be highly time-consuming. Based on the results set by you, the virtual assistant will delete, respond, forward, and flag emails. They will update your contact list and handle everything related to communications.
Book Travel Arrangements
There is no doubt about it, travel arrangements take up more time than you realize. That’s why it’s best to let the virtual assistant do this job. From researching flights to booking flights, hotel rooms, or a cab, a VA does it all. They will also suspend communication or mail while you are travelling.
To make sure the VA handles travel arrangements, provide the assistant with all the information such as airline credit cards or frequent flyer numbers. Give them all the information they need to arrange transport, make a reservation or handle anything related to travel before time.
Handle Basic Data Entry
Just because the VA isn’t in a physical office, doesn’t mean you can’t delegate the basic data entry tasks. The virtual assistant will:
- Fill online forms
- Write down minutes of meetings
- Convert files
- Set up projects
- Manage files
When delegating these tasks, do let your VA know which software you use or need. Maintain a secure project management system so that this new team member can join the systems right away. Initially, start with a few folders so that the VA learns the ropes of your operations.
Manage Customer Service Requests
Are you intimidated to outsource customer services? Give a VA a shot. This will save you a great deal of time and headspace. The customer support request that a virtual assistant can handle includes setting up a new password, retrieving passwords, trouble logging in, technical assistance, and others. In short, they will take care of your customers on your behalf by responding quickly.
Become your Social Media Manager
When a customer is researching for your business, the first thing that they will check is your social media handles. This is a job that should be handled by someone who knows your product or service well.
For scheduling posts, you should use platforms like Hootsuite. The VA’s job as a social media manager is to respond to comments, answer questions and receive feedback. They must work towards strengthening the presence of your social media pages, increase sales, grow your following.
Create Content
Why not give your VA the responsibility of creating content. From ideation, execution to distribution, this task can take hours. But growing your business is important as well. Some virtual assistants specialize in content curation as well. Again, the virtual assistant must create content that reflects your brand and add value to the lives of the audience.
Conclusion
Now all you have to do is find a virtual assistant who can handle these tasks and any other that you would like to outsource. Upwork, People per Hour, and Fiverr are some of the platforms where you can find virtual assistants.