THINKING OF USING A VA?

THINKING OF USING

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A Virtual Assistant or a VA is a person who provides support services to a business or businesses from a remote location – either within the same country or overseas. VA’s are usually independent or freelance contractors who offer administrative, creative and technical assistance to an individual or a business without needing to be physically present in a workplace environment.

VA’s have become popular amongst small and emerging businesses as well as entrepreneurs and online businesses who need support and assistance but who don’t necessarily want to have extra staff on location and need to keep overheads to a minimum. Many other larger businesses also use VA’s for specific tasks that can easily be done off site such as managing social media.

VA’s are popular because they are not only highly efficient, they are also convenient, affordable and highly accessible to a wide range of businesses.

WHAT CAN A VA DO?

Essentially a VA can do anything that a traditional Personal Assistant (PA) can do, except perhaps to bring you your morning coffee! You name it and basically a VA can do it – from anything such as basic

administrative and booking keeping work to more creative jobs such as website design and marketing. VA’s have a wide range of skill sets so the main thing to do is ensure that you choose the right and appropriately skilled VA to meet your specific needs.

HOW CAN YOU HIRE A VA?

The first step in hiring a VA is to determine what it is exactly that you want them to do. Make a specific list of all the jobs that you need your VA to do and prioritise the jobs according to which ones are most important to you. The next step is to determine whom it is that you actually hire. There are many VA services available that will screen applicants and match you with candidates that meet your requirements. Alternatively there are also freelance services that allow you to advertise and look at possible potential VA’s. The final step is to reference check and find one that has already been vetted through a referral – this will save you both time and frustration.

WHAT DO VA’S COST?

Most VA’s are freelance and operate from home. Usually they charge around $25 per hour but this rate may change depending on the complexities of the tasks or the amount of responsibility given. Some small businesses hire VA’s through a contract or employment position with these VA’s generally a lower rate of about $15 per hour but again this amount may vary depending on their skill set.

There are a few key factors to consider when determining how much you pay your VA. These include:

A lot of businesses outsource VA work to countries such as India and the Philippines. The rates charged by people working from abroad are far cheaper than hiring from Australia.

Type of work: If its basic admin you will be looking at between $15-$25 an hour whilst if it customer service orientated the rate will be slightly higher at around $25-30 an hour. For more complex skills such as digital marketing the rate is likely to be closer to $50 an hour.

Experience: Experience level is another important factor that comes into play as to what a VA can charge. Obviously the more experience that a VA has the higher rate they can charge.

Nationality: A lot of businesses outsource VA work to countries such as India and the Philippines. The rates charged by people working from abroad are far cheaper than hiring from Australia.

LOCAL VS. OVERSEAS VA’S?

VA’s are everywhere and you can easily hire both local VA’s and VA’s from abroad. At the end of the day it will come down

to the skill set you need and the budget that you have which will determine if you hire from Australia or from overseas. The current leading world provider of VA’s is the Philippines. The Philippine Government has ploughed a lot of resources into schools and education – even in remote areas. The result has been a steady stream of highly skilled workers with excellent communication skills who are highly proficient in English making them the perfect VA candidates. The cost of hiring a Filipino VA is a lot less than the cost of hiring a local VA making it a very appealing option for many businesses.

TOP 10 THINGS TO OUTSOURCE TO A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

1.Bookkeeping 2.Online Research 3.Database Entries 4.Data Presentations 5.Email Management 6.Social Correspondence 7.Travel Bookings 8.Scheduling 9.Pursuing Business Leads 10.Industry Knowledge Research

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