Are you short staffed and struggling to find the time to grow your business? Hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) could be a great solution. Learn why by discovering 7 reasons to consider hiring a VA, such as more time to focus on revenue generation, assistance with administrative tasks, and more.
If you’re short staffed or find yourself doing menial tasks that “anyone can do,” hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) could be a great option. A good VA can assist you in handling your administrative workload which would allow you more time to focus on growing your business and generating revenue. If you’re considering hiring a Virtual Assistant or if this is a new concept completely, here are seven reasons why a Virtual Assistant can be a great addition to your team.
1. General Administrative Tasks
A Virtual Assistant can provide support when it comes to some of the most basic administrative tasks that are more time consuming than difficult. Tasks such as data entry, spreadsheet maintenance, website updates, client quotes can all be managed by a Virtual Assistant. If you could give it to an Administrative Assistant, a Virtual Assistant could do it.
2. Email and Voicemail Management
Are you regularly bombarded by a ton of emails or voicemails? A Virtual Assistant can manage all of your messages. A VA can easily sort through your spam and reply to messages that don’t actually require your attention. This layer of review will leave you with fewer messages to work through on a daily basis. Your VA can also provide you with a daily report of voicemail messages which would allow you the opportunity to efficiently return a number of important phone calls in one sitting.
3. Invoicing
In our industry, there is often a gap between submitting a proposal to a client and receiving a response of acceptance from the client. Once the client accepts your custom quote, you should receive money either as a retainer or payment in full. A Virtual Assistant can take care of invoicing on your behalf. This will ensure that clients receive timely, accurate invoices following their acceptance of your quote and that you receive timely payment. Invoicing through a VA will allow you the ability to focus less on getting paid and more on other areas of your business that require your specialized skills and attention.
4. Social Media & Online Marketing
A Virtual Assistant can assist you with your social media & online marketing strategy. They can create and schedule social posts, draft articles for your blog, search for user generated content, prepare newsletters, etc. They can also stay on top of cake trends or other social media trends that might work well with your brand.
5. Project Management
Have you ever run out of a certain ingredient or supply at the worst possible time? A Virtual Assistant can keep your project on track by ordering supplies, planning staffing, coordinating delivery details, etc. Your VA can relieve the everyday stress of project management while ensuring that progress continues and deadlines are met.
6. Customer Support
Customers no longer only communicate via phone and email. These days customers can reach our businesses using messenger apps, text messages and social media inboxes. You can use a Virtual Assistant to provide timely responses to online inquiries outside of emails and voicemails. Your VA can help keep existing and potential customers happy and returning by making sure their comments, questions or issues are addressed or brought to your attention in a timely manner. A VA can help you build a stronger relationship with your customers by providing your customers with a helpful response as needed and when needed.
7. Calendar Management
Let’s face it. Your calendar books up quickly, and your schedule doesn’t stay organized by itself. Work with a Virtual Assistant to help you stay on top of important dates, appointments, client tastings, deliveries and events. They can help you stay organized and prepared each day, with minimal effort on your part. Develop a system where they regularly remind you of obligations and upcoming events.
Conclusion
After all of this, if I haven’t sold you on getting a Virtual Assistant, I urge you to look into it further. VA’s can be extremely helpful in freeing up your time. The objective is to remove smaller tasks from your plate so that you can focus on tasks that add value to your business and that only you can do. As long as you set up clear lines of communication, your Virtual Assistant could literally live anywhere in the world. In fact, a Virtual Assistant in another country might be less expensive than an assistant who physically works beside you. My recommendation is that you ask around amongst your business owner friends and get their opinion. Who knows? They might be able to recommend a great candidate for you.
Cyd N. Mitchell
Business Blogger, Retail Bakers of America
Cydni N. Mitchell (aka Cyd) is a Bakery Consultant and the Sweet Business Coach behind Sweet Fest®. Based in Atlanta, GA, Sweet Fest® is an online company that supports the business needs of the Sweet Community in the areas of professional development, marketing, branding and web design.
By trade, Cyd is an accountant & financial analyst with a Masters from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the Founder of the Sugar Coin Academy, an online business academy for business owners in the baking and sweets industry, and she is also the organizer of The Ultimate Sugar Show, Georgia’s Largest Annual Baking and Sweets Expo in Atlanta. She is also the Business Blogger for the Retail Bakers of America.
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