What Is A Virtual Assistant And Why Should You Work With One?
What Is A Virtual Assistant?
A Virtual Assistant is a freelance contractor who works virtually (from their home office) on a variety of tasks such as administrative duties, bookkeeping, social media management, special projects, etc., for small business owners. Virtual Assistants are not employees, they are freelance contractors and more importantly small business owners, just like you. Virtual Assistants take on recurring and/or time-consuming tasks and projects that often occupy a small business owner’s time and hinder their ability to scale the business, allowing them to free up their time and focus on achieving their goals.
What Does A Virtual Assistant Charge?
Nearly all Virtual Assistants work on either a monthly retainer or hourly rate package and will most likely require payment in advance to the start of work. The best thing about Virtual Assistants is that you decide how much help you need and only pay for those set hours. They will keep track of the hours worked on your business and make sure they are delegating their time to those tasks most important to you and your business. Keep in mind though, that most rates/retainers vary depending on the services you require, the number of hours per month and of course the VA’s experience. The majority of Virtual Assistants will require that you purchase a minimum amount of hours per month.
What are the Benefits of Hiring A Virtual Assistant?
While initially the hourly or retainer rate for a VA can seem higher than for an employee, it’s important to keep in mind that you are saving money in the long run by not paying for:
Office space – Virtual Assistants typically work out of their home office.
Equipment (computer and software) – Virtual Assistants are business owners too and they provide their own computer, software and other necessities to run their business.
Sick pay, vacation or benefits – Since Virtual Assistants are freelance contractors and not employees, sick pay, vacation pay and benefits are not paid to them by clients.
Hours not worked – There is no down time or slow days for Virtual Assistants – you are only paying for time they actually spend working on your business.
Do I Need To Train A Virtual Assistant?
The great thing about hiring a Virtual Assistant is that the learning curve is much smaller for training, versus an employee. Virtual Assistants are very knowledgeable in the areas of assistance they are offering to clients and are great at multitasking. Because Virtual Assistants are working with multiple clients at one time they gain a much more rounded work experience. They are exposed to many different industries and businesses so as a client you are getting someone knowledgeable and experienced in the field.
How Do I Work With A Virtual Assistant?
When it comes to starting work with a Virtual Assistant, I recommend scheduling a virtual kick off meeting – typically just one hour – to discuss the tasks you want them to handle and set expectations. I also highly encourage monthly check in meetings to discuss progress and any upcoming work for the month. Many Virtual Assistants use a task or goal focused app or software such as Asana or Trello to help keep both themselves and their clients on the same page when it comes to the workflow.
Where Do I Find A Virtual Assistant?
Looking for a Virtual Assistant? Or need help and want to talk about your options? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here at Free UP our small team of Virtual Assistants focuses on administrative tasks, social media management and clinical office management. We offer free 30-minute discovery calls where we learn about your business’ needs and discuss how we can help Free UP your time. Click here to book your FREE Discovery Call.