How a VA Can Make You More Productive

Since Covid-19, the traditional workplace was swapped out with a home office. Virtual, instead of face-to- face meetings which once were not popular, became mainstream. Did you know that home builders are finding that clients prefer a dedicated home office in place of a formal dining room? Even mudrooms have incorporated office nooks perfect for any work-from-home situation. Our world has become home-office friendly!

I have been working from home almost since the term for a (human) virtual assistant was created, back when people couldn’t understand what I did or how I could work out of my home. My team and I once subcontracted to a food manufacturing company. We did just about anything you could imagine from virtual locations—customer service, social media, postal mailing campaigns, small order shipments, backend website maintenance, content writing, newsletter creation, automation, lead magnets, and lots more. I couldn’t tell you how many times people would ask me if I made the food products in my home. Crazy, right? Working from home boggled their minds!

Since Covid, the world has come to have a new understanding of just how powerful and stressful working from home is. Lucky for my team and me, we were seasoned virtual subcontractors, so we were way ahead of the virtual workplace curve. Because of this, we were able to help our clients quickly pivot to the pandemic world we have lived in for the past two years. But pretty much the rest of the world was scrambling to figure out how to survive and thrive in our “new” virtual world. They learned to balance home and work life in a way that was once thought of as taboo. They learned that it was easy to fall into the 24/7, instant-response world we found ourselves in. Our responsibilities seemed to triple overnight.

Because of the stress in our new coronavirus world, many people found out they could only do so much and be so much to their clients and peers and have some semblance of a work-life balance. Anxiety, depression, and stress hit record highs, especially for those who went at it alone; they found there weren’t enough hours in the day, but they weren’t sure what to do until they learned about virtual assistants VAs). And, when they did, their world opened up to the fact that they could be more productive with less stress and strain on themselves and their families by using a VA. The great thing about virtual assistants, social media managers, website professionals, and content writers is that they are not employees. They are subcontractors. You get all the perks without the pain of having an employee, such as taxes, insurance, benefits, etc.

A VA is usually a freelancer who pays his or her own benefits, taxes, insurances, and office overhead. He or she supports your business from a virtual location. The right and qualified virtual administrative assistants are priceless indeed because there are so many tasks they can do. Virtual assistants often specialize in niche areas, including product launches, campaign automation, calendar management, social media marketing and management, content creation, newsletter creation, podcast creation, bookkeeping, website maintenance, and email management, to name a few. They can take care of tasks that you dislike or find tedious, allowing you to focus on tasks that you enjoy and do best, so you can grow your bottom line.

Let me share two underutilized areas where VAs shine: creating processes/ systems and research. Working with a virtual assistant to create processes and systems is very beneficial to your business growth and plans. First, it’s a great “insurance” plan. What if something happens to you and you are out of commission? Can someone step in and keep things afloat? Processes and putting into place systems can! Often, entrepreneurs simply don’t have the time or energy to create a highly detailed, step-by-step process plan, but a virtual process specialist does. That person works with you to put in place a customized process based on your business goals. When the processes are completed and tested, you will be able to SAVE money and time in the long run.

As far as research, mindlessly surfing your social media, even if it’s LinkedIn, is not considered research (LOL). But, all kidding aside, research is a vital part of doing business. It’s where the data comes from, and, without data, you can’t measure ROI, find your ideal client demographic, or create an effective strategy,
let alone grow successfully. Here’s the kicker: research is a huge time suck! But it doesn’t have to be. It’s

something that you can easily delegate to a research savvy virtual assistant, along with some variables and parameters. These are just a few ways that working with a Virtual Assistant can be a win-win for any business owner. Not sure how to start? I recommend making a list of everything you do (or should do). Review the list once it’s complete and break it down into things YOU yourself have to do and things you don’t have to do. That second list is what a Virtual Assistant can help you with. It’s a good place to start.

Personal Touch Concierge Service® has been assisting business owners for over 15 years. With our 5 divisions—Admin, Social Media, Website, SEO, and Bookkeeping—there is virtually nothing we can’t do. Don’t put it off any longer. A phone call is all it takes to get the help you need.