Think virtual assistants sit at their laptops in their pyjamas all day? Far from it! Find out some of the misconceptions about virtual assistants and the truth about what they actually do and how they help businesses.
What do virtual assistants do?
Virtual assistants are professionals specialising in a particular skill or set of skills who support businesses from their home office. Businesses hire them for specific tasks remotely. This can be beneficial financially and in terms of time management for start-up businesses and save money on hiring a part-time or full-time employee. The number of VAs is growing year-on-year, according to the Society of Virtual Assistants.
Despite proof that virtual assistants save overwhelmed business owners time and money by providing their services, there are still a few misconceptions about what exactly they do.
Here, I set the record straight around some common misbeliefs about virtual assistants:
1. Managers can't tell what's being done.
Many managers are doubtful about a VA’s services simply because they don’t work from the same office. There’s the idea that not seeing what a VA is doing directly means they can’t tell if the work is being done the way they want it, to the standard they want – or that they can’t seeing that tasks are being done at all!
More than this, they feel like they can’t quickly tell update their VA on project changes because they’re not at the next desk.
There are plenty of ways you can tell what a VA is doing when you aren’t in the same office!
Tools like Google Docs are great for seeing who is working on documents and the live changes being made to a document. You can also see past changes, who has made them and when.
As with employees, you can set your VA deadlines, agree how to go about providing regular updates on the task, such as providing screenshots or a free screen sharing tool, such as Team Viewer.
These sharing tools enable remote access to your VA’s computer remotely so that you can show them how you need something done. Or allow your VA to access your computer!
Agree with your VA how best to make themselves accountable for each task works well. This can be a daily or weekly breakdown of completed tasks, a checklist of customers called or a shared spreadsheet document.
Need a meeting to go over details? Send your VA a quick email and set up a time to talk that same day.
2. Virtual assistants are available 24/7
Some managers believe that they can call upon their VA at any time of day or night. While it’s true that some VAs do offer extra hours in the evenings or weekends, some are only available at certain times of the day or night.
If they work some evenings or weekends, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are available to take on tasks at any time of day or night.
Iron out available times with your VA beforehand – when is the best time to call them or send them new tasks?
3. Communication and Teamworking Isn't Possible
Many people feel that creative vibes flow better when there is a team of people working from the same office. And sure, it can be very motivating and inspiring to constantly work off the buzz of a team of people working around you.
While it’s true that for some industries, workflow, communication and creativity work better when there are staff working from the same office. However, there are many sectors where communication works well for remotely-based staff.
In today’s world, communication channels have changed beyond belief and there are so many great ways of finding ways to talk.
There are lots of tools used to communicate, including Skype, Google Hangouts, What’s App and a shedload of easy-to-use conference call platforms, offering a video call option. Tools, such as Trello, provide a way of sending frequent messages to one another to send quick updates or explain a particular task.
If you still need to meet, many virtual assistants offer to meet you in person for essential brainstorming sessions and meetings.
4. I Won't Have to Worry About Data Compliance
I’ve come across some businesses that think if they hire a virtual assistant, it means they’ll take on and manage all the GDPR compliance rules for them.
While of course any virtual assistant will have their own policies for managing GDPR compliance, it doesn’t take away from the responsibilities of you as a business manager and what you need to do to be compliant.
It still means having to build subscribers by asking them to give their personal details and check that your confidential data is kept secure both online and off. The last point is especially so when sending out or sharing data with your remote workers or anyone else inside or outside your team.
5. It's Quicker to do it Myself
For some, taking the time to plan your workload, write out and give instructions to a virtual assistant can seem like it takes too much time.
To then set up a call or meeting with your VA to explain what you need for what might just be a one-off task, seems like even longer!
Quicker to do it yourself, right?
In your mind, by the time you’ve done all this, you could have done the task yourself – and probably in a much quicker time!
I can tell you that, spending the time to write instructions or educate your assistant on what you need to be done each week can be well worth it in the LONG RUN.
But, let me ask you, how would you feel if you spent time working on a long admin task when you could have spent the time working on building your business – calling a new lead or sourcing a new supplier?
While you’re outsourcing the mundane tasks or activities you’re not sure how to do well yourself, now you have time.
To go out and sell your products or services.
To negotiate with that wholesale supplier.
That set of instructions you now have in how to do X, Y and Z tasks, you now have for life and will never have to write up again. It’s not something you’ll have to repeat if you ever need to show someone else how to do it.
Most common misbelief - virtual assistants work in their pyjamas all day!
Working from home doesn’t mean lounging about in pyjamas, laying on the couch or lazing about. Virtual assistants take their business seriously, and are seriously efficient in the work they get done. When dealing with multiple client, they have to be especially organised and be able to manage different projects.
Could a virtual assistant help your business?
Whether it’s admin support, answering emails, putting together quotes or making calls, there are many ways a virtual assistant can help you for a fraction of the price of hiring a permanent employee.