The ‘work from home’ scenario hasn’t been so common – until fairly recently, at least. More people are working from home these days, and one of the most popular ‘work from home’ jobs is as a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants have become in high demand these days, and this isn’t that surprising considering the many benefits such an assistant can bring. Of course, whilst there are plenty of virtual assistants you can choose from nowadays, they can come with varying sets of skills, from office administration to transcription to scheduling, data entry, and even accounting and bookkeeping.
But is the solution presented by a virtual assistant the right fit for your needs? Here’s why it makes complete sense to hire a virtual assistant for your business or personal requirements.
Their benefits and advantages
- Reduced costs in labour
Consider this: if you try to go the traditional route and hire an assistant who will work full time for you, this will undoubtedly cost more than hiring a virtual assistant. This is because you will have to contend with taxes and sick or holiday leaves, not to mention employee’s compensation and medical plus dental benefits. But if you go for a virtual assistant, you are working with an independent contractor or freelancer, which means they will take care of their taxes, expenses, and even their National Insurance contributions.
The arrangement is such that you can hire the virtual assistant to do a particular job, and when they have done it, you can pay them for the hours they spent doing that job. Thus, you don’t have to waste money paying someone for being idle, as you can track the hours they’ve worked and only settle payment for the actual work they have finished.
- Better productivity
Speaking of which, imagine this scenario: in the UK, the average worker or employee may not do more than three hours of ‘real’ work, so why should you pay your workers to sit and gossip around the water cooler? A virtual assistant will not work the same way – they will be able to focus on the work you need them to do and commit their time to it without being distracted by the goings-on in a typical office setup.
- Enhanced flexibility
When you enlist the services of a virtual assistant, you don’t have to follow a standard workday. Instead, your virtual assistant will work according to your schedule and timeframe and make sure they are available whenever you need them. And here’s another thing: if you end up being dissatisfied with the services provided by your VA, it’s not that difficult to end the term or contract and opt for another virtual assistant, perhaps from a better agency as well.
- A better quality of work
Answering calls, arranging schedules and calendars, and confirming meetings and appointments can take up far too much of your time, and doing all these things on top of managing your career or personal life can lead to wrecked nerves! But if you have a virtual assistant working for you, you can have a better quality of work as you have more time to focus on what’s important rather than trying to deal with your meetings, schedule, calls and emails, and more. It’s a win-win situation all around, and there’s no reason why anyone should not take advantage of it.
