As the virtual industry is relatively a new one, there is much to debate on the pros and cons of virtual assistance.  Should one avail themselves of virtual assistance services? Is it profitable? Is it trustworthy? How does one bridge the communication or cultural differences? What are the pros and cons of having virtual assistance? These are just a few of the questions that coms to one’s mind before making a giant leap into the unknown known as virtual assistant.

So first, for the novice, what is Virtual Assistance?

Any tasks that can be done with a help of a computer can be done by a virtual assistant. So, if you have any tasks that are digital based can be done by an assistant residing in any part of the world, as long as they have access to a computer.

Should you take up a virtual assistant?

If you are someone who has a digital business that virtual assistance is all for you! A VA (as they are commonly called) can help you with anything and everything through the use of a computer. Today, almost all businesses have taken the online route, so if you aren’t there yet, I think you should at least start contemplating it. However, for paper-based businesses, virtual assistants probably can’t help you.

Things that you can delegate to a VA

This is a very common question that I find most VA users asking. Delegating tasks to someone who is thousands of miles away from you can be quite an intimidating thought. Not to mention, the communication as well as cultural differences. However, once you begin to send tasks to your VA, it is found that communicating with your VA is fairly easy. With the aid of technology, your virtual assistant could be sitting right next to you, working alongside you!

Any tasks that can be performed through a computer can be delegated to a VA. Tasks can range from basic ones like hotel or restaurant reservation, flight booking, itinerary planning  to complex or more business oriented ones like creating impactful presentations, conducting extensive market and competitor analysis, large-scale data management or data entry. In short, any task that you feel you can’t do, yet can be done digitally; can be entrusted to a VA.

Some of these tasks consist of:

Online Research:

All VAs are excellent with research. So, if you have a business that requires you to conduct extensive research like, product analysis, market study, competitor survey, etc., a VA would be your best bet. Not only would it be a time saver, but it would also save up a lot of your money, as VAs come at a very reasonable price.

Email and Calendar Management:

One of the tasks that are absolutely mandate for a business is: email and calendar management. If you’re a busy business person running all over the city, conducting meetings, it’s imperative that you have a digital calendar for your business schedules. However, updating your calendar on regular basis can be quite a mundane task, especially when you have to do it on a regular basis. The most effortless solution to this would be to hire a VA who can do this regularly.

Another humdrum task that we find quite irksome is; email management. Composing emails, answering received  emails, deleting those unwanted disturbing spam emails can be quite soul destroying, so much so that, most of us keep ignoring our inbox till it’s flooded with emails and require our immediate attention. A VA appointed to manage your emails can do quite a great job with it.

Lead Generation:

When it comes down to the grassroots, the only way a business can earn money is by acquiring customers. A virtual assistant can help you obtain more clients. Methods like acquiring customer referrals, advertising, etc. can be conducted by a VA and thus, help you garner more and more clients.

These mentioned tasks are just the tip of the iceberg; any task that may come to your mind and you think your VA can do it, can be done by a VA. As it’s quite evident; virtual assistants have a very strong future and will grow by leaps and bounds. So, hire a good VA today: it’s a good investment.