Administrative and clerical tasks are the bane of every
industry. No matter how small or large your business is, you
will eventually find yourself with stacks of paperwork that need
your attention. And when will you find the time? If you are busy
seeing your clients during the day, then the paperwork waits
until the evenings and weekends. This can make for some very
long days and total exhaustion. Hiring a virtual assistant is
becoming the best option for many professionals.
Virtual assistants are administrative professionals who, for a
variety of reasons, have chosen to work from home offices.
Virtual assistance is an industry that is swiftly nudging its
way into the outsourcing arena. There are currently about 2,000
virtual assistants worldwide, and this number is growing daily.
There are virtual assistance accreditation schools, chat groups,
professional organizations, and annual conferences. As a virtual
assistant, these administrative professionals are independent
contractors who provide office support remotely, using current
computer technology and the Internet.
Let’s look at the differences between hiring staff and working
with a virtual assistant:
When you hire support staff, you will need to provide some
amount of training. You also will provide a space for that
person, and supplies needed to do the job. In addition, your
staff expenses will include taxes, insurance, vacation and sick
pay, raises, overtime pay, and usually a pension or some type of
retirement plan. You will also be paying that person for idle
and non-productive time; you will be expected to do annual
performance reviews; and you are expected to manage and
supervise.
In comparison, when you hire a virtual assistant, you are hiring
someone who already specializes in the type of work that you do,
so you automatically eliminate the need for training. Virtual
assistants work from their own offices and use their own
supplies and office equipment. Virtual assistants pay their own
taxes and insurance. And best of all, you only pay a virtual
assistant for the hours worked.
Virtual assistants are flexible enough to be able to work only
the hours that you will need them, on an as-needed basis. Some
businesses contract for a certain amount of hours a month and
are assured of having those hours reserved for them. Other
people hire a virtual assistant on an occasional basis, perhaps
if they have a project, mailing, or campaign coming up and need
the extra assistance.
You can go on the Internet and find an unlimited number of
people who provide office support services; the difference is
that virtual assistants have not only the administrative
background, but also the training in how to use that background
in a global marketplace. Working with a virtual assistant gives
you the benefits of having your own personal assistant without
the extra costs and associated managerial headaches. Most
virtual assistants are very flexible and will do whatever is
needed to fulfill your administrative needs. For a lot of
businesses, it is the most practical and cost-effective way to
get the administrative work done.
Healthcare professionals who find themselves in the position of
having an overflowing to-do box and wondering what to do about
it, may be well advised to consider hiring a Virtual Assistant.
About the author:
Rita Ballard, GVA, C.Ht. is a licensed hypnotherapist and the
owner of Healer's Helper, a virtual assistance business
providing administrative support services to healthcare
professionals. For more information, please visit
www.healershelper.com Virtually Restoring Balance, One Task At A
Time!
