Investing in a Virtual Assistant is a big deal. It means making a commitment that could completely change the way your business functions, and the way you work.
With this in mind, it’s important to be 100% prepared for bringing your Virtual Assistant on board. So, before you do, try asking yourself these questions…
Questions you Should Ask Yourself Before Investing in a Virtual Assistant
Do I know which tasks I want to delegate?
Before investing in a Virtual Assistant, one of the most important things you need to do is know exactly what it is you want to delegate. Not only will this enable you to select the right Virtual Assistant for your business, but it’ll also mean you’re ready to hand over the tasks as soon as possible.
When deciding what it is you want your Virtual Assistant to handle, consider:
- Tasks you always seem to run out of time for
- Tasks you dislike doing
- Tasks that don’t fall within your area of expertise
- Tasks that don’t necessarily need to be done in-house
By doing so, you’ll weed out the tasks you need to delegate and the ones you’re happy to keep (as tempting as it might be to outsource your entire workload!)
Here at The Edwards Company, we provide Virtual Assistant services in Credit Control, Content Creation, Data Entry and General Admin – all popular outsourced tasks. If you’re still struggling to decide on what to delegate, start with these!
Have I considered the time it will take to onboard a Virtual Assistant?
While us Virtual Assistants are quick learners, what we can’t do is absorb every fact about your business via osmosis!
When we begin working with you, we’ll need to spend some time getting to know your preferred processes and procedures so that we can complete the tasks at hand successfully. For example, we recently started working with a new credit control client. Their system and software were different to what we were used to, so they dedicated a few days to showing us the ropes before leaving us to get on with it.
Ensure you’ve taken this step into account before your Virtual Assistant starts, so you’re not expecting magic straight away – that’ll come later!
How will I communicate with my Virtual Assistant?
In case it wasn’t clear from the title, your Virtual Assistant will be very much virtual! This means that you’ll have to consider how you want to communicate with them. Luckily, with today’s modern technology, there are plenty of options to choose from.
Here at The Edwards Company, we currently communicate with our clients via:
- Telephone
- Zoom
We’re flexible, so the choice is yours! Make sure you’ve considered how you want to communicate with your Virtual Assistant before they start working with you – this will speed up the onboarding process and ensure communication is clear from the get-go.
How involved do I want a Virtual Assistant to be in my business?
How involved your Virtual Assistant is in your business is entirely up to you, but it is definitely something you need to consider before investing in one. Here at The Edwards Company, we have some clients who only require minimal support and some who require almost full-time support.
Because of the varying levels of involvement our clients need, we developed a range of Virtual Assistance packages to ensure we could accommodate everyone’s needs:
- 8-hours per month package – some of our smaller, family-run businesses use this package. It allows us to step in a few times a week, take care of a few admin-based tasks that the client hasn’t had time for, and then step out again. Our involvement isn’t huge because they don’t need it to be, but the support we do provide them with is incredibly beneficial when it comes to managing their workload.
- 16-hours per month package – this package tends to be used by our clients with slightly larger businesses who often need support with tasks like credit control. This allows us to dedicate a few hours per week to chasing late payments and reducing aged debt. This increased involvement means we’re able to get more of the job done, leaving them with a workload that is far easier to manage.
- 40-hours per month package – this package allows us to become an extension of the team we’re working with. Often, businesses that want us to take a task like credit control off their hands entirely will opt for this package as it means they never have to worry about getting the job done themselves.
- Ad hoc package – this is our most flexible package, allowing our clients to pick and choose when they’d like our support and how involved they’d like us to be. This package works particularly well for our clients with fluctuating or seasonal workloads. We can be more involved when they need us to be and step back when things are quieter, meaning they never have to pay for a service they’re not using.
If you’re unsure about how involved you want your Virtual Assistant to be, consider the above packages and how they could work for you. What is it that you want to delegate? Could a Virtual Assistant get your chosen tasks done in 8 hours per month? Or do you need them to take over a task entirely and dedicate 40 hours per month to your business? The choice is yours, but if you’re struggling, an ad hoc package may be the best place to start.
Would having a Virtual Assistant benefit my business?
One of the most important things you need to consider before investing in a Virtual Assistant is whether doing so will benefit your business as a whole. The last thing you want to do is pay for a service that won’t have much of an impact, so ensuring you’re in the right position to invest is vital.
When our clients pose a similar question to us, we ask them to have a look at the following criteria. If they can relate to what they see, the chances are investing in a Virtual Assistant would benefit their business now and in the long run:
- Your workload feels heavy and overwhelming
- You need an expert to support you with complex tasks like credit control
- There are some tasks that are outside your field of expertise that you’d like support with
- You constantly find yourself running out of time to do particular tasks
- You want to spend more time focused on growing your business rather than tasks like admin
If you find yourself identifying with the criteria and feel that a Virtual Assistant might be the right option for you, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We have a range of packages available, designed to support businesses like yours.