Administrative tasks are a $2.87 trillion burden to the United States economy. Small businesses alone lose almost 5% of their time to these operational processes.
What processes, you ask? Well, there’s a long list, but finance and accounting-related tasks top the list. Talent acquisition and stuff involving taxes are also giant time-consuming admin tasks.
The thing is, you don’t need to hire individual in-house employees to cover these processes. Today’s technology allows you to outsource many of these productivity-breaking tasks.
That’s right. If you hire a virtual assistant, you can say goodbye to lost time on the non-core areas of your business.
But the benefits of a virtual assistant go beyond that. We’ve rounded up the top ten to help shed light on why you need a VA ASAP.
1. Less Work for You
Did you know that email-related activities already consume an average of 2.5 hours every day? Who thought reading and responding to all those messages could be so time-consuming!
But you’ve got even more on your plate, such as setting up schedules and answering calls. There’s also document drafting and printing, as well as addressing customer inquiries. The bottom line is, all the repetitive tasks you face every day put a heavy burden on you.
A reduced workload is a good enough reason to find yourself a secretary. But why hire an in-house secretary if a virtual assistant for a small business will cost you less?
2. More Time to Focus on Your Business’ Core Operations
Once you have a VA to delegate your admin tasks to, you’ll have more free time on your hands. You can then use this time to do what you love to do. You can concentrate on the main reason you started a business in the first place!
Say you started an online retail business because you love to share your joy of shopping. Now that you have more time, you can concentrate on scouring the market for better products to sell. Whatever it is you love about your business, you’ll have more time for it thanks to your virtual assistant.
3. Save Loads on Reduced Operational Costs
Why use a virtual assistant if you can save money doing admin tasks your own? It’s actually the other way around. Since you’re spending more time on non-core activities, you’re losing time and profits.
Also note that hiring a VA comes with lower overhead costs than an in-house employee. You don’t have to buy equipment for a virtual assistant. You don’t have to rent a space for them to work in.
With in-house staff members, you’d shell out money for recruitment and training. In fact, it’ll cost you more to look for and employ new hires than what you’d spend on their salaries!
4. Exceptional Services for Less
Let’s face it. As much as many of us need and want a secretary, they’re too expensive. In the U.S., their average salary amounts to $38,305.
With small business owners making an average income of $59,871, an in-house secretary is out of the picture.
The good news is, virtual assistants can do pretty much what a secretary can for a lot less. You may not see them in person every day, but they’re sure to bring to the table what an in-house assistant can.
5. Access to Talents from All Over the World
A top talent is a top talent, regardless of location. In fact, the best talent you’re looking for may not be in the country! That’s why you shouldn’t limit your talent search to locations.
This is also one of the greatest benefits of outsourcing. It also doesn’t hurt that virtual assistants cost less to hire and maintain.
6. Run Your Business Round-the-Clock
Once you’ve mastered the steps on how to get a virtual assistant, you can hire several from different time zones. A good reason for doing so is to make the most use out of the 24 hours you have.
For instance, you can have an assistant tend to admin tasks between 9 PM and 3 AM EST. If they live in another time zone, it’s possible that these work hours translate to 9 AM and 3 PM in where they are.
In any case, this gives your business an advantage. For one, you’ll always have someone running the show even while you’re asleep. Also, there’s always a possibility that customers will want to contact you in the wee hours of the morning!
7. Extend Your Brand’s Reach Overseas
Having employees from all over the world also helps your brand reach greater heights. Consumers from other countries will get to know your brand. This is perfect for businesses like online retail stores, which have customers worldwide.
Even if they won’t be your customers, they may still share the good news about your business. Especially if you give them something interesting like well-created marketing videos.
Think of how BuzzFeed’s Tasty averaged 360 million users a month within its first eight months. It may be an American Internet media company, but it has a massive global following.
8. Hire on a Part- or Full-Time Basis
Need help with a part-time, full-time, or temporary job? Then a virtual assistant is right up your alley. Some platforms, like Virtual Assistant Portal, offer project- and time-based services.
In other words, you only pay for what you need help with. But keep in mind that reliable VAs have many skill sets. This means you most likely will find one who can do multiple jobs for you.
9. Boost Customer Satisfaction Rate
Imagine what round-the-clock business presence can do to your business. Someone with great skills is always present to address customer concerns. Someone qualified reads and replies to emails right away.
The simple result? Improved customer satisfaction! The better your customers’ experiences are, the more likely you are to retain them.
10. Get Work Done Faster
Of course, the more people working on tasks, the faster they’ll get done. That means more time to work on new projects. New projects that can bring even greater profits to your business.
Hire a Virtual Assistant Now for Higher Chances of Business Success
The sooner you hire a virtual assistant, the sooner you can get back to focusing on your business. With a VA, you’ll get more time to do the things you love most about your business. Don’t forget improved productivity means more chances of making profits and reaching success!
Ready for more strategies to boost your business’ productivity and bottom line? Then check out our other useful business resources!