Virtual Assistance - The Basics

The question I get asked the most when I tell people I am a virtual assistant is, "what is a virtual assistant? What exactly do virtual assistants "do"?" Let's dive in and find out!

What is a virtual assistant?

A virtual assistant is a person who works remotely. They provide administrative and business support services to clients on an ongoing or project-by-project basis.

Individuals and businesses of all sizes can hire virtual assistants. Virtual assistants can also work for organizations such as charities or government departments.

What do virtual assistants do?

A virtual assistant helps with tasks that can be done remotely. It's a broad term, and it means different things to different people—some VAs specialize in one particular task or aspect of business, while others are more generalists and do whatever it takes to get the job done.

VAs can be used for all sorts of work: administrative tasks like scheduling meetings, taking notes at meetings, or creating reports; marketing-related work like creating newsletters or social media posts; even writing blog posts or articles for your website!

Some businesses hire virtual assistants on an ongoing basis to help with everything from answering emails to doing research for content creation projects. Other businesses hire VAs as needed—for example if you're launching a new product line and need help setting up automated email campaigns or reviewing press materials before they go out the door.

How are VAs different from in-office assistants?

Now, you're probably wondering: how are VAs different from the in-office assistants you know and love? Well, each assistant works remotely—so they can work from anywhere. They offer more flexibility than traditional in-house assistants, who usually have set schedules of 9 to 5 or longer hours every day of the week.

Finally, working with a virtual assistant is cheaper than hiring an in-office assistant (and it's legal). In fact, according to Robert Half International Inc., most small businesses don't even consider hiring regular office staff because it's too expensive—but that doesn't mean they don't want to put their hands on some high-quality work!

Virtual assistants can be great for people who want to outsource admin tasks.

And while you may be thinking, "I've got a perfectly fine VA of my own—me," there are still plenty of reasons why hiring a virtual assistant can be beneficial.

Virtual assistants can do the work for you.

Sure, you're probably pretty good at organizing and managing your inbox…but what about when it comes to things like scheduling meetings or making travel arrangements? You might not have time (or interest) in learning how all those programs work—and even if you did, there's always a risk that one day they'll go out of date and require updating or upgrading. If this sounds familiar, consider hiring a virtual assistant who knows how to use those tools, from booking flights to syncing up calendars with other people across the company.

It will cost less than hiring someone on-site.

If there's one thing every business wants more than anything else right now, it's capital: cash in their bank account so they can expand their business operations as quickly as possible. Hiring a virtual assistant means no HR expenses like payroll, health benefits, vacations, etc.

Conclusion

Virtual assistants can help elevate your business and bring a sigh of relief as things get taken off your to-do list. That is my goal as a virtual assistant! I am here to take on those tasks you dread the most, so you can return to the aspects of your business you enjoy most.