Most entrepreneurs today hire a virtual assistant. It’s because they are a great solution to delegating works that are critical to success. Especially for “solopreneurs”, they would need somebody to do the scheduling for them, setting reminders, and at the same time doing research.
Hiring a virtual assistant has a lot of benefits. You don’t need a physical office for your VA, the pay rate is cheaper, and you have a global talent pool to choose a fit. Are you looking for virtual assistant services Australia wide for the first time? Here 4 things you should consider when hiring one.
What Tasks Can a Virtual Assistant Do for You?
A virtual assistant is an employee that works online in a remote location. There’s a host of tasks that an entrepreneur can outsource to them. These include:
- Administrative works like basic data entry, booking travel arrangements, calendar management, scheduling appointments, and meetings, and setting up reminders by organising your to-do list.
- Content creation like writing blogs, emails, letters, proposals, and marketing plans.
- Email management like organising your email folders, replying to email inquiries, and sending appointment invites.
- Finance management like budget maintenance, doing tax entries, making purchases, and keeping track of your expenses.
- Research on competitor’s products and services, consumer trends, and a lot of topics relevant to the work scope.
- Social Media Management like creating and scheduling content for your social media accounts and engaging with your followers.
There are lots of tasks a virtual assistant can perform. It seems that there is nothing they can do to further assist you.
Where to Find Virtual Assistants?
There are several freelance websites and virtual assistance companies where you can source for a virtual assistant. The freelance marketplace offers a pool of talents from different parts of the world. All you need to do is post a job listing on these sites. It is important to be clear on the job description of the virtual assistant you are looking for. You must also include the basic skills you may require from an applicant.
Alternatively, you may also ask for referrals from colleagues, family, and friends if they know someone who can be a great virtual assistant for your needs. Personal referrals can be a great way to discover talents through hands-on experiences from people you know. In general, you can hire a virtual assistant on a contractual basis be it part-time or full-time.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Virtual Assistant?
Setting the salary of a virtual assistant depends on 3 factors:
- Job role
- Skill set
- Years of experience
A full-time virtual assistant commonly works 8 hours a day from Mondays to Fridays. But the work schedule depends on your agreed setup. The average rate for a general VA that works full time is around $500 to $800 per month. The rate goes up depending on the skills and years of experience of the person you’ll hire. If he or she can perform graphic design, SEO management, and website development, the monthly rate may range from $800 to $1400 if working full time.
How to Manage Your Virtual Assistant?
There are several ways in managing your virtual assistant. First, you need to communicate regularly via a messaging app. You can either use Google Hangout, Skype, Slack, or WhatsApp. With these collaboration apps, you can either chat or do video calls as needed. Second, before onboarding, you should make it clear what task your VA should perform regularly. You can manage and monitor the progress of these tasks through project boards like Asana, Basecamp, Google apps, and Trello. To track their work time, you can use online time tracker tools like Everhour, Harvest, Rescue Time, Toggl, Time Doctor, and Time Proof. Last, to send payments to your virtual assistant, you can use Paypal, Payoneer, or TransferWise.