Despite that, you have a long order of business to attend to; you cannot squeeze everything into one day. As a result, some aspects are sidelined, and others rushed. This is not how to run a business effectively. You need help. A virtual assistant is someone who can benefit you. However, what tasks can you delegate, and which functions should you retain? This is the focus of this article. The value of this article is that after reading it through, you would know better about what to outsource to a virtual assistant. Let’s begin.
Core tasks to delegate to a virtual assistant
One of the easiest to add to your outsourcing list is admin-related tasks. Because this type of work is time-consuming and repetitive, it can be undertaken by a remote assistant for much less than if you do it all yourself.
Handling emails
Emails are perhaps one of the main time-wasters for many entrepreneurs. On average, a person will spend 28% of their working time just on emails. That is, people will check their emails roughly 11 times per hour. Most of all, 84% of emails are opened while people try to multitask. This means that emails can be a distraction from their core work. The result is lowered productivity and time wasted.
It might seem odd to hand over your emails to another, but it’s one of the most popular tasks delegated to virtual assistants. As a result, managers and business owners can save about 11 hours per week, allowing them to focus their attention on more important work.
Responding to phone calls
Phone calls, both business and personal, can disturb you as much as emails can. Delegating this task to your virtual assistant can help you to stay focused. It is also advisable to have a person answer a call instead of the call going to voicemail. A remote assistant can easily take over this role and work during periods as agreed.
Appointment setting
Arranging an appointment via email is inefficient. All that will manifest is a back-and-forth of emails. A virtual assistant can assist in managing your schedule. This will involve scheduling appointments, rescheduling appointments, and more.
Data entry
Data entry is a highly repetitive and tiresome type of labor. Although everyone can conduct such work, there is no reason business owners should waste their time on it. Rather, this mind-numbing task can be delegated to a virtual assistant. Moreover, it can be given to a remote assistant who can rapidly achieve it at a cost-effective rate. Here the assistant can gather, sort, and input the data with the aid of software so that the data can be digitally accessible.
Bookkeeping
You do not require an accountant to manage your accounts. You can hire a virtual assistant to assist you with your bookkeeping tasks. An assistant can reconcile your transactional accounts and manage your financial records. They can take care of paying bills, sending out invoices, and following up on overdue bills.
Conduct online research
There are many reasons for undertaking research. Research can be used for sales presentations, business development, new partnerships, and even for your marketing team. The virtual assistant can research new trends and apps that can resolve a marketing idea. They can also conduct research on your competition.
Client relationship management
If your client falls in a high economic bracket, you would want to spend a bit more time on this client to retain them. One way of doing this is by offering a personal touch. Such a touch can also be extended to most clients. This could involve sending your clients a birthday message, a thank you note, or gifts for Christmas or Eid. Here the virtual assistant can ensure that gifts are delivered and the right type of gift (which should also be branded) is delivered on time.
Travel planning
You might not think that travel planning would be time-consuming; however, finding flights, booking a rental car, and making hotel bookings do take some time. More so, if you need to make any changes, it could mean that other aspects will also need to be changed. A remote assistant can easily take care of this type of work. Additionally, they can make dinner arrangements, and if for a business meeting, they can present the invitations and gain confirmation from your guests.
Social media managements
Social media is a modern-day evil. On the one side, it is a great tool for connecting and engaging with your audience. However, it also takes much time to draft content, schedule posts, and respond to clients. Such tasks can be offboarded to a virtual assistant. Here you can also decide which accounts you want to delegate to a virtual assistant. If the workload is heavy, then it’s best to allocate your social media to a dedicated virtual social media assistant. This type of assistant will focus solely on your social media channels. All you need to remember is to provide your assistant with a design bible so that they can align all your content with your brand identity.
Content Writing
Writing is not for everyone. If you lack time, this is also an easy task to give to your virtual assistant. Here the writing would include content for your blog, press releases, white papers, case studies, newsletters, and emails. Additionally, the assistant can write content for your website.
Customer support
Offering customer support can be good for business. Spending your time on it, well, not so much. Therefore, outsource your customer support. This would include responding to clients via email, phone, or social media channels. You can prevent an issue from exploding online and damaging your brand by offering customer support.
Time to hire your virtual assistant
If you have decided to hire a virtual assistant, the best idea is to seek great advice. At Aristo Sourcing, we offer expert advice from our outsourcing expert. Our decade and more of experience working with large international outsourcing companies will provide you with the best advice; and more so, this service is offered free of charge. However, before you call, write down the main tasks you would want to delegate. Above, we suggested merely admin tasks. However, should you want more specialized functions such as graphic design software development, or if you have a niche sector, such as law, or human resources, do provide us with these details. Our outsourcing expert can draft a solution that is unique to your needs. We can suggest a plan for how you can scale over time, thereby reducing your costs and gaining maximum returns.